Devi has gone to the Rainbow Bridge

 I know we haven't posted for a while. Some of you saw this on Facebook. We lost our beautiful sister Devi to a sudden aortic thrombosis on July 30th. We love her and we miss her so much.

Frootbat Friday: Merlin

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my 9th Gotcha Day yesterday!  I truly appreciate all the purrs, prayers, positive thoughts, and putting of paws together from all my friends.

Earlier this week, I had mentioned that due to chemotherapy, especially the prednisolone, I was gaining a bit more fur than usual in some spots.  I'm the most naked out of the three of us Sphynx - you see, Sphynx, although "hairless," do have fine down hairs.  My hairs are extremely short and fine, Dragonheart has pretty average "hair" for a Sphynx, and Devi is the fuzziest of us, although she's still relatively hairless compared to some Sphynx.

When I mentioned that, Seppo, one of the Sphynx at http://www.pikkupunapippuri.com asked me where I was gaining some hair.  The answer is my ears, so it seemed appropriate to share some ear photos for Frootbat Friday.  All photos can be enlarged for a closer look.

Here's one of my ears back in July.  The photo is a little blurry, but you can see there are some very fine, short hairs covering my ear.

Here's what one of my ears looks like now.  You can see there's a bit of fuzz on it:

Dragonheart has the fuzziest ears out of all of us.  Here's a photo of one of his ears:

Devi's ears are pretty fuzzy too, but not quite as fuzzy as Dragonheart's:

As for our skin and the differences, this collage illustrates them.  Again, if you click to view larger, you can see the differences, especially between me (Merlin) and the other two.  The difference between Dragonheart and Devi is much more noticeable in person.

We hope you've learned something about Sphynx today!

Happy Holidays to all those celebrating!  We will be having an adventure starting tomorrow, so we may be offline for a few days.

Toesday Reveal!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Toesday contest!  We have two winners:  Trout Talkin' Tabbies and The Island Cats!  Both correctly identified the toes as belonging to: 1. Merlin, 2. Devi, and 3. Dragonheart.  Congratulations!

They both win a digital scrapbook page made by our mom!   Please email us  to claim your prize!  You can use the Email Us button at the top of our blog.

To recap whose toes are whose, we've included them below, along with the identifying name. You can click on any of the photos to view them larger.

1 - Merlin

2 - Devi

3 - Dragonheart

So which ones did you guess correctly?  Lots of people knew that #2 was Devi, but the boys' toes were tougher to identify.  Thanks again to everyone who made a guess! We hope you learned something about Sphynx toes!

Throwback Thursday: Toes!

This post originally appeared in January 2008!  We'll have to take some photos of Devi's toes to share one of these days!

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Here is a comparison between our back paws. As you can see, Merlin has brown paw pads, whereas Dragonheart's are two-toned: pink and dark brown (the brown on Dragonheart's toes is part of his colouring - it's not dirt.)

Dragonheart's Toes:

Merlin's Toes:

(Click either photo to view a larger image)

As you can see from these photos, we Sphynx have paw pads that are thicker than the paw pads of most other breeds. Some say this gives us the appearance of walking on air cushions. In fact, the CFA Sphynx Breed Standard states:

Paws are oval with well-knuckled toes; five in front and four behind. The paw pads are thick, giving the appearance of walking on cushions.

Trip to the Vet

Dragonheart here!

So yesterday I had to go and see the vet.  We go to a very cool veterinary practice that is affiliated with the veterinary college.  We get seen by a fourth year vet student and then a full veterinarian, and they consult together on our care!  So we get double the attention.  We Sphynx are always a big hit with the students, and frequently students who are in the clinic, but who aren't busy at the moment, come and ask if they can see us and pet us.

