Sphynx cats ideal weight and nutrition
Female Sphynx cats weight 6 - 8 lbs(3 - 4 kg) and male Sphynx cats weigh 8 - 11 lbs (4 - 5 kg). They usually require a slightly higher caloric intake than other breeds, since their bodies are constantly working hard to keep their body warm.
For the suggested daily intake of dry food, consult the table below:
Table 1.1 - Sphynx cats daily food intake
In the market you will find meals specially designed for active cats as well as for Sphynx cats. These meals provide maximum energy and meet the breed’s increased needs, helping sustain this naked cat's singular metabolism. They contain L-carnitine to ensure the maintenance of muscle mass and sodium phosphates to slow down the build up of tartar. Furthermore some meals offer an antioxidant complex made up of vitamins C and E and taurine to protect against free radicals, as well as adapted levels of minerals and L-carnitine to help maintain good heart function.
Sphynx kittens care
When you introduce sphynx kittens to your home let them find their own way out of the basket and allow them to explore one room at a time. Make sure that all doors and windows are shut, to prevent them from escaping.
Sphynx kittens are very often frightened by children or other pets that are new to them. Children should therefore be recommended to be quiet and wait for the kittens to adopt to the new environment, while other animals should be introduced later, gradually and one at a time. Remember that adult cats might attack the baby cats, because they confront it as a competitor and therefore as an enemy.
Talk to your kitten and encourage it to play with a toy but do not overwhelm it with extreme attention.
Sphynx kittens need warmth because they miss their mother and litter mates. If there is not some form of heating in the room at all times, you had better buy a heated bed from a pet shop. Even when adult, a short haired cat should never be left alone in an unheated room at night or in cold weather without some basket or bed with warm bedding in it.
During the first month of their life, sphynx kittens should be breastfeeding. This is why you shouldn't separate them from their mother before they are one month old.
At the age of one month they can start eating kitten food. In the market you will find a wide range of kitten meals, however we recommend dry kitten food. This comes in small kibbles that encourage sphynx kittens to crunch and help them develop stronger gum and teeth.
For the suggested daily intake of kitten dry food, consult the table below:
Table 1.2 - Sphynx kittens daily food intake
Sphynx cats bathing and skin protection
Although Sphynx cats lack of coat, they are not maintenance-free. Body oils that would normally be absorbed by the hair, tend to build up on the skin and therefore regular cleaning, usually in the form of bathing, is necessary; one bath a week is usually sufficient. Fill up the sink half way with warm water, squeeze a little anti-microbial/anti-fungal shampoo onto a wet wash cloth and bathe them just like they were a baby. Be careful not to get any shampoo in their eyes. Make sure to keep a dry towel close by so you can dry the cat off quickly.
Special care should be taken to limit Sphynx cats' exposure to outdoor sunlight at length, as they can develop sunburn and photo damage similar to that of humans.
Spynx cats care
Sphynx cats lack of eyelashes, which can result in dirt in the corners of their eyes. Gentle wiping with a damp with clean water washcloth will take care of this.
Due to their lacking of tufts, Sphynx cats tend to get more dirt build up than any other cat. You should therefore clean their ears once a week to prevent infections. Consult your vet on choosing the proper cat ear cleaning solution and use it to remove the excess of wax, debris and dead tissues.
Their teeth should be checked periodically and brushed with a special wipe to prevent teeth and gum diseases. In the market there are also a lot of cat toys, specially designed to remove food wastes and prevent teeth irritation.
Due to the lack of hair on their feet, you will also need to clean their nails. To do this, gently press on their toes to make their claw stick out. Then simply wipe them clean with a damp washcloth or a baby wipe.
A litter tray must be available at all times and kept in the same place. Solid matter and wet lumps should be removed from the tray frequently and the litter renewed when necessary. The tray should be washed and disinfected frequently. Rinse thoroughly after disinfecting and allow drying before use. Sphynx cats are very fussy and will not use a dirty tray.
Never give them drugs that have not been prescribed for them; a lot of human drugs are poisonous to cats. Seek veterinary advice immediately if you suspect any form of poisoning.
Make sure that toys or parts of them cannot be swallowed. Plastic bags and rubber bands can be extremely dangerous, since they do not show up on an X-ray.
Sphynx cats health and lifespan
Sphynx cats have a lifespan of 15 years or more and are recognized by cat fancy associations as being a healthy robust breed. Lack of hair, however, can cause health issues with kittens in the first weeks of life due to 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.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)has been reported to affect young to middle aged Sphynx cats. The certain disease is usually discovered during a routine annual health checkup. The vet will hear a faster heart rate and perhaps congestion sounds in the lungs, while the pulse feels weak. Luckily, HCM can be treated with special medical care.
Sphynx cats history
The first documented report regarding the Sphynx cats existence was given by the German naturalist, Johann Rudolph Rengger in his book, “Natural History of the Mammals of Paraguay”, in 1830. Rengger supported their bare appearance was the result of a natural mutation developed on cats taken from Europe to Paraguay in the 1600’s due to the change in climate.
