The Sphynx breed originate in Ontario, Canada in 1966. Elizabeth, a normal domestic cat had a hairless kitten who was named Prune. Ridyadh and Yania Bawa were eager to develop this remarkable breed, and obtained these two cats. Two other people joined them in their goal to start a breed of hairless cats. They were Keese and Rita Tenhove. This breed was first called "Moonstone cats", then "Canadian Hairless", and finally the name used today "Sphynx".
David Mare of San Francisco acquireda hairless cat, called Epidermis, from John Royal, a breeder working with the Tenhoves. This cat was the reason David became involved in breeding the Sphynx in the USA.
A female named Dutchie's Nefertiti out of the Tenhove line went to Sandy Kaiser of Mewsi-Kal Cattery in 1973. She also had a male Sphynx, called Prune's Napoleon of Bor-Al. He was bred by the Bawas. In 1978 Dr. Hugo Hernandez in Holland acquired two of Dutchie's Nefertiti's kittens. The male was Mewsi-Kal Starsky and the female was Mewsi-Kal Johnny.
In 1978, a domestic cat abandoned two kittens, a longhair, and a black and white hairless male Sphynx. Shirley Smith of Toronto, Canada rescued the two abandoned kittens. She kept the Sphynx kitten, and had him neutered. She called him Bambi. He ended up living in Aztec Cattery in Canada.
In 1980, Bambi's mother had yet two other Sphynx kittens at different stages from different males. These two males must have been descendants of Prune, because the hairless gene is recessive. These two female kittens was sent to Dr. Hernandez by the Smiths. They were called Squeakie and Pinky. These female Sphynx later appeared in Dr. Hernandez's breeding program as Punki(e) and Paloma.
At first Dr. Hernandez tried to breed the Sphynx male and female that he got from Sandy Kaiser. The kittens was rejected by their mother and all died. After Dr. Hernandez got Punkie and Paloma, he tried to breed Starsky with these new queens. But Starsky did not want to accept them, and he was neutered. he gave Paloma to a Dutch breeder, Hannie Nathans. After all Paloma was found to be pregnant, but she lost the litter. There was not a male Sphynx to use with the females left, so Dr. Hernandez decided to use a male Devon Rex in his breeding program. Punkie was bred to a male Devon Rex named Curare van Jetrophin. Punky had 5 kittens.
One kitten went to a Dutch breeder, Tonia Vink. He was named, Ra. Paloma was bred with Ra's litter brother, Ramses and Hathor de Calecat was born. She went to Tonia in 1983.
In the same year, Patrique Challain of Paris bought a litter of five Sphynx, who was a litter of Ramses and Paloma. One was named Chnoem de Calecat. Two years later, Phillipe and Aline Noel of Vaux sur Seine, France, bought two Sphynx kittens from Tonia Vink. The female Sphynx kitten, Ajahanda's Zendila (Mogwai), was out of Ra and Hathor de Calecat. The male Sphynx kitten, Ajahanda's Timothy Atilla (Gizmo), was out of Ra and Ajahanda's Giloesjipa. (Giloesjipa was a daughter of Ra and Hathor de Calecat.)
Back in the USA David Mare, who owned Epidermis, purchased a female Sphynx, named Alopecia Totalis, from Dr. Hugo Hernandez. he also had a hairless barn cat from North Carolina, named E.T.
Throughout the world there are still reports of hairless kittens spontaneously appearing in litters of domestic cats. Such were kittens born from barnyard cats on the farm of Milt and Ethelyn Pearson in Minnesota. In 1981, Kim Mueske of Z. Stardust Cattery in Oregon, acquired two hairless females from the Pearsons. They were Epidermis, a brown classic tabby born in July 1975, and Dermis, a blue mackerel tabby born in April 1976. Kim acquired two Devon Rex to use for breeding. They were Scattergold Cranberry of Z. Stardust, a bald Devon Rex female, and her son, Cantaur's Hercules of Z. Stardust, a red spotted tabby that was quite bald. Dermis of Z. Stardust and Cantaur's Hercules of Z. Stardust produced a litter of two female kittens born in July 1986.
In 1985, Carol and Walt Richard's of Britanya Cattery started their own Sphynx breeding program. They bred their spastic-free Devon Rex female, Britanya's Aida Lott to Chnoem de Calecat (E.T.) from France. There were four kittens, namely two males: Britanya's Lord E. I'm Naked and Britanya's Gremlin, and two females: Bitanya's Lady Godiva and Britanya's Baroness Quizit.
Today hairless cats found in domestic cat litters (called natural mutations)are still being used in Sphynx breeding programs to expand the gene pool. For the next 10 years it is allowed to use domestic shorthairs and American Shorthairs in breeding programs of the Sphynx. Today the Sphynx is being bred in many countries, for excample Europe, South-Africa, Australia, Russia, Japan and then of course the USA and Canada.
Size/Shape ....... 5
Ears ............. 10
Muzzle/Chin ...... 5
Profile .......... 5
Cheekbones ....... 5
Eyes ............. 5
Body ................ 35
Neck ............. 5
Chest ............ 10
Abdomen and Rump . 10
Legs and Feet .... 5
Tail ............. 5
Coat/Skin ........... 30
GENERAL The most distinctive feature of this cat is its appearance of hairlessness. The Sphynx is of medium size and body conformation with surprising weight for its size. The head shape is a modified wedge, with prominent cheekbones and whisker pads giving a squared appearance to the muzzle. The body is warm and soft to the touch, with a chamois-like texture to the skin. Females (six to eight pounds) are generally smaller than males (eight to ten pounds). The Sphynx is sweet-tempered, lively, intelligent, and amenable to handling.