So why was I at the vet?  Well, nothing serious, but I had a bit of unusual discharge from my eyes. You see, we Sphynx, because we don't have any eyelashes or eyebrow whiskers, tend to have a little bit of clear discharge from our eyes.  It's normal for us.  However, every now and then, my discharge will get a little thicker, will become coloured (yellow or greenish), and/or my conjunctivia will look a little red.  When that happens, my mom takes me to the vet.

They have fishies at the vet!

So I was at the vet and I was very well behaved.  At one of the conferences our vet attended, they learned that a small dose of Gabapentin can help keep cats calm at the vet.  It doesn't sedate us and is very safe.  It just helps keep us calm, and makes us a little sleepy, but that's it.  I used to get stressed at the vet (unlike Merlin, who loves going to the vet and getting lots of attention).  The Gabapentin allows me to be relaxed and I don't get upset or growl when they poke and prod me, and look at my eyes.

The good news is that my eyes look very healthy, they are just a little swollen, and the conjunctivia are a little red.  The vet student and vet think it is likely just bacterial conjuctivitis, probably because I got something in my eyes due to not having those protective eyelashes and whiskers.  So I have to have eye drops put in my eyes for the next ten days.  I'm not a huge fan of the eye drops, but at least I get treats after them.

So our mom writes a final exam tomorrow for one of her grad courses and then, although she still has some projects to finish, we should be back to visiting more of our friends.  Then once April 15th is come and gone, we'll have lots of time to visit everyone again!  Thanks for all the supportive messages, and all the purrs and prayers for Merlin.

Tuxie Tuesday: The Two Ds

Dragonheart here.  Although my little sister Devi can be a pain in the butt sometimes, as you can see from this photo, I really do love her.  We are known as "The Two Ds" or the "Double Ds" since both of our names start with "D."

Dragonheart and Devi (click to view larger)

We are also known as the two black and whites, although that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.  Yes, we are both black and white.  I'm a black and white tuxedo, and Devi is a black and white bicolour (her white pattern doesn't match the tuxedo pattern).  Where our skin is grey, that's where we would have black fur, if we had fur.  You can see the black on my nose and on both our ears, where we do have a bit of fur.  Where we have pink skin, we would have white fur, as you can see on the bridge of both our noses.

Tuxie Tuesday: Cozy

Dragonheart here!  Merlin has been spending most of the time posting, but it's Tuxie Tuesday, so now it's my turn!

I like to curl up under the warm wool afghan that my mom crocheted!  It is very nice and very warm. Our mom has an Etsy shop, where she sells some of her crochet to pay for our vet bills!

Do you see the spots on my skin?  Those are age spots.  According to our veterinarian, most cats will have them as they get older.  You just can't see them on furry cats because of all the fur!  Since we Sphynx only have a bit of fur on our faces and our ears (and sometimes our tails), you can see the age spots on our skin.  Of course, some cats will have more age spots than others, and they will be more or less visible, depending on their colour.  I'm 9 years old (I'll be ten in July), and I'm a black and white tuxedo.  I have quite a few dark, visible age spots.  Merlin is 8 years old (he'll be 9 in September if he makes it until then), is seal lynx point and white in colouration, and he only has a few, light-coloured age spots.  Devi is 5 (she'll be 6 in April) and she doesn't have any age spots yet.

Thursday Thirteen: Bald is Beautiful!

13 Reasons Bald is Beautiful - Why it is Good to be a Sphynx

1. No fur = no shedding!
   
   
2. No hairballs!
   
   
3. We don't have to worry about our fur getting matted or otherwise messed up.
   
   
4. Sphynx have a faster metabolism than other cats breeds, which means we can eat more food and stay slim!
   
   
5. Because we don't have any fur, our humans let us sleep with them, snuggled under the covers, so that we stay warm.
   
   
6. Weekly baths result in an extra serving of stinky goodness for being good while being bathed.
   
   
7. Sunlight feels really good against bare skin.
   
   
8. Humans always let us cuddle in their nice, warm laps.
   
   
9. Since Sphynx are friendly and outgoing, we charm everyone who meets us in person.
   
   
10. Large Sphynx ears make it easy to hear (useful for hearing the humans opening cans of stinky goodness or returning home after being away.)
    
