Canadian Sphynx Cat Breed

CANADIAN SPHYNX, A NAKED CAT

This is a fairly stable breed, with 40 years of experience. While the first mentions of the hairless cats can be found in antiquity (apparently Aztecs were fond of hairless cats) and it is not uncommon for short and long-haired cats to give birth to hairless kittens, no one attempted to create new breed, until recently.

Canadian Sphynx

In 1966, in Ontario (Canada) a common domestic cat gave birth to hairless kitten, among the usual newborns. Later that kitten was crossed with its mother which yielded a mixed litter of common and hairless kittens. Breeders kept working on the new breed, until they were reliably getting litters of hairless kittens.

But all attempts to receive an official status of the breed have failed. Firstly, the breed had a small livestock. Secondly, Sphynx kittens were more demanding in terms of care, than their ordinary cousins, and often died. And, thirdly, first nurseries had an unsuccessful breeding strategy.

At that point, the history of the breed would've ended. But in 1975 in Minnesota a common short-haired cat gave birth to a hairless kitten, named Epidermis. Apparently the owners of the kitten had an excellent sense of humor. And a little bit later another hairless kitten was born, and two of them became the founders of the Canadian Sphynx breed, one of the most elite breeds to date.

Appearance:

Canadian Sphynx is not just a hairless cat, while it is it's main feature, there are standards for all parts of the body. Sphynx looks magical, resembles a statue, all the lines of the body are smooth, fluid, but hardly elegant.

Canadian Sphynx's graceful movements in combination with curved front legs blend seamlessly with their pear shaped belly and a tail rolled into a tight bagel. Hind legs are longer than the front ones, because of this particular feature, sphinxes have a unique gait.

The body is tight and muscular. The skin is thick, form the folds on the head, muzzle and neck, has a feel of suede and hot to the touch. Large ears, broad at the base, with rounded tips. The eyes are shaped like a lemon.

But Canadian Sphynx cats are not entierly naked, some fur is present at the tip of the tail and on the paws. Hormonal changes (heat, pregnancy, lactation) can cause Sphynx to temporarily grow hair all over its body.

Character:

Sphynx love attention, they are ready to follow their master everywhere, just to be caressed or even simply be looked at with a loving gaze. Very loyal and faithful.

These cats have an amazing feature - they can spend hours staring at their master with the eyes full of admiration and love. Sphynx's eye always express feelings and thought process.

Favorite game - hide and seek. But Canadian Sphynx is always the one who hides, usually somewhere high, where they can "control" the game. But they are not so keen on active games, especially outdoors. Might chase a ball occasionally, but not more than that

Canadian Sphynx can't stand to be alone, need constant attention from their owner.

Also. these cats are able to freeze, for a short time, in an interesting position with the grace of an exquisite figurine, carved in stone by a talented sculptor.

Care:

Sphinxes are fairly simple to maintain and clean. They are omnivores and are characterized by a good appetite. Not capricious, and are not picky. Sphinxes are eating like dogs, swallowing pieces of food, almost without chewing.

This breed has one indisputable advantage of all the cat breeds - the absence of hair allows them to brighten the lives of people who are allergic to cat's fur.

Health:

Adult Sphynxes rarely get sick. In the case of infections - they recover quickly, and maintain immunity to the disease for the rest of their life. This is caused by an elevated body temperature.

Kittens are more susceptible to infections, especially respiratory diseases. Therefore, vaccination of Sphynxes is almost an obligatory.