Sphynx
Not truly bald: there is a fine down, and skin oils build up without a coat, so a Sphynx gets bathed. It runs warm to the touch and looks for laps constantly.
Photo by Mr Padraig, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Sphynx is not actually bald. It carries a fine down that gives the skin a suede texture, and the whiskers are usually short or absent. The breed traces to a hairless kitten born in Toronto in 1966, and Devon Rex cats were used repeatedly in developing it, which is why the two breeds are genetically close.
It is warm to the touch for the simple reason that nothing insulates it, and it eats more than a coated cat of the same size because it is losing heat continuously.
Temperament
Extroverted, attention seeking and relentlessly affectionate. Sphynx cats greet visitors, climb on shoulders, get under bedcovers and follow people between rooms.
They are among the most consistently people oriented cats there is, and they are genuinely poor at being alone. They are also clowns: acrobatic, food motivated and endlessly interested in whatever is happening.
Care and grooming
No brushing and a real skin routine. Skin oil has no coat to wick into, so it builds up on the skin and in the nail beds and ears, and regular bathing plus ear and nail cleaning is part of owning one rather than an optional extra.
They sunburn through a window, they chill quickly, and they need a warm house and often clothing.
Living and exercise
Indoors, warm, with heated beds, blankets to burrow into and plenty going on.
The health question is the heart and it is a serious one. A screening study in New Zealand found hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 40 percent of Sphynx cats by a median age of 5.8 years, with cats dying of congestive heart failure during the study. A COLQ variant causing congenital muscle weakness is also shared with the Devon Rex. Ask any breeder for annual echocardiogram results on the parents and treat a refusal as an answer.
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