    
11. Thick paw pads allow Sphynx to walk very quietly, sneaking around (great for pouncing on unsuspecting prey.)
    
    
12. Our lack of fur shows off our muscular confirmation quite nicely, it's not hidden under fur!
    
    and most important of all:
    
    
13. Our dad, who is allergic to other cat breeds, can tolerate Sphynx, so because we are Sphynx, we get to live with the best humans in the world.

Tags: Thursday Thirteen, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Cats on Tuesday: Tail Tuesday

We both have some sparse short, fine hair on our tails (click either of the photos below to see all the details). This is typical of Sphynx. The CFA Breed Standard states:

COAT/SKIN: the appearance of this cat is one of hairlessness. Short, fine hair may be present on the feet, outer edges of the ears, the tail, and the scrotum. The bridge of the nose should be normally coated.

We are both registered with TICA, and this is what the TICA Sphynx Breed standard states:

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois. It may be covered with very fine down which is almost imperceptible to both the eye and the touch. On the ears, muzzle, tail, feet and scrotum, short, fine hair is allowed. Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The cat should not be small or dainty. Males may be up to 25 percent larger so long as proper proportions are maintained. The Sphynx is sweet-tempered, lively, intelligent and above all amenable to handling.

Dragonheart's Tail:

Merlin's Tail:

Tags: Cats on Tuesday, Tail, Tail Tuesday, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Photo Hunt: Pointed

Pointed

Merlin: This week's theme is perfect for me because I am a Pointed Sphynx! This means that my colouration is similar to that of a Siamese cat - with blue eyes and my extremities darker in colour (tail, ears, nose). My exact colouration is called Seal Point and White. So in addition to my Seal Point colour, I also have white patches throughout.

You can see my points very well on my nose. You can see that it is darker in colour (brown). You can also see the white part of my colouration - I have a small white blaze on my face (on my left, or on the right as you are looking at me) and I have white cheeks! In other photos you can also see the white patches on my chest, my legs and my feet. In the last two photos you can see the white patch on my hindquarters.

Tags: PhotoHunt, Photo Hunt, Photo Hunters, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Cats on Tuesday: Toesday

We Sphynx have unique toes! Compared to other breeds, we have long toes and thick paw pads. :) Some say our thick paw pads give us the appearance of walking on cushions!

We Sphynx tend to get dirty toes, because we have no fur to absorb the oil our skin secretes. So oil builds up on our toes, in our claw sheaths, and on our claws, and attracts dirt and dust. So our toes, paw pads, claws, and claw sheaths need to be cleaned weekly, just like the rest of us!

(Click any of the photos below to see a larger image. If you do, you can see the tiny bit of hair that we have, especially on Merlin's toes!)

Dragonheart's Toes:

Merlin's Toes:

Tags: Cats on Tuesday, Toesday, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Meezer Rule Wednesday: Meezer Colours

Merlin: Today is Meezer Colour Day! As most of you know, I am a pointed Sphynx, which means I am essentially a Siamese Sphynx! My colour pattern is the same as that of Meezer's. I am a Seal Point and White Sphynx, and you can see my points on my muzzle, and on the edges of my ears, as well as on my paws. My muzzle isn't a solid seal point colour due to the "and white" part of my colouration. You can see a little white blaze on the left side of my face (the right side as you are looking at me) and I have white cheeks as well. The white portions of my colouration show up as pink skin on the rest of me, since I have no fur on most of my body.


Like all pointed Sphynx, I have blue eyes, and my eyes are baby blue in colour. Therefore, blue is one of my favourite colours, since it matches my eyes! Neutral colours, such as cream, beige, and brown, also complement my colouration.

My Gizzy quilt is a perfect example of my favourite colours. It has many wonderful shades of blue, especially the light blues and baby blues that match my eyes. Other colours can also be found in it, that complement the blues nicely.



