The Sphynx is a hairless breed developed in North America in the 1970s. Its skin, covered in fine down, needs weekly cleaning and protection from cold and sun.
Outgoing and affectionate, it is prone to heart disease and is not suitable for people with cat allergies.
The Sphynx is the best-known hairless cat: a muscular, wrinkled, large-eared breed whose skin is covered only in a fine down. It is warm to the touch, highly sociable and needs more care than a coated cat.
Hairless kittens are born from time to time in ordinary litters. The breed is usually dated from one born in Toronto in 1966, though that line died out; the present-day Sphynx descends from hairless kittens found in Minnesota and Toronto in the 1970s, which were bred to Devon Rex and other cats to widen the gene pool. The gene is recessive.
The skin feels like warm suede or a peach, with wrinkles on the head, neck and shoulders. Any colour or pattern can occur and shows as pigment in the skin. The body is medium-sized, heavy for its size and round-bellied, with a whip-like tail. The head is a slightly rounded wedge with prominent cheekbones, lemon-shaped eyes and very large, open ears. Whiskers are short and broken or missing altogether.
Sphynx are outgoing, playful and attention-seeking, greet strangers readily and press close to people and other animals for warmth. They do not like being left alone.
The Sphynx is not a solution for people with cat allergies: the allergen is produced in the skin and saliva, not the hair.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is common in the breed, and breeding cats are screened by heart scan. An inherited muscle weakness shared with the Devon Rex can be detected by DNA test. Dental disease is frequent.
Some welfare organisations object to breeding cats without a coat or whiskers, and a few European countries have moved to restrict it.
The Sphynx is recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and the international registries. About 140 kittens a year are registered in Britain.