Bella Remembered Sphynx- Sphynx Care

SPHYNX CATS ARE STRICTLY INDOOR CATS

Sphynx cats have big personalities and enjoy being involved in all family activities. They tend to be sweet tempered, active, intelligent, inquisitive, entertaining, outgoing and above all, love to be the center of attention.

Whatever you are looking for in a feline companion, you are certain to find it in the Sphynx breed.


Routine care is required such as bathing, toenail clipping, and ear cleaning. The sphynx breed is a very robust and healthy breed. I do find they like to eat more then most breeds and I would advise you not to leave your dinner plate unattended; you may come back to your kitty eating off your plate!

Sphynx cats must live INDOORS, due to their lack of hair they freeze easily. They will also SUNBURN quickly.

SPHYNX CARE:

BATHING

Since the Sphynx has very little hair to absorb body oils they have to be bathed more often than normal cats, at least once every 1-2 weeks. When bathing a Sphynx, you can use a mild hypoallergenic baby shampoo or an Oatmeal shampoo with conditioner. To bathe you will also need a light weight scrub sponge to aid you in getting them clean. Please remember to run the sponge thru your washing machine after each bath. If your Sphynx gets dirty in between baths they can be wiped down with a mild hypoallergenic baby wipe. Kittens start having baths at 4-5 weeks of age. Although Sphynx have very little hair they still lick and groom themselves.

EARS

The sphynx ears also need to be cleaned on a weekly basis using Hydrogen Peroxide, cotton balls, and Q-tips swabs that will dissolve dirt and waxy build-up. When using the cotton swabs be careful not to go too deep into the ear canal, this can cause the ear to drum to rupture. Slow and easy is the best approach.

EYES

The Sphynx also lack eyelashes, which can result in dirt in the corners of their eyes. This can cause their eyes to look red and irritated. Use a clean soft washcloth with warm water to gently wipe the cats’ eyes and face. It is always a good idea to ask your Veterinarian for a tub of Terramycin Ophthalmic Ointment or Tobramycin Ophthalmic Solution to keep on hand if you notice your cats’ eye’s seem to be irritated.

NAILS

The nails need to be kept clipped and clean. Always make sure the clippers you are using are sharp to prevent the nail from crushing or cracking which can be very painful to your cat. Keep styptic powder on hand to stop bleeding in case you accidentally cut too close to the quick. Having a good scratching post will also help eliminate them from sharpening their claws on your furniture.

FEEDING

Sphynx breed eats more food then a haired cat in order to help to maintain their body temperature and keep up with their high metabolism rate. Always feed a premium dry and wet cat food that promotes a healthy immune system and digestive care. Keep their water bowl filled with fresh water at all the times. If possible purchase a fresh water running fountain. It is important to clean their water and food bowls once a week to prevent bacteria build up.

When your kitten goes home, he or she will be eating Royal Canin Babycat #34 wet and dry. Leave dry food out for them at all times. They will need to be feed a tablespoon or two of wet food three times a day. If they still seem hungry feel free to give them a little more. At four months they will be ready to move up to Royal Canin Kitten #32. Continue free feeding dry food but reduce wet food to twice a day. At one year they will be ready for adult cat formula.

LITTER BOX

Your kitten is used to many different kinds of litter boxes so feel free to pick one that works best for your home as well as any kind of scoopable litter. Every two weeks your cats litter box will need to be emptied and cleaned with a mixture of bleach and water. Make sure the litter box is rinsed completely and if possible put out in the sun to dry. This will help eliminate any viruses, fungus and protozoa living in the their box.

TOYS

Sphynx cats are extremely active and intelligent as a result it is important to have a lot of toys to prevent them from getting board and using your home as their playground. Remember when buying toys for your kitten they love anything that makes a sound. Sphynx are very strong and can break plastic toys very easily. They love interactive toys such as cat trees, crackling tunnels, feather teaser feather wand, meow mite cat toy glove, crinkle ball, spool toy, light ball toys, nature latice ball and mylar ball. These are just a few toys your kitten will like and all can be found at Petsmart®.

TOXIC FOOD AND PLANTS

The Sphynx breed loves “people” food as a result it is very important to know which foods can be toxic to them. These are a few of the POISONOUS foods to watch out for: Raisins, grapes, onions, tomatoes and chocolate. The internet has many resources to help you become familiar with not just foods but plants as well that may cause problems for your cat

THE HISTORY OF SPHYNX CATS::

The Sphynx (also known as Canadian Hairless ) is a rare breed of cat known for its lack of a coat.

The contemporary breed of Sphynx (known also as the Canadian Sphynx, distinct from the Russian Sphynx breeds - Peterbald, Don Sphynx) started in 1966, in Roncesvalles, Toronto when a hairless kitten named Prune was born. The kitten was mated with its mother (backcrossing), which produced one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later it founded the first attempt to create a hairless breed. The first sphynx breeders faced a number of problems: The genetic pool was very limited; breeders had rather vague ideas about sphynx genetics, and many kittens died. There was also a problem with many of the females suffering convulsions. The last 2 descendents of Prune, a brother-sister pair, were sent to Holland in the 1970s, but the male was uninterested in mating and the female conceived only once, but lost the litter.

In 1978 and 1980, two further hairless female kittens ware found in Toronto and were sent to Holland to be bred with Prune's last surviving male descendent. One female conceived, but she also lost the litter. By then, the one remaining male had been neutered, never having been interested in mating with any of the females. As a result, no modern Sphynx cats are traceable to Prune. With no male Sphynxes, breeders instead used sparsely-furred Devon Rex studs. Two hairless female kittens born in 1975 and 1976, Epidermis and Dermis, to barn cats in Minnesota became an important part of the Sphynx breeding program and further hairless cats were found in Texas, Arkansas and Minnesota. Modern Sphynx therefore trace their origins to the second Canadian bloodline and to the Minnesota cats.

In the early stages of the breed crosses with devon-rex were used, but later this crossing was frowned upon because it caused health problems. Now the Canadian Sphynx is a breed with a sound genetic pool.

SPHYNX CHARATERISTICS:

The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, but it is not truly hairless. The skin texture resembles that of chamois leather. It may be covered with fine hair. Because the sphynx cats have no pelt to keep them warm they huddle up against other animals and people. They even tend to cuddle up and sleep with their owners under the covers. Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. For this reason many owners describe them as their living hot water bottle. They tend to eat more to maintain their body temperature which results in them using their litter pan more then a regular cat.. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The skin is the colour their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) may be found on Sphynx skin. They may have light peach fuzz on their ears and tails. Sphynx generally have wedge-shaped heads and sturdy, heavy bodies. Sphynx cats are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of energy, intelligence, curiosity, and affection for their owners.