Sphynx cats are suitable for active households as they thrive on human company. If left alone for long periods of time sphynx cats or kittens may become destructive. As Sphynx cats are very active and sociable they are not recommended for people who want a quiet docile cat.
Sphynx cats are strictly an indoors cat as they are unable to tolerate Western Australian temperature extremes, and would be prone to sunburn. Also, due to the unique characteristics of Sphynx cats they have been known to be stolen.
History of Sphynx Cats
There have been many occurrences of hairless cats throughout history. The modern day Sphynx cats started in Toronto, Canada in 1966 with the birth of a hairless cat. During the 1970's several more hairless cats were born. After this time, the breed was developed principally in Europe.
Angela Irvine, is the principal person responsible for introducing Sphynx cats into Australia and is known as Australia's Founding Sphynx Cats breeder. She has been a fountain of knowledge for many around the world, and has completed extensive scientific research with this breed.
Allergies and Sphynx Cats
People often have the misconception that Sphynx cats are hypo-allergenic. This depends on whether the person is allergic to the hair or the saliva of cats. If they are allergic to the hair, then Sphynx cats may be suitable as Sphynx cats have minimal hair on their body resulting in less allergens. If the person is allergic to the saliva then they are likely to still be allergic to Sphynx cats. Our suggestion is that you come to play with our Sphynx catsto see for your self.
Temperament of Sphynx Cats
Our sphynx cats are very sociable and love to be the centre of our universe. They can be mischievous at times if they don't get our full attention. For example, our sphynx cats love knocking pens and papers off tables! In our experience they prefer human attention but another cat or pet can keep them company.
Sphynx cats can be quite talkative and love to chirp and twitter back to you (Sphynx cats rarely meow). Once you get to know the 'chatter' of your Sphynx cat it almost seems they tell you off on occasions.
Sphynx cats are very intelligent and can be trained to walk on a lead, or even play fetch, like ours have been!
Appearance of Sphynx Cats
Sphynx cats and kittens are not totally hairless as they have a peach fuzz over much of their body. Their coat is often described as a warm chamois. For this reason many owners describe Sphynx cats as their living hotwater bottle.
Sphynx cats should be very wrinkled especially on the head and the face should show a slightly worried expression on the face.
Sphynx cats ears are very large and their tail is often described as a kangaroo tail.
Sphynx cats come in all the usual colours including blue, lilac, cinnamon, cream, black, tortie etc.