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A Natural Mutation ...........
Though
incorrectly thought of as an
Egyptian cat, in 1966 one of
these mysterious mutant genes
surfaced on the streets of
Toronto, Canada. What happened
to be a naked kitten born in
an otherwise normal coated
litter was discovered. This
kitten "Prune", his mother
"Elizabeth", and a few other
bald mutations later
discovered were the basis of
the early Sphynx breed.
Despite tales of "barnyard
breeders" here and there, most
of today's pedigreed Sphynx
spring from two females,
Punkie and Paloma, who were
rescued from the streets of
Toronto, Canada and sent to
Dr. Hugo Hernandez in Holland
in 1980. As there was no whole
Sphynx male (stud cat)
available in Holland, a white
Devon Rex male, Curare van
Jetrophin, was used in the
breeding program. The
offspring of this breeding
were sold in Holland and
France and are the foundation
of most of our present day
breeding Sphynx.
The breed continued to
gain in popularity among
fanciers in the 1990's and
gained acceptance into the
ACFA Championship class (1994)
and CFA Miscellaneous class
(1998) while reaching other
milestones such as RW/IW SGC
Mar-Rob's Double Delite (Bob
Mullen/Marc Costa, Los
Angeles) winning TICA's Best
International Shorthair Cat
for the 1991-92 show season,
SGC Belfry's Ted Nudegent
(Michelle Berge, California)
appearing as Mr. Bigglesworth
in the 1997 Hollywood motion
picture Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery
and being named
CATS
magazine's cat of the year for
1999 and IW/RW SGC Apophis
Nordstrom of Classicalcats
(Owners: Marilyn Keith/New
Hampshire and Kathy
Wolfe/Massachusetts; Breeder:
Tammy Poole, Maryland) winning
TICA's Best International
Alter Cat for the 1998-99 show
season.
Although the Sphynx is
referred to as being hairless,
this breed is not actually
totally hairless. You will
find that the Sphynx will have
a fine down on their body,
which may be present on the
outer ears, muzzle, tail and
paws.
The Sphynx breed can produce
any color/color combination,
and all can be registered. The
color in the Sphynx is found
in the pigment of the skin,
and can be a little hard to
determine. Compared to the
color being found in the coat
of a coated feline.
Sphynx are a substantial cat,
medium sized, yet strong. A
adult Female usually weights
6-8 pounds, and the adult Male
usually weights 8-11 pounds,
having sturdy boning and
muscle development. Having an
abundance of energy, and being
very mischief. Sphynx will
always demand you attention,
always wanting to curl up next
to you and yes they will even
want to be under the bed
covers with you.
Sphynx Breed Profile
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Pictured: Best of Breed
GC, BW,
NW MAJIKMOON KUGEL
CORUSCATE, Red Sphynx Male.
Photo: © Marc L. Rosenblum
In 1966 a domestic cat gave
birth to a hairless kitten in
Toronto, Canada. It was
discovered to be a natural
mutation and the Sphynx cat,
as we know it today, came into
existence. This cat and a few
other naturally hairless cats
have been found worldwide.
These have magically been
produced by Mother Nature and
are the foundation for this
unusual breed. Cat breeders in
Europe and North America have
bred the Sphynx to normal
coated cats and then back to
hairless for more than thirty
years. The purpose of these
selective breedings was to
create a genetically sound cat
with a large gene pool and
hybrid vigor. This is a very
robust breed with few health
or genetic problems.
The Sphynx is not always
totally hairless; there can be
a fine down on the body, which
makes the cat feel like a warm
peach. Some light hair is
often present on the nose,
tail and toes. The texture of
the Sphynx skin has been
likened to suede, a hot water
bottle, or a heated chamois.
They can be registered in a
wide variety of cat colors.
The color is seen in the
pigment of the skin and the
few hairs that they do have.
One of the questions most
asked is "Don't they get
cold?" Well, of course, if it
is too cold for you it will be
too cold for a hairless cat
too. However, these cats are
smart enough to find a warm
human, dog or cat to curl up
with or they will get under
your bed covers.
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Pictured: Second Best of
Breed
GC, RW
PRIDESPHYNX BARIS KARLOFF,
Black Sphynx Male.
Photo: © Jim Child
This is a substantial cat,
medium sized and strong, with
adult males being larger than
adult females. Sphynx have
sturdy boning and good muscle
development and should have a
bit of a belly as if they just
finished dinner. They have an
open-eyed, intelligent face
and a friendly expression. The
Sphynx are extremely
inquisitive and love to be the
center of attention. They
perform silly antics for your
entertainment and are
sometimes downright clumsy…on
purpose it seems. They make
great show cats because of
this "look at me" attitude and
they are easy for judges to
handle. They prefer human
attention but enjoy the
company of dogs and other
cats. They have an abundance
of energy and mischief and are
always with you, on you or
showing off for you. "Love
Mooch" is the perfect term for
these amazing cats.
Because of the lack of hair
that would normally absorb
body oils, the Sphynx needs to
be bathed periodically. This
is not a difficult task with a
cat that has been accustomed
to a bath from kittenhood and
it takes no time at all to dry
a Sphynx.
Some people who suffer from
cat allergies can tolerate
living with Sphynx cats.
However, depending on the type
and severity of the
individual's allergic
reactions, there are still
people who cannot live with
this breed.
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Pictured: Third Best of
Breed
GC, RW SUEDEKITTY
LIZZIE OF EMPTYNEST, Blue
Sphynx Female.
Photo: © Chanan 2004
The Sphynx was accepted for
registration, and competition,
in the Miscellaneous Class by
The Cat Fanciers' Association
(CFA) in February 1998. Sphynx
lovers feel this is one of the
most rare and unusual breeds
in the cat fancy today…Sphynx
are pure enchantment.
Sphynx are rare and most
breeders have a waiting list
for their kittens. Pricing on
Sphynx usually depends on
type, applicable markings and
bloodlines distinguished by
Grand Champion (GC), National,
National Breed and/or Regional
winning parentage (NW, BW, RW)
or of Distinguished Merit
parentage (DM). The DM title
is achieved by the dam
(mother) having produced five
CFA grand champion/premier
(alter) or DM offspring, or
sire (father) having produced
fifteen CFA grand
champion/premier or DM
offspring. Usually breeders
make kittens available between
twelve and sixteen weeks of
age. After twelve weeks,
kittens have had their basic
inoculations and developed the
physical and social stability
needed for a new environment,
showing, or being transported
by air. Keeping such a rare
treasure indoors, neutering or
spaying and providing
acceptable surfaces (e.g.
scratching posts) for the
natural behavior of scratching
(CFA disapproves of declawing
or tendonectomy surgery) are
essential elements for
maintaining a healthy, long
and joyful life.
There are CFA clubs devoted to
the promotion, protection and
preservation of the Sphynx
breed. For more information,
please send inquiries to CFA,
PO Box 1005, Manasquan NJ
08736-0805.
Text: Lynne Thomas, modified
by Jim Stacy.
Last Updated:
July 20 2005
Once you are around a Sphynx,
you will find that these
wonderful and loving Sphynx
are Exceptional Friends For
Life.
For Show Information visit the
following Links CFA / TICA
CFA ( Cat
Fanciers Association )
TICA
( The International Cat
Association
Pridesphynx Fatty Unbuckle
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