Guide
Why Sphynx cats are hairless
People ask me why Sphynx cats are hairless. I give the plain version I use with families.
It is a mutation
Hairlessness is a genetic mutation. There is no single standard for how it shows up. Bambino, Elf, and Dwelf cats carry that same mutation. The difference is legs and ears, not the coat.
I think of it like different heights in dwarves, or different levels of albinism. The degree is not one look.
That is as far as I take it. I am a breeder, not a geneticist. I would rather give you what I see in my own cats than a lecture I am not qualified to give.
Questions I get about feeding
Not all of mine are naked
They are not all completely naked. I see 5 coat types in my cats.
A fully hairless Sphynx is less common.
So the cat you are picturing is probably one end of a range. The rest of that range is just as much a Sphynx.
This is the part that surprises people when they finally meet mine in person.
What do you feed your Sphynx cats?
Whiskers
Some of mine have whiskers. Some do not.
How often do kittens eat?
I cannot give you a rule there either. It is one more place where the mutation does not show up the same way twice.
I free-feed dry. Canned or raw goes out 3 times a day.
What the coat means for your week
Is there a brand you tell people to skip?
The coat a cat ends up with changes your week a little. Oil varies from cat to cat, and the oil is what drives baths and ears more than anything else.
Yes. I skip Friskies and food like it.
I would rather you plan around your cat than around a coat type. The week I keep, and the first-month mistake.
Why I love it
I fell for the look and the elegance. I also fell for how the skin and coat feel in my hands.
That feel is not the same on every cat, because the coat is not the same on every cat.
Two of mine can sit in your lap and feel like different animals.
Can I give treats?
Questions I get
Are all Sphynx cats completely bald?
It is normal with mine. Some of my cats will not eat canned and love dry instead.
No. I see 5 coat types in mine, and fully hairless is the less common one.
Why are they hairless?
Whatever I am working on, one of them is in it with me. They do not wait in another room for me to become interesting. They come find the work.
It is a genetic mutation. There is no single standard for how much coat a cat ends up with.
Weekly care is part of the life.
Do Sphynx cats have whiskers?
I would rather say no early than take a kitten back later. That is not me being hard to work with. It is the part of this I take the most seriously.
Some of mine do. Some of mine do not.
Does the coat change how much work they are?
Oil varies from cat to cat, and that is what drives the baths and the ears. The week I keep.
Are Sphynx cats affectionate?
Related from my house
If you want how they live in a house, I wrote Sphynx personality. Baths and skin are on Sphynx cat care. How I keep them warm is on Sphynx cat clothes. The five coats are on Sphynx cat coats.