SPHYNX

A hairless cat highly sensitive to sunlightHairless cats appeared in the world at different times. Mexican hairless cats date back to the pre-Colombian era. In 1938, French professor E. Létard described the mutant allele h in hairless kittens produced by a pair of Siamese. In 1966 in Ontario, Canada, Ms. Micalwaith’s female cat Elisabeth gave birth to a hairless male named Prune. Prune and Elisabeth produced hairless kittens. The spontaneous mutation responsible for this trait is caused by the recessive allele hr. Also in Ontario and at the same time, Ms. Smith discovered Bambi, a black and white hairless male. Pinkie and Squeakie, two hairless females, were adopted by Hugo Hernandez in the Netherlands. In the 1980s, similar cases were reported in Great Britain.As interest in these cats declined in the United States, their popularity grew in Europe, especially in France by 1983, as well as in the Netherlands.It is true that it is impossible to remain indifferent to these cats, adored by some and detested by others.Seeing the success of these cats in shows and the curiosity they generated, American breeders began importing Sphynxes from Europe. The breed is recognized by T.I.C.A., but the C.F.A. and the F.I.Fe. have rejected it. The Sphynx is quite rare.

Head:Medium-sized, angular, slightly triangular. Longer than it is wide. Flat forehead. Prominent cheek bones. Short nose, pronounced (n) or slight (u) stop. Muzzle very rounded, broad, short. Pronounced whisker pinch. Firm chin. Whiskers sparse, short, or absent.
Eyes:Large, lemon-shaped, upper corner pointing toward ears, well-spaced. Color corresponding to that of the coat.
Body:Medium-sized. Chest very broad, barrel-shaped. Rounded abdomen. Powerful loins. Fairly fine-boned (u) to moderately boned. Well-muscled.
Tail:Moderately long, slender, whip tail known as a “rat tail.” It may have a tuft of hair on the tip (“lion tail”).
Coat:Skin appears hairless and resembles that of a chamois in texture. Skin wrinkled on the head, body, and legs. Elsewhere, it is taut. The coat is limited to a fine down covering most of the body. A few hairs are present on the face, paws, tail, and testicles. Thus, “hairless cat” is a misnomer. All colors are recognized, as are all patterns. White looks pinkish, and black looks dark gray.