Other blues also show off my colouration.



And finally, neutrals work well with my colouration as well.

Tags: Meezer Rule Wednesday, Meezer, Pointed Sphynx, Meezer Colours, Meezer Colour Day, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Thursday Thirteen: Things We Don't Like

This week, we are listing 13 Things that we don't like

1. Being bathed! It is necessary for us to stay healthy, but we don't like it. Like all cats, our skin secretes oils. Since we have no fur for the oil to distribute itself through, the oils build up on our skin and need to be periodically removed through bathing, otherwise it can cause skin problems. Merlin really doesn't like being bathed; Dragonheart tolerates it.
   
   
2. Having our ears cleaned. Again, since we have no fur in our ears, the wax really builds up and needs to be removed. Once again, Merlin really hates having this done; Dragonheart tolerates it.
   
   
3. Having our claws trimmed. Sphynx have a fast metabolism that helps to keep us warm. Because of this fast metabolism, our claws grow quickly, and need to be trimmed weekly, sometimes twice a week! Actually, Dragonheart doesn't mind having his nails trimmed, but Merlin hates it (see a trend here?)
   
   
4. Having our eye "goop" wiped away. Sphynx have no eyebrow whiskers (we actually have no whiskers at all, or just very tiny whiskers) and no eyelashes, so our eyes aren't as well protected as those of other cats. So we tend to get "eye goop" collecting at the corner of our eyes. It is perfectly normal and healthy in Sphynx. But the "goop" needs to be cleaned away. Once again, Dragonheart doesn't mind this too much (most of the time) but Merlin hates it!
   
   
5. Having our bums wiped. This doesn't happen very often any longer, but sometimes we end up with a little bit of poo on our bums, and it needs to be wiped off. Unlike the previous items, this is one that Dragonheart REALLY doesn't like. Merlin is not too fond of it either.
   
   
6. The Cold! Again, because we have no fur, we really hate cold weather. Fortunately, we do have a fast metabolism that helps to keep us warm, and we are smart: if we feel cold, we'll find a warm lap to curl up in, or some blankets to burrow under. The rule of thumb as to whether or not a Sphynx is cold is this: if a human needs a sweater to stay warm indoors, then chances are a Sphynx would like a blanket or sweater to help stay warm too.
   
   
7. Being Pet With Cold Hands! Since we don't like the cold, we really don't like when someone tries to pet us with cold hands! Pet us through a fleece or blanket, or warm up your hands if they are cold, before you try to pet us.
   
   
8. Being told "no!" Like all cats, we don't like being told that we can't do something!
   
   
9. Being told "get down!" There are certain places in the house where we aren't supposed to go, like up on the kitchen table. We don't like being told "get down" when we're up on one of them.
   
   
10. Being sprayed with the evil spray water bottle. When we are doing something we aren't supposed to do, sometimes we are sprayed with the evil water bottle. We don't like it at all.
    
    
11. Being shut out of the bedroom. Normally we are allowed in the bedroom, and we even sleep with our humans every night. Sometimes, however, we are shut out of the bedroom, and when that happens, we don't like it.
    
    
12. Having toys put away. We have a lot of interactive toys that we love playing with, like the Whirlybird and the Butterfly. However, these toys require interaction with a human. When our humans get tired of playing with us, they put these toys away (so that we don't hurt ourselves with them). We don't like it when the toys are put away.
    
    
13. When our humans go away. Although we either have a wonderful cat sitter looking after us, or else we have a deluxe private room in the Katzenpension, all to ourselves, when our humans go away, we still prefer having them at home. We love our human mom and dad, and much prefer spending our time with them!
    

