Sphynx owners, tell me about having a sphynx!

[mxphs]

Dumb question: but do they behave like normal cats with hair? They are just so bizarre looking! What is it like owning a sphynx cat?!

 

[di and bob]

i don't know, but I am fascinated by them too. I have heard they have people-oriented personalities like the Oriental breed, talkative and full of energy and mischief. To me, they would get chilled easily and must be kept in a warm environment. a cat heat pad would almost have to be a must. The plus would be, no fleas or lice, easily see if anything is wrong with their skin, can observe their body fat easily, and most of all NO DANDER OR CAT HAIR!!!!!

 

[Alldara]

In the home we picked up our naked rat from, they had a naked cat. He was friendly and when you let him, he was allergic to people they said? I'm also very curious

 

[iPappy]

I took care of one for a few days, and she needed extra care when it came to keeping her warm. She was used to wearing sweaters and looked adorable in them.
Her personality was super sweet and she seemed naturally well behaved. I really liked her.

 

[fionasmom]

A neighbor in the area had a Donskoy which is not exactly a Sphynx but the difference has something to do with a recessive gene...and I am not the one to explain that! Anyway, he was a character and absolutely wanted human interaction.

 

[GoldyCat]

i don't know, but I am fascinated by them too. I have heard they have people-oriented personalities like the Oriental breed, talkative and full of energy and mischief. To me, they would get chilled easily and must be kept in a warm environment. a cat heat pad would almost have to be a must. The plus would be, no fleas or lice, easily see if anything is wrong with their skin, can observe their body fat easily, and most of all NO DANDER OR CAT HAIR!!!!!

Sphynx actually do have hair, it’s just so short and fine that you can’t see it. They feel like soft suede.
They take more care than many cats with long hair. Their skin gets oily really fast and they have to be bathed frequently.

Yes, they do need to be kept warm, especially if you live in a cold climate. At cat shows I’ve seen owners holding their cats in blankets waiting until the last second to put them in the cage for judging.

 

[iPappy]

Sphynx actually do have hair, it’s just so short and fine that you can’t see it. They feel like soft suede.
They take more care than many cats with long hair. Their skin gets oily really fast and they have to be bathed frequently.

Yes, they do need to be kept warm, especially if you live in a cold climate. At cat shows I’ve seen owners holding their cats in blankets waiting until the last second to put them in the cage for judging.

GoldyCat do they have any problems with acne or sunburn?

 

[GoldyCat]

GoldyCat do they have any problems with acne or sunburn?

They definitely can get sunburned. I haven't heard anyone complaining about acne more than with any other cats.

 

[iPappy]

They definitely can get sunburned. I haven't heard anyone complaining about acne more than with any other cats.

I just looked and there is sunscreen for cats available. I had no idea!

 

[Antonio65]

I just looked and there is sunscreen for cats available. I had no idea!

I don't like the idea of having a cat covered with something that it would lick off and swallow on a daily basis.
I used to apply infant sunscreen (PF 50+) to my Pallina who had white ears. I chose an infant sunscreen because I thought of infants as someone closer to a cat than anything else. If a suscreen is safe for an infant, it should be safe for a kitty too.
Pallina would lick it off regularly. Did this cause her GI issues, IBD, liver disease? Was this involved in causing her HT?

 

[iPappy]

I don't like the idea of having a cat covered with something that it would lick off and swallow on a daily basis.
I used to apply infant sunscreen (PF 50+) to my Pallina who had white ears. I chose an infant sunscreen because I thought of infants as someone closer to a cat than anything else. If a suscreen is safe for an infant, it should be safe for a kitty too.
Pallina would lick it off regularly. Did this cause her GI issues, IBD, liver disease? Was this involved in causing her HT?

I have the same worries, but mostly with environmental things I cannot control.

 

[Meowmee]

i don't know, but I am fascinated by them too. I have heard they have people-oriented personalities like the Oriental breed, talkative and full of energy and mischief. To me, they would get chilled easily and must be kept in a warm environment. a cat heat pad would almost have to be a must. The plus would be, no fleas or lice, easily see if anything is wrong with their skin, can observe their body fat easily, and most of all NO DANDER OR CAT HAIR!!!!!

Apparently they do have cat dander, they still produce the protein that can cause allergies. They also need to be bathed a lot because their skin gets greasy. Someone on my ig posts videos their lovely cat playing in the bath a lot with toys. They do need coats/ sweaters in lower temps.

 

[Alldara]

I don't like the idea of having a cat covered with something that it would lick off and swallow on a daily basis.
I used to apply infant sunscreen (PF 50+) to my Pallina who had white ears. I chose an infant sunscreen because I thought of infants as someone closer to a cat than anything else. If a suscreen is safe for an infant, it should be safe for a kitty too.
Pallina would lick it off regularly. Did this cause her GI issues, IBD, liver disease? Was this involved in causing her HT?

I'm not too sure about for cats, but I know dogs can't use human sunscreen, even baby sunscreen. I usually choose baby products for myself if I do use human products for my cats for similar reasons.

I've never looked into it for cats as they are mostly indoors, or they get light through the window which is less direct.

In any case, you did the best with the information you had and had good intentions.