History of origin
In 1986, a resident of Rostov-on-Don, Elena Kovaleva, was returning home and saw how the yard boys were mocking a little kitten. The woman dispersed the children, brought the kitten home and named Varvara. From the experienced fear, the baby’s hair began to come out in shreds, and even the treatment did not bring any results. The cat is still bald. And four years later, Varvara brought offspring from the neighboring European shorthair cat Vaska in the form of three bald kittens. The breeder Irina Nemykina took the girl Chita to herself, it was this kitten that became the ancestor of the breed, which was officially registered in 1996 and was called the Don Sphynx.
Breed description
Some confuse the Don Sphynx with the Canadian, but they are completely different breeds (Canadians are never born naked, and they always have hair on their tail, muzzle and paws).
Dons have a large wedge-shaped head with pronounced cheekbones and superciliary arches, slanting almond-shaped eyes and huge wide-set ears, slightly rounded at the ends. The body of such cats is strong, muscular, with a wide chest, a pronounced inguinal line and a long flexible tail. A feature of the Don Sphynx is the long fingers on the front paws, with which he moves funny, but the mustache may be completely absent.
The main visiting card of the dons is their wool, or rather, its almost complete absence. It is by the presence of a “fur coat” that sphinxes are divided into four types: flock (wool is present in the form of “spraying”, and the kitten itself resembles a peach to the touch; with age, such fur disappears), brush (kittens are born with sparse hairs that gradually fall out, but may remain), velor (soft fur can be seen, especially long “vegetation” on the paws) and naked (they are sometimes called “plasticine”: there is no wool at all, and the cats themselves have hot, slightly sticky skin with many folds). The color “nude” can be any: gray, red, white, blue, black, and for girls and tortoiseshell. The skin itself is elastic, wrinkled, with a large number of folds in the groin, armpits, neck and muzzle. Do not worry that your pet has a temperature – the average body temperature of the Sphynx is about 39,5 – 40 ° C – he is always hot and damp with sweat.
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Character
Despite their very unusual appearance, dons are one of the friendliest and most loyal cats in the world. They simply adore their master, preferring to wallow in his lap for hours, and can be very offended if they are not given proper attention. Many owners of sphinxes jokingly call them “kissing” cats, but note some obsession. Despite their touchiness, sphinxes are not vindictive and gentle, so they are unlikely to sharpen their claws on your favorite sofa if they are suddenly left alone for a long time.
The Don Sphynx get along well with other pets, and especially with small children. They will have fun playing, rushing around the rooms, turning everything that falls under their paw into a toy, so put away small and fragile items and shorten curtains and tablecloths hanging to the floor.
Care and maintenance
The main difficulty in caring for a don is to satisfy his need for perfect cleanliness. A cat won’t even walk a meter to its tray if it even remotely emits “aromas”, and will never eat from a dirty plate. It is good to use wood litter to fill the tray, and to make sure there are no odors left, use a special cat litter deodorant, which is also sold at a veterinary pharmacy.
Also, be careful when choosing a sleeping place for a kitten: due to the lack of a warm “fur coat”, the pet can freeze and catch a cold, so keep it away from windows, doors and drafts.
And although the Sphynx does not need to be combed out, it should be wiped every day with a damp cloth or a special lotion from a veterinary clinic. The main condition is that they are hypoallergenic and do not contain alcohol. The fact is that bald cats sweat a lot, which can cause their skin to become covered with unsympathetic brown spots. Once a week, the cat should be bathed using a neutral pH shampoo and thoroughly washing all the wrinkles.
One of the weakest points in the Don Sphynx is the eyes, because they completely lack eyelashes, and kittens are born already sighted. Once or twice a week, wipe your eyes with chamomile decoction and carefully monitor their condition. The same applies to the ears – regularly clean from dirt and sulfur, and carefully trim the nails once every two to three weeks.
As for nutrition, the sphinxes have no problems with this – they eat absolutely everything. Breeders recommend feeding cats with ready-made professional food, balanced in terms of the content of minerals and vitamins. However, if you decide to feed your pet natural food, then choose lean meats, such as beef or rabbit meat, pre-boiled or frozen. Twice a week, you can give sea fish, egg yolk and fermented milk products, such as cottage cheese or kefir. To provide your pet with fiber and carbohydrates, give him boiled buckwheat and hercules, as well as boiled beets and carrots.
Education and training
Dons are distinguished by high intelligence and quick wits, and also strive to please the owner. Therefore, there will be no problems with accustoming a kitten to a tray and elementary “rules of behavior”. At the age of 8 – 9 months, you can begin to teach your cat to perform simple tricks, for example, to perform the “come to me” command. When the don comes running to your voice, fix the result with a “yummy” and repeat the command again. If your cat likes to carry objects in her mouth, you can teach her the “fetch” command, and if the pet loves to jump and frolic, try teaching her to jump over an obstacle or jump on your shoulder.
The main rule is no aggression, rude tone or impatience towards the cat: remember her touchy nature and restrain your emotions if something does not work out. Love, affection and patience – these are the three components of successful Sphynx training.
Health and disease
In general, dons are distinguished by good health, but due to the lack of a warm “fur coat”, they can catch a cold, so avoid drafts in the apartment. Due to insufficient hygiene, Sphynxes can suffer from dermatitis, and the absence of eyelashes can cause conjunctivitis. Cats can also have eye problems such as torsion of the eyelids, microphthalmos (improper development of the eyeball and blindness). The mammary glands (cysts and hyperplasia) are also a weak point in the representatives of the breed, as well as the curvature of the vertebrae in the tail is not uncommon.
Be sure to vaccinate your pet, and don’t forget about regular helminth prophylaxis. If you are not going to breed dons, then it is better to sterilize or castrate the animal.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about the beautiful and mysterious sphinxes with veterinary anesthetist, specialist in exotic animals Alena Frolova.