Tags: Thursday Thirteen, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Frootbat Friday: Sphynx vs. Sphinx

A Great Sphynx:

The Great Sphinx:

Another Great Sphynx:

A Sphinx:

As the Merriam-Webster dictionary indicates:

Sphynx - noun, plural sphynx
: any of a breed of large-eared virtually hairless cats that originated as a spontaneous mutation

sphinx - noun, plural sphinx·es

1a : a winged female monster in Greek mythology having a woman's head and a lion's body and noted for killing anyone unable to answer its riddle
b : an enigmatic or mysterious person
2 : an ancient Egyptian image in the form of a recumbent lion having a man's head, a ram's head, or a hawk's head

Tags: Egypt, Sphinx, The Great Sphinx, Giza, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Photo Hunters: Free

Free

We Sphynx are FREE of hair (except on the bridge of our noses!), FREE of hairballs, and FREE of whiskers! However, we are not maintenance-free! We require weekly baths (we groom ourselves like other cats, but the oil that our skin secretes builds up, since we have no fur for the oil to distribute itself through), we need weekly ear cleanings (we have no fur in our ears to absorb the oils and wax), weekly claw trimmings (our claws grow quickly due to our fast Sphynx metabolism that helps keep us warm) and frequent eye cleanings, since we have no eyelashes or eyebrows to protect our eyes.

P.S. It's not nice to call us scary. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. We may not look like "regular" cats, but we are loving, caring, and our humans think we are handsome, adorable and cute! And everyone who meets us in person agrees - we are charming and adorable kitties!

Tags: PhotoHunt, Photo Hunt, Photo Hunters, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten

Cats on Tuesday: Sphynx Hair and Skin

Today we will tell you all a little bit about Sphynx hair and skin. There are some new cat bloggers who have been asking us about Sphynx, and our mom figured out how to use the "super macro" feature on her camera, so this is the perfect opportunity to share a little bit more about the Sphynx breed with all of you.

Sphynx are not completely hairless. As many of you know, all Sphynx have a "regular" coat (fur) on the bridge of their nose. Most Sphynx also have hair on the outer edges of the ears, and short, fine hair can also be present on the ears, the tail, the feet, and the scrotum in males.

In terms of the rest of the body, according to the CFA Sphynx Breed Standard:

The remainder of the body can range from completely hairless to a covering of soft peach-like fuzz whose length does not interfere with the appearance of hairlessness. This coat/skin texture creates a feeling of resistance when stroking the cat.

Dragonheart: I have a normally-coated nose (as described in the Sphynx breed standard), and I have fur on my ears. The fur on my ears has become more fluffy/fuzzy this winter. I don't have any hair on my feet, and my tail only has a few short, sparse hair along its length. I have a few, tiny, short, curled whiskers on each side of my face, but I don't have any eyebrow whiskers. The rest of my body is covered in a very fine down. My humans say that petting me is like petting a warm chamois. You can see a close up of my skin below (click to view it larger):


Merlin: I also have a normal coat on the bridge of my nose. I have absolutely no fur on my ears, however! I don't have any fur on my feet, and I have just a little bit of fur on my scrotum. My tail is like Dragonheart's - I have a few, short, sparse hairs scattered throughout the length of my tail. Like Dragonheart, I have a few short, tiny, curly whiskers on each side of my face, and I don't have any eyebrow whiskers. When it comes to the rest of my body, I don't have a perceptible fine down or peach fuzz like Dragonheart does. Instead, I have a few, short, sparse hairs scattered here and there, with more of them appearing on certain parts of my body. You can see some of these hairs on the right in the photo below (click it to view a larger image):


The TICA Sphynx Breed Standard has this to say:

The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois. It may be covered with very fine down which is almost imperceptible to both the eye and the touch. On the ears, muzzle, tail, feet and scrotum, short, soft, fine hair is allowed. Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent.

So hopefully you have learned a little more about Sphynx! If you have any more questions about our breed, leave your question in the comments, and we'll answer any questions in a future edition of Cats on Tuesday!

Tags: Cats on Tuesday, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, hairless kitten, kitten, Sphynx kitten