Sphynx History

There have been many occurrences of hairless cats throughout history. The modern day Sphynx started in Toronto, Canada in 1966 with the birth of a hairless cat. During the 1970's several more hairless cats were born. After this time, the breed was developed principally in Europe.

Sphynx Suitability

Sphynx are suitable for active households as they crave human attention. Sphynx are very active and love to the centre of attention, they are not suited to people wanting a quiet docile cat.

Due to their unique characteristics they do require special maintenance including a weekly routine of bathing, trimming nails and cleaning ears.

Sphynx also may require extra heating during the colder months. This can usually be achieved through the use of heat mat (depending on your temperature extremes).

Sphynx Appearance

Sphynx cats and kittens are not totally hairless as they have a peach fuzz over much of their body. Their coat is often described as a warm chamois. For this reason many owners describe them as their living hot water bottle.

Sphynx have normal cat proportions. However as they lack fur their ears are more pronounced and their tail is often described as a rats tail.

They come in all the usual colour varieties including, tortoiseshell, chocolate, black, blue, lilac, chocolate etc.

Sphynx Temperament

They have a friendly disposition and are very sociable with other people and pets. Sphynx are very intelligent and can be taught to walk on a lead and respond to voice commands. They are often described as the most intelligent and affectionate of all cat breeds.

Are Sphynx hypoallergenic?

It is often a misconception that Sphynx are hypoallergenic because of their lack of hair. It all depends on whether the person is allergic to the hair or the cat’s saliva. Sphynx maybe suitable for people who are allergic to cats hair. However, if the person is allergic to the saliva then a Sphynx is likely to produce the same reaction.

Special thanks to:

Neil of OzSphynx for this profile.