The Sphynx is a breed of cat developed through selective breeding starting in
the 1960s, known for its lack of a coat, though it is not truly hairless. The
skin should have the texture of chamois, as it has a fine layer of down. Whiskers
may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The skin is
the color their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns may be
found on Sphynx skin. Because they have no coat, they lose more body heat than
coated cats. This makes them warm to the touch as well as heat-seeking.
Breed standards Wedge-shaped heads with prominent
cheekbones Large, almond-shaped eyes
Very large ears with no hair on inside, but soft down on outside base
Well-muscled, powerful neck of medium length
Medium length torso, barrel-chested, and full, round abdomen, sometimes called a
pot belly Paw pads thicker than other cats, giving
the appearance of walking on cushions Whiplike, tapering tail from body to
tip, sometimes with a puff of fur on the tip, like a lion
Muscular body Behavior
Sphynxes are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of
energy, intelligence, curiosity, and affection for their owners. They are one
of the more dog-like breeds of cats, frequently greeting their owners at the
door and friendly when meeting strangers.
History of the cat breed Although hairless cats have been
reported throughout history, breeders in Europe have been working on the Sphynx
breed since the early 1960s. Like so many other feline breeds, the present
day Sphynx line has been a creation of the simultaneous work performed by
nature and many committed, competent individuals. Two different sets of
hairless felines discovered in North America in the 1970s provided the
foundation cats for that which was shaped into the existing Sphynx breed.
The contemporary breed of Sphynx, also known as the Canadian Sphynx, is
distinct from the Russian Sphynx breeds like Peterbald and Don Sphynx.
The current American and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of
natural mutations: Dermis and Epidermis from the Pearsons
of Wadena, Minnesota, USA. Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma found in
Toronto, Canada, and raised by Shirley Smith.
The Canadian Sphynx breed was started in 1966, in Roncesvalles, Toronto when a
hairless kitten named Prune was born to a black and white domestic shorthair
queen in Ontario, Canada. The kitten was mated with its mother, which produced
one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later it founded
the first attempt to create a hairless breed.
After purchasing these cats in 1966 and initially referring to them as
"Moonstones" and "Canadian Hairless," Mr. Ridyadh Bawa, a science graduate of
the University of Toronto, combined efforts with his mother Yania, a long
time Siamese breeder, and the Tenhoves to develop a breed of cats which was
subsequently renamed as "Sphynx". It is apparent that the Bawas and the Tenhoves
were the first individuals able to determine the autosomal recessive nature
of the Sphynx gene for hairlessness while also being successful in
transforming this knowledge into a successful breeding program with kittens
which were eventually capable of reproducing.
The Tenhoves were initially able to get the breed Provisional showing status
through the Cat Fanciers' Association but ultimately had the status revoked in
1971 when it was felt by the CFA Board that the breed lacked both a consistent
standard and an adequately broad gene pool.
The first noted naturally occurring foundation Sphynx originated at the
Wadena, Minnesota farm of Milt and Ethelyn Pearson, who identified hairless
kittens occurring in several litters of their Domestic Shorthair barn cats in
the mid-1970s. Two hairless female kittens born in 1975 and 1976, Epidermis
and Dermis, became an important part of the Sphynx breeding programme and
further hairless cats were found in Texas, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Modern
Sphynx, therefore, trace their origins to the second Canadian bloodline and to
the Minnesota cats. The first breeders had rather vague
ideas about Sphynx genetics and faced a number of problems. The genetic pool was
very limited and many kittens died. There was also a problem with many of
the females suffering convulsions. The last two descendants of Prune, a
brother-sister pair, were sent to the Netherlands in the 1970s, but the male
was uninterested in mating and the female conceived only once, but lost the
litter. The breeding program of these pioneers
withered after this time with the final traceable Bawa line cats : Mewsi-Kal
Johnny, Mewsi-Kal Starsky and Prune's Epidermis, were unable to produce
sustainable lines prior to being altered in the early 1980s.
In 1978 and 1980, two further hairless female kittens were found in Toronto and
were sent to the Netherlands to be bred with Prune's last surviving male
descendent. One female conceived, but she also lost the litter. By then, the
one remaining male had been neutered, never having been interested in mating
with any of the females. As a result, no modern Sphynx cats are traceable to
Prune. With no male Sphynxes, breeders instead used sparsely-furred, Devon Rex
studs. In the early stages of the breed crosses
with Devon Rex were used, but later this crossing was frowned upon because it
caused health problems. Now the Canadian Sphynx is a breed with a sound genetic
pool. Outcrossing is still permitted using guidelines set down in the
"standards" from each Feline Association around the globe.
Breeding Other hairless breeds might have body
shapes or temperaments that differ from those described above. There are, for
example, new hairless breeds, including the Don Sphynx and the Peterbald from
Russia, which arose from their own spontaneous mutations. The standard for
the Sphynx differs between cat associations such as TICA, FIFE and CFA.
