No, I wasn’t born in Tchernobyl and I’m not an extra-terrestrial that has come from another planet even though Steven Spielberg was inspired by me when he created E.T. Its not man’s fault either, that I have no hair. In fact, the only thing responsible for my lack of hair is a recessive hereditary gene called hypotrichosis congenita.

Coming from a spontaneous recessive mutation, both my parents must be hairless for me to be hairless. A long time ago, this union caused a very high infant mortality rate (due to the consanguinity). Man then decided to marry the Rex Devon with the Sphynx to bring in new blood, however they later found that the subjects suffered from genetic abnormalities called “spasticity” which is a hereditary type of muscular dystrophy. This hereditary disease causes a weakening of the shoulder muscles accompanied by pneumonia and suffocating then eventually takes over the entire chest. The sickness develops between 2 and 4 months after the kitten is born and is fatal. That is why the Rex Devon should never be married with a Sphynx and you should never buy a hybrid kitten.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY...

The existence of hairless cats goes back to pre-Columbian times.

1900 : The mutation appeared during the 20^th century in Australia, France, Canada and the USA.
The first two known Sphynx belonged to Mr. J. Schinck in New Mexico. He found them in an Indian tribe and no one was particularly interested in these cats.

1936 : In North Carolina a normal house cat gives birth to a totally hairless kitten.

1938 : Professor of Genetics, R. Letard, discovers two hairless kittens born from a couple of Siamese cats.

1950 : A litter of nine siamese cats is born, three of the kittens are hairless. These three are bred with each other and give birth to three other hairless cats

1966 : Sphynx breeding begins
Ontario, Canada: Elizabeth, a black and white domestic cat gives birth to a hairless kitten named Prune. Rydiadh et Yania Bawa take in Elizabeth and Prune. These first breeders were later joined by Keese and Rita Tenhove. They called this new race “Moonstone Cats” which was changed to “Canadian Hairless” and was finally called “Sphynx.” Two sphynx from the Bawa/Tenhove programs have been found, the last known specimen was a female named Dutchie’s Nefertiti.

1973 : Sandy Kaiser of Mewsi-Kal Cattery purchases Dutchie’s Nerfertiti who is then bred with Prune’s Napoleon of Bor-Al, also a product of Bawa’s breeding program.

1975 : In Minnesota, Jezabelle, a female farm cat gives birth to two hairless kittens one year apart. Jezabelle’s owners, Milt and Ethelyn Pearson give these two subjects to Kim Mueske of Z’Stardust Cattery in 1981. Their names were Epidermis and Dermis.

1978 : The Dr. Hugo Hernandez from Holland purchases two kittens from Sandy Kaiser’s Mewsi-Kal Cattery. The parents of these kittens were Dutchie’s Nefertiti and Prune’s Napoleon of Bor-Al: A male named Mewsi-Kal Starsky and a female named Mewsi-Kal Johnny. No other cat from Mewsi-Kal has been found.

Shirley Smith in Toronto, Canada adopts a black and white hairless male kitten named Bambie. He is sterilized and lives at the Aztec Cattery in Canada.
In 1996 he celebrated his 18^th birthday.

1980 : Bambie’s mother has two more litters. Each litter has one hairless female, Squeakie and Pinky, who are sent off to Dr. Hugo Hernandez and renamed Punki and Paloma.
Barbara Sutherland from Washington purchases a male sphynx that spontaneously appeared in Western Cananda. He was named Five O’Clock Shadow and never had any descendants

Dr. Hernandez begins his breeding program; he tries to breed Mewsi-Kal Starsky with Mewsi-Kal Johnny. The offspring die at birth
Punky and Paloma arrive from Toronto.
Dr. Hernandez tries in vain to breed Mewski-Kal Starsky with Punky and Mewsi-Kal Starsky with Paloma. No offspring are produced.
Dr. Hernandez decides to give Mewski-Kal Starsky and Paloma to Hannie Nathans in Germany. Paloma finally gets pregnant but loses her litter. The breeder never found another whole male cat to breed with Paloma.
Dr. Hernandez finally introduces the Rex Devon in to his breeding program. He mates the Rex Devon Curare Van Jetrophin with Punky; she gives birth to five kittens.

1981 : Kime Mueske from the Z’Stardust Cattery purchases the two females born at the Pearson’s in 1975 and 1976: Epidermis, a classic brown tabby born in July of ‘75 and Dermis, a blue mackerel tabby born in April of ’76. At the same time Kim Mueske purchases two Rex Devon, mother and son which both have very thin coats: Scattergod Cranberry of Z’Stardust, the mother, and Cantaur’s Hercule’s of Z’Stardust, the son.

Dermis of Z’Stardust is bred with Cantaur’s Hercule’s of Z’Stardust. Two females are born in July.

1983 : Tonia Vink starts a Sphynx breeding program: She buys an F1 male from Hugo Hernandez named Ra (parents Punky and Curare Van Jetrophin), and a female named Hathor of Calecat (parents Ramses, Ra’s brother, and Paloma). Hathor of Calecat is then given to Janice Plumb, Cattery Amarogue/Shaird in Enfield, Middlesex, England.

