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 About Sphynx
Cats
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History of Sphynx
The Sphynx cat breed began in 1966, when a black and white cat gave birth
to a hairless kitten in Ontario, Canada. The owner named the hairless kitten
Prune, due to the wrinkled hairless skin. Prune was bred to other cats in
attempt to create more hairless kittens. Because hairlessness is a recessive
gene, some of the kittens resulting from this union had hair, while others did
not. These kittens were called Canadian Hairless Cats, which some people
referred to as Sphynx cats, due to their physical similarities with an ancient
Egyptian cat sculpture called the Sphinx. However, the breed did not continue
because these cats had serious health problems. It seemed that the cats' immune
systems did not develop properly. As a result, the breeding ceased, and no
efforts were made to continue the breed. Then, in 1975 in Wadena, Minnesota, a
cat gave birth to several hairless kittens. One of the kittens was named
Epidermis, who was bred to other cats in attempt to create the Sphynx breed.
Three years later, several hairless kittens were found on the streets of
Toronto, Canada. There was one male and two females. The male was named Bambi,
and the females were named Punkie and Paloma. The two females were sent to the
Netherlands to a Doctor Hernandez, a cat breeder interested in producing
hairless cats. The females were bred to a Devon Rex, another cat with very
little body hair. The resulting offspring of the European Sphynx cats are where
the Sphynx breed began. Eventually, The International Cat Association (TICA)
recognized the Sphynx as a breed, and the cats were permitted to be exhibited at
the TICA shows. In 1998, Cat Fanciers' Association recognized them as a breed.
There are now several thousand Sphynx registered in the world.
About Sphynx
Sphynx cats are cuddly, friendly, and intelligent creatures. Sphynx make
excellent companions. They love being around people, and cuddling and purring.
Try mopping a floor with a Sphynx, or making up a bed with Sphynx in it! They
love being the center of attention, and will do nearly anything to get their
owners to cuddle them. Sphynx come in a variety of colors, such as white, red,
black, brown, calico, tortoiseshell, among others. Just because the Sphynx is a
hairless breed, does not mean they are totally hairless. Many Sphynx have little
baby hairs on their backs called "down", and may sprout hair behind their ears,
on their tails, and on their feet, while some Sphynx are totally bald or "sticky
bald". Some cats sprout extra fuzz on their bodies during the Winter, and lose
it during the Spring. Since Sphynx cats are virtually hairless, they tend to go
where the heat is: on computer monitors, printers, televisions, under covers,
etc. Touching the skin of a Sphynx is similar to that of touching warm suede, or
a warm peach. Those who have Sphynx recognize them as warm cuddly creatures with
childlike personalities. They are incredibly loyal and love their humans.
Below is a copy of the TICA
Sphynx breed standard, along with the number of points awarded for
each feature on a Sphynx during a cat show.
TICA
Sphynx Standard
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