In 2010, DNA analysis confirmed that Sphynx hairlessness was produced by an
allele of the same gene that produces the Devon Rex, with the Sphynx allele
being incompletely dominant over the Devon allele and both recessive to the
wild type. However a different genetic symbol is given to the Sphynx gene and
it is more likely that these are different genes interacting with each
other. The only allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are now the American
Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair. Other associations may vary and the Russian
Blue is a permitted outcross in the GCCF. In Europe, mainly Devon Rex has
been used for outcrosses. In 1999 SGC Apophis Nordstrom of
Classical Cats won the TICA International Alter of the Year. In 2006
SGC Classical Cats Valentino] won the TICA International Cat of the year. In
the Cat Fancier's Association, GC, RW, NW Majikmoon Will Silver With Age was
Cat of the Year for 2006. The following year, GC, RW, NW Enchantedlair NWA
Cornflake Girl was Kitten of the Year. These awards are handed out for the
highest scoring cats, across all breeds during the current show seasons. But in
the end the Sphynx cat remain one of the rarest cats.
Care Though Sphynx cats lack a coat to shed
or groom, they are not maintenance free. Body oils, which would normally be
absorbed by the hair, tend to build up on the skin.
As a result, regular bathing is usually necessary on a weekly or bi-weekly
basis. Care should be taken to limit the Sphynx cat's exposure to outdoor
sunlight at length, as they can develop sunburn and skin damage similar to that
of humans. In general, Sphynx cats should never be allowed outdoors
unattended, as they have limited means to conserve body heat when it is cold.
In some climates, owners provide coats or other clothing in the winter to help
them conserve body heat. While they lack much of the fur of other cat breeds
Sphynx cats are not necessarily hypoallergenic. Allergies to cats are
triggered by a protein called Fel d1, not cat hair itself. Fel d1 is a tiny
and sticky protein primarily found in cat saliva and sebaceous glands. Those
with cat allergies may react worse to direct contact with Sphynx cats than
other breeds. However, conflicting reports of some people successfully
tolerating Sphynx cats also exist. These positive reports may be cases of
desensitizing, wherein the "hairless" cat gave the owner optimism to try to
own a cat, eventually leading to the positive situation of their own
adaptation. Sphynx cats can also have more ear wax
than most hairy domestic cats because they have little to no hair in their
ears to catch and protect them from a build up of impurities in their ears,
like dirt, skin oils, and ear wax which accumulates more frequently in the
hairless sphynx breed. The Sphynx cat's ears will need to be cleaned on a weekly
basis, usually before bath time. The Sphynx breed also tends to
accumulate oils and debris under their nails as well as the skin fold above the
nail due to the lack of fur, so, like the ears, the nails and surrounding skin
folds need to be cleaned properly as well. Due to these factors the breed may
require more grooming than a typical domestic cat with fur.
Health issues The Canadian Sphynx face challenges
unique to their nature. The lack of hair can cause health issues with kittens in
the first weeks of life because of susceptibility to respiratory
infections. Reputable breeders will not let their kittens go to new homes
without being at least 12 weeks of age to ensure the kitten is mature enough to
cope in a new environment. Because of their lack of protective fur, skin
cancer may be a problem if exposed to sunlight for long durations of time.
The breed does have instances of the genetic disorder hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy. Studies are being undertaken to understand the links in
breeding and the disorder. The Sphynx cat has a high rate of heart
disease, either HCM or mitral valve dysplasia. In a study of 114 cats, 34%
were found to have an abnormal heart. 16 had mitral valve dysplasia and 23 had
HCM. These prevalences were found in cats with an average age of 2.62 years.
A type of muscular dystrophy associated with alpha-dystroglycan deficiency, and
similar to that seen in Devon Rex cats, has also been described, but is rarely
seen. Genetics
The Sphynx hairlessness is produced by the same gene as the Devon Rex
phenotype. Moreover it was found that the curly coat of Selkirk Rex cats is
also associated with this gene. In detail the gene encodes Keratin 71 and
is responsible for the keratinization of the hair follicle. The Sphynx mutation
leads to a complete loss-of-function where the structure of the hair is
damaged so that i.e. the hair can be formed but is easily dislodged. In the
Devon Rex mutation a residual activity of the protein still exists. The
Selkirk Rex allele is dominant over the wild type gene, which is dominant over
the Devon Rex allele and the Sphynx which forms an allelic series of :
KRT71SADRE > KRT71+ > KRT71re > KRT71hr. References
External links Sphynx Cat Community
Sphynx Cat Breeders / TICA HCM Sphynx Cat HCM Database
Sphynx Cat HCM Information and Clinics – Hairless Hearts
Sphynx Cat Information and links A Listing of Sphynx Cats Breeders
Sphynx Cats, Online information about the Sphynx Cat breed
Sphynx Cat Health and Care