Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Cats on Tuesday: Sphynx Hair and Skin

Cats on Tuesday 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):

Close up of Dragonheart's Skin
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):

Close up of Merlin's Skin
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!

42 comments

Boy said...

Oh wowie! Now I know more about Sphynxes! Your Mom sure takes some wonderful pictors of you guys!

Gattina said...

At least you don't loose hairs, lol !Arthur thinks he is too old to play with cat toys, and he became fat and lazy during his winter sleep ! It is about time that it stops to rain and he can visit the neighbors again and dig in the gardens ! This morning he tried to jump on the kitchen table and fell down !! We had a cat exposition here in Brussels, unfortunately I missed it and only saw it on TV and they showed one cat like you there were a lot of curious people around him !

Daisy said...

Those pictures of your skin are very interesting and amazing! I think your whiskers are a lot like ours, because ours are curly and break off, too. I wish I could touch your skin!

Ramses said...

Oh what interesting Sphynx facts! :) I just love hearing about you guys and what makes you so unique...

Parker said...

I'll bet it is wonderful to pet you boys!

CRIZ LAI said...

Whoa~~ this is real informative. Now I know more about Sphynx. Surprisingly, I have yet to see one of your relatives over here in my country yet. If can I would love to experience how it feels to stroke you guys :)

Isis said...

Oh I so wanna try grooming you boys! I bet your suede like skin/fluffs would be wonderful to lick clean! :)

Monty Q. Kat said...

That is cool-I bet you're great to snuggle against.

Mickey's Musings said...

Hi guys! I bet your bodies are very warm to touch as there is no furs in the way.That would make you really good for snuggling.Your humans must really like that too :)
Purrs Mickey

Andree said...

You're right: I haven't noticed your boys having the winter sleeps. You're having fun! I'm bored! Super macro, huh? Oh I hope the new camera has that! The photos are marvelous.

Wrigley, Cobalt, & Penelope said...

Very cool!! Thank you so much for answering my question. Now I'll just have to work on seeing one of these guys in real life.

Anonymous said...

We would like to snuggle with you! We think you must be very soft.

Anonymous said...

I really liked the close up pictures of your tiny furs and skin. You are both so cuddly looking!

Deana said...

You look so much softer than I imagined. It would be very nice to rub you, I have never petted or known a realy life Sphynx.

Tara said...

That was really interesting!

Tara

Unknown said...

Thank you for teaching us about Sphynxes! Our Momma is very intrigued as well. We luv the pictures taken with the macro lens...we shall make Momma get one as well.

Queen Snickers, Empress and Princess Renna said...

It was great to learn more about your breed! We will try to put up your cafe profile today Merlin, momma did not go day hunting but is still havving some trouble bloging with me, even though she is reclined. ~queen snickers

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

Wow! No furballs! That would be great!

The Meezers or Billy said...

cool! those are great pictures!!

MEStaton said...

Thanks for the info Dragonheart and Merlin. Its interesting to learn about you and your semi furriness.

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

Mom sez dat she loved touching da sphynx skin when da lady brawt one in to da HS meetings. It was, just as described, like touching a warm chamois.

LZ said...

I bet you are both really soft and snuggly! I have very soft and short fur. I think your noses must be extra special kissing zones.

Kaze

Mother of Invention said...

They'd have to be inside cats up here in Canada where it's cold or they'd be wearing parkas! LOL! They are good for people with allergies I think?

Diamond Emerald-Eyes said...

My Bean has petted Sphynxes before and she thinks you feel very wonderful to the touch!

Anonymous said...

That's so fascinating, they are a fascinating breed, thanks for sharing. :)

Tybalt said...

Your mom did a great job with the pictures!

Goldie, Shade and Banshee said...

Very interesting guys. So smoooooth looking. That is looking inviting as all this floof is getting me neck high in mat problems.

~Goldie

Unknown said...

Very informative! I always like to learn more information about your beautiful breed.

The Crew said...

Hi Dragonheart & Merlin! I have small eyebrows, but that's just the way I'm made.

Your friend
Misty

Leona said...

We love reading about you. Your skin is amazing! I guess you guys don't have to worry about fur balls huh?

Luna und Luzie said...

Thats very interesting to read about sphynx. Great with those informative pictures.

Ich habe auch noch nie eine Sphynxkatze gestreichelt. Aber ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass es sich samtig anfühlt.Manchmal gehe ich auf Katzenausstellungen, aber es war nie eine Sphynxzucht dabei.
hugs and purrs

None said...

I need a lens like that to portrait my beauty better. Very interesting post, if I continue to try and sniff candles I also won't have any eyebrow hairs left soon!

Purrrs,
tamra

kuanyin333 said...

Those are great Macro shots! I too have to figure out how to take Macro with my digital...it has this feature, but I have yet to figure it out! :-( I'm glad you have a few hairs at least!

Angel MoMo and Charlotte said...

That's very interesting. I have never met a Sphynx in real life although SS has and she has cuddled and patted him too!

Tink said...

Always interesting to know some more about your family!
Thanks for stopping by!

michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...

Wowww....your skin is amazing~~~ Both of you, I haven't seen Sphyn's skin , that is very detail and great~!!!

Irishcoda said...

What a cool informative post, thanks! I'd been wondering how it feels to pet Dragonheart or Merlin, wondering if there was any fuzz at all or if it was totally smooth. I enjoy posts like these, like learning about different breeds.

Jan Price said...

You give us interesting information on Sphynx cats. We never met one in person - or is that in cat and dog? We haven't seen one in the flesh. That's better. So we enjoy reading about you two.

jans funny farm

Milton said...

Every time you tell us more about Sphynx kitties mine mombean sez "Oooo, I whis I could reach through the computer and give them a pet. I bet they are lovely to pet!"

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Wow, those were great photos of your skin!

Lux said...

I like to learn things, and those facts are most interesting! It was neat seeing the closeup of your skins!

Anonymous said...

Sophia - Hey, that looks like DKM's chin before she goes to the wax place.

DKM - SOPHIA!

Sophia - What?