HEAD: The head is slightly longer than it is wide, with prominent cheekbones and a distinctive whisker break. 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 stop at the bridge of the nose.
CHEEKS AND CHEEKBONES: Prominent, rounded cheekbones which define the eye and form a curve above the whisker break.
MUZZLE AND CHIN: Whisker break with prominent whisker pads. Strong, well developed chin forming perpendicular line with upper lip.
EARS: The ears are large to very large, full at the base tapering to a rounded tip. They are set at a slight angle on the head, but are not flaring. The interior of the ears is naturally without furnishing.
EYES: Large, lemon shaped eyes slanted slightly upward at outer edges. They are set wide apart. Color should be clear and appropriate to coat color.
BODY: The body is medium length, hard and muscular with broad rounded chest and full round abdomen. The rump is well rounded and muscular. Back line is slightly arched. Boning is medium.
NECK: The neck is medium in length, rounded, well muscled, with a slight arch. Allowance to be made for heavy musculature in adult males.
LEGS AND FEET: Legs are medium in proportion to the body and are sturdy and well muscled. Paws are oval with five toes in front and four behind. The toes are long and slender, more so than in other breeds. The pawpads are thick, giving the appearance of walking on cushions.
TAIL: Slender flexible tail, in proportion to the body length, heavier at the base and tapering to the tip.
COAT/SKIN: The appearance of this cat is one of hairlessness. However, there is a very fine down on the skin, giving the overall feel of soft warm chamois. Short, soft, fine hair is allowed on the feet, across the bridge of the nose and cheekbones, back of the ears, the scrotum, and tail. This lack of coat on the body 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..
COLOR: Since this cat is hairless, color and pattern are difficult to distinguish and should not affect the judging of the cat. White lockets, buttons, or belly spots are allowed.
PENALIZE: Visible down-like hair on the body. Delicate or frail appearance; body too short and heavy or too long and slender. Thin abdomen or rump, or narrow chest .
DISQUALIFY: Kinked or abnormal tail. Structural abnormalities other than hairlessness. Any indication of hair anywhere other than the extremities as described above.
SPHYNX PROFILE
Sphynx kittens are born bald, wrinkled and in all the colours of the cat rainbow. Their eyes open at a very young age - even from day one (a Sphynx hate to miss anything!). They have big eyes, and their huge ears hang next to their little faces for about 3 weeks, giving them the look of miniture bulldogs. Although you might think that a Sphynx is hairless, they are not. They are covered with a very fine down, almost imperceptible to the eye, which gives them the feeling of a very warm, soft chamois. A show cat is allowed to have fine hair on the tail, feet, muzzle and ears. Because they love to be bed partners, some people describe them as suede hot water bottles. You might ask if they do not get cold. An indoor temperature that is comfortable for humans is fine for the Sphynx. They are clever enough to find a warm spot to occupy when they feel cold like under the bed covers or on top of the TV. They can sunburn easily, so it is not recommended to let them outdoors without a spray of sunscreen.
Many people with allergies find that they can tolerate a Sphynx cat. The Sphynx are sleek and muscular, with the female averages 3,5 kg, and the larger more muscular male averages 4 kg. Sphynx females are good mothers, and often allowing their offspring to nurse well beyond weaning age. They will even allow a big teenager to nurse amongst their own! The average litter size is four kittens and a kitten weights average 100 - 110 grams. Newborns are highly mobile at birth.
The Sphynx prefer to be around people all the time. Many communicate with a strange twilling mmrriiii sound and by licking your hands and face. They wag their tails when they are glad to see you, and often use their front paws to pat your face. They also love to play in your hair while hugging you around your neck. A Sphynx is not a shy cat and do not know the meaning of the word "stranger". They will be at the door before you when the door bell rings. And when you get back from work, they will sit in front of the door, waiting for you. They love driving and will rush to the car if you touch the keys.
The show Sphynx cause quit a stirr in the show wall. People will gather in front of the cage and will return to look at the cat time and again. Questions like why you shave your cat, is often heard. But after touching that baby soft little body, there are no doubts left. Looking at a Sphynx being judged, seeing his inquisitive reaction to everything around him, and his loving reaction to everything that is alive, will win your heart for ever. Most people are overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder of the Sphynx cat.
The ears also need special attention. Because they do not have protective hair inside, and because they have a much higher metabolism than normal coated cats, wax tend to build up easily in their ears. It looks black and greasy, and the vet might think that your cat has ear mites. It is though not a good thing to leave the wax in the ear, because it could be a nice growth medium for fungi and other ugly bugs. Liquid can be bought from your vet that loosen the wax. After putting a few drops in the ear, the ear must be rubbed so that the excessive wax comes loose. It then can be cleaned with an ear bud.
A Sphynx should never be left to go outside without protective sunscreen on if the sun is hot. A light colored cat can get serious sunburn. A sunblock for animals is available that can be sprayed on.
The Sphynx eats more than normal coated cats because they need lots of energy to stay warm and to live their active lifes. They will not get fat easily and thus food can be available at all times. A Sphynx is normally not fussy and will eat almost anything. Thus they can get upset tummies by eating strange food.
Although they are very active cats, they are not restless, and can easily be kept in a flat. As long as they are around people and get lots of love and attention, they will be extremely happy.
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