Don Sphynx Cat
Origin and History

The Don Sphynx Cat is also known as the Donskoy, Russian Hairless cat and the Don Hairless cat.

Rostov-on-Don (Rostov-na-Donu) is a city situated on the Don River in the Southern Federal District of Russia. It was here, the story goes, that Professor Elena Kovaleva, came across a couple of young boys, keeping themselves entertained playing soccer with a bag that held the sweetest female, cream-and-blue kitten! The rescued kitten was named Varvara (aka Varya). The kitten suffered hair loss which was thought to be as a result of illness and trauma. Despite all efforts, no amount of treatment could stem this 'condition'.

When Varvara finally had kittens, her litter had an assortment of hairless and haired kittens. It wasn't long before the haired kittens too started losing their hair. The general consensus was that the kittens were of ill-health. Fortunately, Irina Nemikina (of Myth Cattery) rescued a black kitten named Chita from this litter. Ms Nemikina is the breeder credited for developing the Donskoy or Don Sphynx Cat - a truly Russian breed.

The breeds name 'Don Sphynx' was named after the 'Don' River where Varvara was first rescued and 'Sphynx' after the Canadian Hairless cat - the Sphynx. Ms Nemikina outcrossed the Donskoy to European Shorthairs in an attempt to increase the number of foundation cats thereby improving the gene pool.

Varya is the foundation female that resulted not only in the Don Sphynx (Russian Hairless cat), but also the Peterbald (aka Petersburg Sphynx). The latter hairless cat breed was originally developed by crossing the Donskoy and the Siamese cat or the Oriental Shorthair cat.

The Don Sphynx is considered a rare cat breed and a fairly new cat breed. It received World Cat Federation recognition in 1997 and The International Cat Association (TICA) recognition in 2005.

The Donskoy Sphynx was brought to the United States in 2000. Sherri Mossop of Possoms Cattery is credited for bringing the first cat into the US and for starting the Donskoy Federation of America Club and the Don Hairless Breed Club.

What Causes the Hairless Trait?

This hairless trait is a natural and spontaneous mutation caused by a dominant hair loss gene. The layperson can be forgiven for thinking that the Canadian Hairless (or Sphynx Cat) and the Russian Hairless (Don Sphynx) are the same cat. However, the two cats are not the same and there are numerous traits that differentiate the two felines. Apart from the physical differences, the Sphynx cat's hairlessness is caused by a recessive gene.

Don Sphynx Cat Related Pages:

Don Sphynx Cat Breeders - A list of breeders from across the world

Donskoy - characteristics, features and other valuable facts

Hairless Cat - Specific Care of Hairless Cats

Hypoallergenic Cats - do hairless cats cause allergic reactions