Where Can I Buy A Hairless Cat Near Me __FULL__
While these kitties are known for their delightful personalities and adorable appearance, they also require special care and considerations. Despite their hairless status, they are a much more demanding pet than many of their furry counterparts.
where can i buy a hairless cat near me
Alycia Washington is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with nearly a decade of experience as a small animal emergency veterinarian. She currently works as a relief veterinarian for various emergency and specialty hospitals. Dr. Washington recognizes the importance of education and also works as a freelance veterinary writer.
Because they're a relatively uncommon breed, these hairless cats can cost a pretty penny. If you're looking to buy a sphynx cat, get ready to dig deep into your wallet: A sphynx kitten from a reputable breeder usually costs between $1,500-$6,000, depending on pedigree.
The sphynx, while considered a "hairless cat," isn't necessarily hairless. These felines are covered in a fine down coat that's hard to see, but immediately apparent (as in, super soft) to the touch. The Sphynx Cat Club actually refers to this down as "giving the overall feel of soft, warm chamois leather." A sphynx can also have a few sparse whiskers and eyebrows that give her even more personality, or none at all.
Sphynx cats are silly, fun-loving, natural-born entertainers who will clown around to get your attention (and pats). These social, playful cats love to be loved and will spend hours glued to your side. On chilly mornings (or even on not-so-cold days), they won't turn down an opportunity to snuggle under warm blankets with you. Their needy nature isn't for every pet parent, but those who love the sphynx will be rewarded with top-notch companionship that's hard to find anywhere else. These cats are loyal, dedicated pets who will love you endlessly.
But their nakedness does have its perks: A sphynx is likely to tolerate water more than most cats, which is great because their hairless body requires lots of baths. Their lack of fur also means the sphynx is considered hypoallergenic. And while there's no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic pet, they can be a good choice for cat-lovers who tend to sneeze or itch around kitties.
If there's one thing you need to know before bringing home a sphynx, it's that her lack of hair doesn't mean less grooming. In reality, she's going to need plenty of upkeep. Cat fur soaks and separates oil secretions, and without it, your kitty's skin can get greasy, dirty, and even smelly. Sphynxes need at least weekly bathing, regular ear cleaning, and nail trimming to keep them looking and feeling their best. And take note: This hairless cat is actually just as susceptible to fleas as their furrier counterparts, so you'll still need to take the regular flea precautions.
In 1966 in Ontario, Canada, a domestic shorthair cat gave birth to a hairless kitten named Prune. She was recognized as being genetically special and was bred with a Devon rex in an attempt to create a hairless breed.
The sphynx cat of today is actually the result of two naturally occurring, spontaneous mutations of shorthair cats. The first happened in 1975 when a couple of Minnesota farm owners found that a farm cat had given birth to a hairless kitten-a female cat they named Epidermis. The following year, Epidermis was joined by an equally bald sister dubbed Dermis. Both were sold to an Oregon breeder who crossbred the kittens to develop the sphynx line.
In 1978, a Siamese breeder in Toronto found three hairless kittens-dubbed Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma-roaming the streets of her neighborhood. Those kittens were crossbred with Devon rexes, and the breed was finally off to a strong start! Breeders continued developing the sphynx until the the cats became the strong breed known today.
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According to breed standards, the skin should have the texture of chamois leather, as it has fine hairs, or the cat may be completely hairless. Whiskers may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The cats have a narrow, long head and webbed feet. Their skin is the color that their fur would be, and all the usual cat markings (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) may be found on the Sphynx cat's skin. Because they have no fur, Sphynx cats lose body heat more readily than coated cats, making them both warm to the touch and prone to seeking out warm places.
The contemporary breed of Sphynx cat is distinct from the Russian hairless cat breeds, like Peterbald and Donskoy. Although hairless cats have been reported throughout history, breeders in Europe have been developing the Sphynx breed since the early 1960s.[3] Two different sets of hairless felines discovered in North America in the 1970s provided the foundation cats for what was shaped into the existing Sphynx breed.