For some time they were called Mexican hairless cats and were considered very rare and valuable, costing $ 1,000 each. After all known hairless cats had passed away, cat fanciers were convinced that the breed had extinct.
Fortunately other hairless cats appeared in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1936, in Paris, France in the 1930’s and in Ontario, Canada in the 1960’s and again in 1978. Of interest though were the Paris cats, who had turned up from time to time in litters born to a certain pair of Siamese cats. Breeding experiments revealed certain genetic factors. When the French hairless cats or their parents were bred to other Siamese, their kittens had normal length coats. Hairless kittens resulted only from repeat breeding between the original hairless kitten producing Siamese or from breeding between two hairless cats. This indicated that the mutation gene responsible for hairlessness is recessive, at least among cats with normal length coats.
Over time their name evolved from the less flattering “Mexican Hairless” to the more regal name with the Egyptian flare, the “Sphynx”.
In 1966 in Toronto, Canada a domestic cat gave birth to a male hairless kitten, named Prune. The kitten was forced to mate with its mother, which produced one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later it became the primogenitor of the breed.
The first Sphynx cat breeders, however, faced a number of problems: the genetic pool was very limited, breeders had rather vague ideas about Sphynx cats genetics and many kittens died.
In 1978 an Ontario, Canada Siamese breeder found three hairless stray kittens on the streets of her town. In 1983 two of the kittens, Punkie and Paloma, were shipped to Dr. Hugo Hernandez in the Netherlands, where they were bred to a white Devon Rex. It is believed that the descendants of these cats are the foundation of today’s Sphynx breed.
The Sphynx breed continued to gain popularity in the 1990's and in 1994 was accepted by the American Cat Fancier’s Association (ACFA) Championship class. In 1988 was gained approval by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) Miscellaneous class and in 2002 started competing in the CFA Championship Class.
Sphynx cats personality
The Sphynx cats' personality has been aptly described as a cross between a cat, a dog and a monkey. They are highly active, alert, mischievous and playful. Powerful jumpers, they love climbing to high places and will go to great lengths to get to the highest spot in a room. They are also extremely agile cats with an inquisitive nature and will explore every corner of their homes.
Warm and affectionate, Sphynx cats bond with their chosen humans very closely. Though social, they are very dependent upon them and crave for active involvement in their lives. They need to be treated with respect and patience and require lots of affection if they are to develop a caring relationship with their human family. They will follow them wherever they go and may get depressed if left too often alone.
Sphynx cats are very intelligent and can be trained to perform commands. They get on very well with children and other pets. In addition they make wonderful companions for people who are looking for a baby in their home or for someone who has never had children and would like to have a less demanding one.
Sphynx cats breed standards
According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, the most distinctive feature of these cats is their hairless appearance. Sphynx cats are of medium size with a surprising weight for its size. Females are generally smaller than males. Their body feels warm and soft to the touch, with a skin texture akin to either a soft peach or a smooth nectarine.
Their head forms a modified wedge, slightly longer than it is wide, with prominent cheekbones, a distinctive whisker break and whisker pads giving a squared appearance to the muzzle. The skull is slightly rounded with a flat plane in front of the ears. The nose is straight and there is a slight to moderate palpable stop at the bridge of the nose.
The cheekbones are prominent and rounded, defining the eyes and forming a curve above the whisker break.
Their chin is strong, well developed and forming perpendicular line with upper lip.
Their ears are large to very large, broad at the base, open and upright. When viewed from the front, the outer base of the ears should begin at the level of the eye, neither low set nor on top of the head. The interior of the ears is naturally without furnishing.
Their eyes are large, lemon-shaped, with wide-open center while coming to a definite point on each side. They are placed at a slight upward angle, aligning with the outer base of the ear and set apart with the distance between the eyes being a minimum of one eye width. There is no restriction regarding the eye color.
Their body is of medium length, hard and muscular with broad rounded chest and full round abdomen. The rump is well rounded and muscular and the back line rises just behind the shoulder blades to accommodate the longer back legs when standing. The boning is medium.
Their neck is medium in length, rounded and well muscled, with a slight arch.
Their legs are medium in proportion to the body, sturdy and well muscled with rear legs being slightly longer than the front.
Their paws are oval with well-knuckled toes, five in front and four behind. The paw pads are thick, giving the appearance of walking on cushions.
Their tail is slender, flexible and long while maintaining proportion to body length. It is whiplike, tapering to a fine point.
Although the certain breed is hairless, short, fine hair may be present on the feet, outer edges of the ears the tail, and the scrotum. The bridge of the nose should be normally coated. The remainder of the body can range from completely hairless to a covering of soft peach-like fuzz whose length does not interfere with the appearance of hairlessness. This coat/skin texture creates a feeling of resistance when stroking the cat. Wrinkled skin is desirable, particularly around the muzzle, between the ears and around the shoulders. There are usually no whiskers but if whiskers are present they are short and sparse.
Finally, all colors and patterns, in any combination, found in felines are acceptable for Sphynx cats.