The Sphynx Cat
A History!

Never Judge a Book by its Cover!

What the Sphynx cat lacks in hair, they more than make up in personality! This domestic cat breed has had to endure many insults - alien cat, freak of nature, wrinkled raisin. People who have had the honor of owning, breeding and living with this very unique and special cat, think very differently. These magical domestic cats may not be everyone's cup-of-tea, but once you've experienced Sphynx cats, even the most ardent critic will have a change of heart.

History

Mexican hairless cats date back to Pre-Colombian time (prior to 1500's) and even back to the Aztecs, more recently however, hairless cats have been documented in various places around the world.

• 1938 France
  • Professor E Letard documented the mutant 'allele h' gene in two hairless kittens of Siamese cat breed parents
• 1966 Canada
  • A Ms Micalwaith's female domestic shorthair cat gave birth to a hairless male kitten, aptly named Prune. Prune and his mother Elizabeth produced further hairless kittens
    • A breeding program was initiated and the CFA granted the breed provisional status. Sadly this was later withdrawn due to the high incidence of health problems
• 1970 Netherlands
• A breeding pair (descendants of Prune) were sent to Dr H Hernandez where they were crossed with a Devon Rex cat - the purpose being to further develop the breed




© Andre Young Photography

• 1975 United States of America
  • Milt and Evelyn Pearson discovered a hairless kitten on their farm in Minnesota. A year later this kitten was joined by another hairless kitten.
  • Both kittens (Dermis and Epidermis) were sold to Kim Mueske who tried unsuccessfully to breed hairless kittens. A geneticist suggested she breed the female hairless cat back to her male off-spring. As luck and genetics would have it, the result of this union produced 3 gorgeous hairless kittens.
• 1978 United States of America
  • Ms Gattenby, also of Minnesota, purchased hairless cats from the Pearson's and started her own hairless cat bloodline.
  • She then out crossed her cats with Devon Rex cats and then crossed them back to her hairless cats. By doing this, she improved and developed the Sphynx Cat which we know today. (Breeders continue to breed the Sphynx to shorthair cats and then back to hairless cats to create a genetically sound gene pool)
• 1978 Canada
• A Ms Smith adopted 3 hairless Sphynx cats, called Bambi, Punkie and Paloma - the modern Sphynx is also descended from these natural mutations.

What causes this hairless trait you may ask?

It is a spontaneous mutation which is caused by the recessive 'allele hr' gene. Recessive means it can skip many generations before it once again comes to light. Some people believe that it is a natural mutation that occurs in the cat population every 15 to 20 years. The recessive gene which causes hairlessness can apparently appear in almost any cat breed!

For additional cat information, join us as we discover this unique and unusual cat breed.

Sphynx - features, characteristics and health

Sphynx Cats - fast facts

Cat Pictures - a cat photo gallery of nudes

Return to Types of Cats

Return from Sphynx Cat to Cat Breeds Home Page

Sphynx Pictures Courtesy of:

© Theresa Fouche Photography

Main Pic: Pr Exposed Neobells Gandolf. Breeders: Anthony and Theresa Aldum of Exposed Sphynx Cattery

© Andre Young Photography www.andreyoung.net

Elizabeth Swart of Disal Cattery www.disalsphynx.com. Top Left: Sphynx Point, Female named Liberty; Top Right: Sphynx Solid Black, Female named Thandie

Elizabeth Swart of Disal Cattery www.disalsphynx.com. Bottom Left: Sphynx Black Van, named Barney B; Bottom Right: Sphynx Tabby Male, named Hercules- RIP you darling wingless angel x