1983 : Patrick Challain from Paris buys five kittens from the same litter from Hannie Nathans in Germany, parents Ramses and Paloma.
Aline Noël from Vaux sur Seine, buys two sphynx kittens from Tonia Vink from Germany :
- one female, Ajahanda’s Zendila (Mogwaï), parents Ra and Hathor of Calecat
- one male, Ajahanda’s Timothy Atilla (Gizmo), parents Ra and Ajahanda’s Giloesjipa, daughter of Ra and Hathor of Calecat.

David Mare buys a male, Epidermis, and a female, Alopecia Totalis, both produced by Hugo Hernandez. From this couple is born a male in North Carolina named Mare’s E.T. who is then given to Mr. & Mrs. Bill Benson. No other trace of Mare’s sphynx have been found.

1985 : Carole and Walt Richard, Cattery Britanya, start their sphynx breeding program with the help of Dr. Solveig Pflueger. The first couple bred is: Britanya’s Aida Lott (female) and Chnoem de Calecat (ET). This marriage gives birth to four sphynx kittens :
- Britanya’s Lord E Im Naked, male
- Britanya’s Gremlin, male
- Britanya’s Lady Godiva, female
- Britanya’s Baronness Quizit, female
Britanya’s Lady Godiva was the first sphynx to become a TICA Supreme Grand Champion.

From this date to the present, the history of this mythical cat continues and is linked to multiple small breeding programs that have begun and then disappeared without a trace. Not only is the history behind this cat linked to the many breeding programs, but to the people who have associated their names with this fabulous cat. So, thanks to Ridyah and Yania Bawa, Keese ane Rita Tenhove, Dr. Hernandez, David Mare, Sandy Kaiser, Milt and Ethelyn Pearson, Kim Mueske, Shirley Smith, Barbara Sutherland, Hannie Nathans, Tonya Vink, Patrick Challain, Aline Noël, Georgina Blassey, Carol and Walt Richard, and the list goes on …

Thanks to Jezabelle and Elizabeth and to their kittens that spontaneously appeared: Bambie, Prune, Dermis, Epidermis, Five O’Clock Shadow, Squeaky, Pinky,… And to their descendants: Duthchie’s of Nerfertiti, Prun’s Napoleon Of Bor-Al, Mewsi-Kal Starsky, Mewsi-Kal Johnny, Hathor de Calecat, Ra, Ramses, Ajahanda’s Zendila, Ajahanda’s Timothy Atilly, Alopecia Totalis, Chnoem de Calecat, Britanya’s Lord E Im Naked, Britanya’s Gremlin, Britanya’s Lady Godiva, Britanya’s Baroness Quizit,…

But also, thanks to the Rex Devon who has permitted the Sphynx to exist: Cantaur’s Hercule, Curare Van Jetrophin, Britanya’s Aida Lott, …

You will find most of these cats on our pedigrees as the fourth or fifth generation.

The story of the Sphynx is a big book that could not have existed without the collaboration and passion of many different people who love and adore this mysterious cat. Without these people who, during short or long periods of time, have done everything to make this race better, the Sphynx would not be what it is today.

MIRROR... MIRROR ...

My head is angular and flat on top, I have high cheekbones, my muzzle is wide but short and my I must have a prominent stop. My eyes are spaced apart, shaped like a lemon and slightly slanted. All eye colors are possible as well as all skin colors. My ears are very wide at the base and as large as possible with rounded edges. My feet are oval and my legs are thin and muscular. My tail is long and thin and I often roll is up by my side when I’m resting. My skin is thick and stretched over my body, wrinkled around the neck, on top of my head and around my legs when I’m sitting. When I’m just a little kitten, I’m wrinkled.

HALF ANGEL, HALF DEVIL

I like to hunt, play, steal – especially food, climb up the curtains, give love and go out to take long sun baths, but I do have to pay special attentions to my skin …. I love to cuddle close and sleep with other cats or with my owner. I’m drawn to anything that is warm … and I can’t live alone, in fact, I’m a cat just like the others.

MY IDEAL OWNER

I’m not too difficult and I love to eat. My food must be rich in calories, in fact, since I don’t have hair, I burn a lot of calories so I have to eat a lot to keep up my body temperature that is higher than normal cats. This is why I produce more sebum (the grease on my skin) and more earwax than other cats… watch out for stains !

I’m not the perfect cat for those who are allergic to cat hair since the allergic reaction is often set off by skin secretions (sebum and earwax).

I love to sunbath in the summer but my skin is fragile. Some people use a sun block lotion but often I’m allergic and get skin rashes so I prefer to stay in the shade when the sun is too strong.

As for keeping me clean, I appreciate a bath from time to time with a neutral soap or solution. The same is true for my ears that need to be cleaned as well, but not too often because the earwax protects my ears from dust and other impurities.

One thing is for sure: My health depends on, before anything else, a balanced and rich diet.