this post was submitted on 27 May 2024
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I like Sphynx kitties, I think they're cute, but I'm not sure how healthy it is for the breed?
Hairless cats do have certain health risks and need to be bathed regularly (once a week) In general I would advise you to not buy a specific breed, as they are more expensive and have more health problems than a general "house car" from the shelter
keep in mind it does still require regular oil changes
Wow, just think about a home big enough that one needs a 'house car'.
SCNR.
Yeah, but a lot of people with a hairless cat have one because they want a cat but are allergic. For them a rescue isn't really an option.
For anyone who doesn't have a good reason to need a particular breed of dog/cat, get a rescue instead.
Sphynx are not hypoallegenic. The allergen isn't fur, but saliva. Specifically, the Fel d 1 protein (...which is also secreted from the sebaceous glands). If you get a Sphynx because you think they aren't going to trigger your allergies, you're gonna have a bad time.
IIRC, the Siberian is supposed to produce less Fel d 1 than most other breeds.
Huh. I used to date a witch (Black Forest Wicca, before someone thinks I misspelled another word) who told me she had one because other cats set off her allergies and it didn't. It kinda resembled a gremlin from the movie and was a really friendly, affectionate cat if a little weird feeling to pet.
Well. The honest truth is that they're considerably more susceptible to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and hence much more likely to die early from congestive heart failure. The same breeding that has reinforced the hairless genes has also reinforced a genetic predisposition to heart issues. (FWIW, heart disease kills a lot of cats across the board, but it's more common in specific breeds.) As far as I can tell, they're on-par with Maine Coon cats in regards to the prevalence of HCM, but not quite as bad as Ragdolls (which are about 1:4)
Aside from that, Sphnyx tend to get a lot of ear wax buildup that needs to be manually cleaned because they lack cilia in their ears. They also need to be bathed regularly, since their tongue doesn't work well for cleaning skin, and they can get pretty grungy. They seem to be slightly more prone to having sensitive stomachs.
Otherwise, they tend to be very friendly, active, people-oriented cats.
We've had a total of 6, but have lost two to heart failure, with two more that are in the very early stages of heart failure, all at under 8 years old.
Thank you for the detailed response!
I can't get one right now because of where I live and already own a pet, but maybe some day?
From what I read, breeding Sphynx cats is illegal in the EU or at least the Netherlands. They have a higher risk of skin cancer and the lack of whiskers comes with issues.
100% recommend a sphynx. Out of all the cats I've had in my life it was my favorite.