Sphynx

The Sphinx is an unusual appearance amongst all other cat breeds. His nudity, the enormous ears, the barrel-shaped body with the paws positioned somewhat in an O-shape. You often hear people saying: he looks like ET or like a Gremlin. One thing is for sure: you either like them or you don’t, there is no middle course.

History of the Sphinx
There are stories going around that the Sphinxes were already in the Old Egypt in the time of the pharaohs. Some cattery names refer to this and many people give their Sphinx a name from the Old Egypt. I have once seen a documentary on Discovery Channel. They showed a cat mummy from a tomb with next to it a Sphinx.

No traces of hairs were found In the bandages of the cat mummy. Probably, hairless cats already existed then. It is sure that the Inca’s had naked cats. Although it is very romantic to imagine that our Sphinxes descend from the Old Egypt, the present Sphinx descends from a number of hairless cats which were found on the street  in the middle of the past century and from a number of naked born cats in a nest of housecats on a farm in America. Naked cats have been found several times in history. In the beginning of the 20th century Mr. Shinick form Albequerque/ New Mexico obtained naked cats, probably the last specimen of a hairless breed which was kept by local Indians.

The photo’s show us that Dick and Nellie are indeed hairless, however aren’t Sphinxes. From time to time spontaneous mutations took place which led to the birth of naked kittens. In 1966 a hairless kitten was born out of a housecat in Canada. The same happened in 1978 on a farm in Minnesota. These cats were used in a breeding program for Sphinxes.

In 1978 two naked female cats, Punkie and Paloma were found in Ontario, Canada. These two cats were used by Mr. Hernandez for his Sphinx breeding program. Mr. Hugo Hernandez imported Sphinxes from Canada into the Netherlands. He worked together with Mrs. Hannie Nathans. In that time the appearance of the Sphinx encountered a lot of resistance. In the nineties the Sphinx made his comeback in the Netherlands. Although there aren’t many Sphinxes in the Netherlands, the interest is larger than ever.    

Character
The Sphinx is very affectionate and people-oriented. He loves to be around people and to be cuddled. He is also very social whether it concerns visitors or other pets: he loves them all. His character is often described as 1/4 cat, 1/4 ape, ¼ dog and 1/4 child. And this is all true. They are extremely intelligent and also curious. Since the Sphinx is so social and affectionate he doesn’t like to be alone at home. Being alone at home whole day isn’t good for the Sphinx, he needs company.

Care
Should you think “that is easy, a hairless cat, he will need few care”, you are wrong then. The Sphinx has a supple, soft skin. We bath each day to wash away amongst others the tallow and sweat. The Sphinx also has sebaceous glands. His skin becomes dirty just like our skin. He needs to be washed. How often depends on a couple of factors:
• The one Sphinx exudes more tallow than the other
• On a light color the dirt becomes visible sooner than on a dark skin color. 
• Your personal attitude: a dirty Sphinx runs. He will dirty your clothes, couch and bed clothes (Sphinxes love to lie in your bed). 
I always advise people to wash their Sphinx once a week. You can use “baby soap” or Dove Cream shower. The ears of the Sphinx also need attention; Sphinxes have more earwax than other breeds and that is why we advise to clean the ears with a cotton swab. It is wise to also cut the nails then. The glands in this area exude a brown substance which can, be careful because the cuticles are very sensible, be removed while you cut the nails. This whole process will cost you 10-15 minutes a week.

Frequently asked questions concerning the Sphinx

Aren’t they cold?
No, the Sphinx has a higher metabolism which makes sure that his body temperature is a bit higher than the body temperature of other cats.
 
Aren’t they ill a lot?
No, the Sphinx is a healthy breed. The fact that he is hairless doesn’t mean that he is more susceptible to diseases. It is even true that the average nest size of the Sphinx is larger than with other breed cats.

Can/are the allowed to go outside?
Yes, the can go outside. There are photos of Sphinxes in the garden in all seasons, also in winter and in the snow. If it is wise to let your cat go outside? 5-10% of the cats which go outside suffer from cat’s aids and cat’s leukaemia. The traffic is also dangerous. We only let our cats outside in a cat run, which is provided with spots where the cats can lie, and a climbing tree. It is our experience that our cats, which can choose whether they want to go outside or want to lie on a cushion in the sun, go outside but often prefer the cushion in the sun. 

Is it THE cat for people who are allergic to cats?
If you are allergic to cat hair the Sphinx might be THE cat. If you are allergic to scales the Sphinx should be ok since this cat needs to be washed and if you wash him you also wash away the scales. Whether washing him is enough or not cannot be determined in advance. It isn’t therefore right to say that the Sphinx is THE cat for allergic people, but there are people who are allergic to cats who can stand a Sphinx.