Dwelf
Hairless, short legged and curl eared at once, from crossing the Sphynx, the Munchkin and the American Curl. One of the rarest cats in existence.
Overview
The Dwelf stacks three separate mutations in one cat: the Sphynx's hairlessness, the Munchkin's short legs, and the American Curl's backward curling ears. It is a very new and very rare breed, and it is not recognised for championship status.
Each of those traits comes from a single gene, and combining three of them in one small animal is the honest description of what this breed is.
Temperament
Sociable, playful and strongly people oriented, which follows from the Sphynx side. Dwelfs want contact and want warmth.
They are confident and outgoing with visitors and other animals, and they are active at floor level. They climb less than an ordinary cat and jump considerably less, so they work the room horizontally.
Care and grooming
No coat, so bathing rather than brushing. Skin oil accumulates and has to be washed off, and the ears need regular gentle cleaning, made more delicate by the curled cartilage.
They sunburn and they chill. Beyond that, the Sphynx line's burden of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the health question that actually matters here, and it should be asked about directly.
Living and exercise
Indoors, warm, with ramps and steps to reach anything raised, because the legs cannot do it.
The breed is experimental, the population is tiny and the long term data does not exist. Anyone buying one is relying entirely on the individual breeder, which is worth being clear eyed about.
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