The Canadian Sphynx breed was started in 1966 in Toronto, Ontario when a hairless male kitten named Prune was born to a black and white domestic shorthair queen (Elizabeth).[3] The kitten was mated with his mother (called backcrossing), which produced one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later, the cat Prune was the first attempt to create a hairless breed.[citation needed]
After purchasing these cats in 1966 and initially referring to them as "Moonstones" and "Canadian Hairless", Ridyadh Bawa, a science graduate of the University of Toronto, combined efforts with his mother Yania, a longtime Siamese breeder,[5] and Keese and Rita Tenhoves to develop a breed of cats which was subsequently renamed as Sphynx. The Bawas and the Tenhoves were the first individuals able to determine the autosomal recessive nature of the Sphynx gene for hairlessness while also being successful in transforming this knowledge into a successful breeding program with kittens which were eventually capable of reproducing.[6] The Tenhoves were initially able to obtain for the new breed provisional showing status through the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) but ultimately had the status revoked in 1971, when it was felt by the CFA Board that the breed had concerns over fertility.[5]
The first breeders had rather vague ideas about Sphynx genetics and faced a number of problems. The genetic pool was very limited and many kittens died. There was also a problem with many of the females suffering convulsions. In 1978, cat breeder Shirley Smith found three hairless kittens on the streets of her neighborhood. In 1983, she sent two of them to Dr. Hugo Hernandez in the Netherlands to breed the two kittens, named Punkie and Paloma, to a white Devon Rex named Curare van Jetrophin.[7] The resulting litter produced five kittens: two males from this litter (Q. Ramses and Q. Ra) were used, along with Punkie's half-sister, Paloma.[5]
The first noted naturally occurring foundation Sphynx originated as hairless stray barn cats in Wadena, Minnesota, at the farm of Milt and Ethelyn Pearson.[4] The Pearsons identified hairless kittens occurring in several litters of their domestic shorthair barn cats in the mid-1970s.[4] Two hairless female kittens born in 1975 and 1976, Epidermis and Dermis, were sold to Oregon breeder Kim Mueske, and became an important part of the Sphynx breeding program.[7][4] Also working with the Pearson line of cats was breeder Georgiana Gattenby of Brainerd, Minnesota, who outcrossed with Cornish Rex cats.[7]
Other hairless breeds may have body shapes or temperaments that differ from those of Sphynx standards. There are, for example, new hairless breeds, including the Don Sphynx and the Peterbald from Russia, which arose from their own spontaneous gene mutations. The standard for the Sphynx differs between cat associations such as The International Cat Association (TICA), Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFE) and Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA).
In 2010, DNA analysis confirmed that Sphynx hairlessness was produced by a different allele of the same gene that produces the short curly hair of the Devon Rex (termed the "re" allele), with the Sphynx's allele being incompletely dominant over the Devon allele and both being recessive to the wild type.[8] The Sphynx's allele is termed "hr", for hairless. The only allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are now the American Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair.[citation needed] Other associations may vary, and the Russian Blue is a permitted outcross in the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).[9] In Europe, mainly the Devon Rex has been used for outcrosses.[citation needed]
The Sphynx's hairlessness is produced by a mutation in the same gene that produces the short curly coat of the Devon Rex.[8] Moreover, it was found that the curly coat of Selkirk Rex cats is also associated with this gene.[10]
The gene encodes keratin 71 (KRT71) and is responsible for the keratinization of the hair follicle. The Sphynx's mutation leads to a complete loss of function where the structure of the hair is damaged so that the hair can be formed but is easily dislodged. In the Devon Rex mutation, a residual activity of the protein still exists.[8] The Selkirk Rex allele (sadr) is dominant over the wild type gene, which is dominant over the Devon Rex allele (re) and the Sphynx (hr), which forms an allelic series of : KRT71SADRE > KRT71+ > KRT71re > KRT71hr.[10]
Notable for its hairless coat, the sphynx is also a friendly, loving, and energetic show-off who craves human attention. In contrast to her regal looks and serious expression, the sphynx is an acrobatic clown who doesn't take herself too seriously. She loves to entertain and delight her humans and will follow you around the house like a puppy. If you're thinking about adopting a sphynx cat, read on for everything you need to know. 041b061a72