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Hairless cat getting hairrier?

mercurysmile

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Hi! We just got Walter, our Don-Sphynx a few weeks ago. He is now about 25 weeks old.

Since we got him, he seems to be getting fuzzier. The breeder said he was born bald, and when we picked him up he had some wiry hairs about 1/2 - 3/4 inch covering his tail, and back ( I call them "old man chest hairs" because that's what they look like to me :Impish: )

But since we got him, he seems to be getting fuzzier, with hair moving up his back towards his fornt shoulders. The breeder said this would be a seasonal coat, since it's getting colder out? We do live in Canada, but of course the cat is inside! Do you think he's growing this because he's cold? He doesn't seem to shiver, and of course we keep our home warm with plenty of blankets and spots for him to cuddle up in.

I've never had a kitten before (all my previous cats were rescues already adults) so maybe I am being over protective!

Any help and opinions from you guys would be great! Thanks!
 

Mews2much

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It depends on the cat.
My Cleo is still bare like when I got her last Dec.
Wrinkles has a furry tail.
Do you have the pedigree o your sphynx?
I ca check the lines and see if he was outcrossed to something.
What does it say on the contract?
Sphynx can grow hair enen if they are bare when they come.
 

Brooke

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Hi! We just got Walter, our Don-Sphynx a few weeks ago. He is now about 25 weeks old.

Since we got him, he seems to be getting fuzzier. The breeder said he was born bald, and when we picked him up he had some wiry hairs about 1/2 - 3/4 inch covering his tail, and back ( I call them "old man chest hairs" because that's what they look like to me :Impish: )

But since we got him, he seems to be getting fuzzier, with hair moving up his back towards his fornt shoulders. The breeder said this would be a seasonal coat, since it's getting colder out? We do live in Canada, but of course the cat is inside! Do you think he's growing this because he's cold? He doesn't seem to shiver, and of course we keep our home warm with plenty of blankets and spots for him to cuddle up in.

I've never had a kitten before (all my previous cats were rescues already adults) so maybe I am being over protective!

Any help and opinions from you guys would be great! Thanks!

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

My four sphynx have varying degrees of hairlessness...my fuzziest boy (also named Walter :LOL:) has furry feet and tail, and his back right now is quite prickly. He did seem to be less prickly during the summer, but I haven't had him long enough to know if it was related to the weather or his diet. I'll have to see if he loses his fuzz in a few months.

One of our members (I think it was CoolSphynx?) posted interesting information some time ago about how the seasons affecting their hairlessness isn't actually caused by the temperature change, but is in fact caused by the amount of sunlight they're exposed to during that time of year! Makes sense to me, because I live in Florida, and we're still getting 70-80 degrees here every day but my Walter is getting fuzzier.
 

mercurysmile

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Hi Guys!

Thanks for your answers. I am not sure about his pedigree, he is a Donskoy-sphynx, like both his parents. I can get his mum and dad's names, they were on the contract (now to find the contract lol!)

His Dad was a bare sphynx- no hair at all, his mum was a "flock" she has peach fuzz.

As long as Walter is healthy, i am happy! I think his fuzz is cute. He is my fist sphynx cat, and can't beleive how gentle and affectionate he is!
 

Sam lewis

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Hi Guys!

Thanks for your answers. I am not sure about his pedigree, he is a Donskoy-sphynx, like both his parents. I can get his mum and dad's names, they were on the contract (now to find the contract lol!)

His Dad was a bare sphynx- no hair at all, his mum was a "flock" she has peach fuzz.

As long as Walter is healthy, i am happy! I think his fuzz is cute. He is my fist sphynx cat, and can't beleive how gentle and affectionate he is!

Hi Mercurysmile, Have you any pictures of him?! I think sphynx hairyness varies! Mo has got fuzzier as he's got older on his face and tail.
 

CoolSphynx

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Yes, Brooke is right that it the photoperiod (amount of sunlight in a day) can affect hair growth more than temperature in cats who are going to grow hair. From an evolutionary standpoint, it appears that the photoperiod is more stable that temperature over season. In Canada I bet it gets dark pretty early this time of year! (Just like humans and our circadian rhythms, cats don't have to actually be outside in direct light to experience subtle physiological changes from just seeing less light through a window, etc)

But certainly hormones, age, and diet, and many other factors play a role, and I will defer to more knowledgeable folks on this forum about those.

Dobby (approx 10yrs old) has a bit of fuzz on his tail, which is actually decreasing because his harem of 3 furry lady kitties are always grooming him. :LOL: ( I got him from a neighbor who had him for about 5 years and says he became less hairy as he aged, but she was not a very conscientious owner so I don't know if that is true. )

Your Walter sounds like a wonderful sphynx with a great personality, so I bet you'll soon be wanting more! (Brooke's Walter now has 3 naked siblings!)
 

mercurysmile

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This is our Walter. He's fuzzier now, mostly on his tail and back, this pic was 10 days or 2 weeks ago.

His mum is Purdy his Dad is Mc Dreamy. Both are Donskoy sphynx.

We feed him Royal Canin kibbles, I just leave a bowl out for him to eat what he likes, and he gets about 1/2 can a day of Medi-Cal kitten wet food. He sure seems to have an appetite, but he is a growing boy! Speaking of food, does anyone out there feed their sphynx raw beef? I know they have a different dietary requirement than furry cats, but I've never fed raw meat before...

daylight hours here are about 8-4:30 or 8-5:00. Come to think of it, I would grow more fuzz and sleep all day too if I could! :Wink:

Thanks again :)
 

Brooke

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This is our Walter. He's fuzzier now, mostly on his tail and back, this pic was 10 days or 2 weeks ago.

His mum is Purdy his Dad is Mc Dreamy. Both are Donskoy sphynx.

We feed him Royal Canin kibbles, I just leave a bowl out for him to eat what he likes, and he gets about 1/2 can a day of Medi-Cal kitten wet food. He sure seems to have an appetite, but he is a growing boy! Speaking of food, does anyone out there feed their sphynx raw beef? I know they have a different dietary requirement than furry cats, but I've never fed raw meat before...

daylight hours here are about 8-4:30 or 8-5:00. Come to think of it, I would grow more fuzz and sleep all day too if I could! :Wink:

Thanks again :)

Your Walter is such a cutie-pie! :Adore:
To answer your question about feeding raw beef - I feed all four of my cats a completely raw diet. I feed them pre-made frozen raw food because raw meat alone doesn't give them everything they need in their diets (specifically taurine, calcium, vitamins & minerals and without those they can become very ill) and the pre-made food meets all of their nutritional requirements. However, you can certainly supplement Walter's diet with just raw meat if you're still feeding him kibble, because he'll be getting the nutrients he needs from the kibble.

As far as what kind of protein, though, I'm not a big fan of beef. A lot of cats have a hard time with beef, and would probably do better with turkey, chicken, lamb, quail, rabbit or some other type of protein. When I did try raw beef with my gang, my girl Mandy vomited immediately after eating it, every single time! I also noticed it was really fatty and they all put on a little bit of weight while they were eating beef. I switched them to lamb and everyone does great.

For a treat, my cats absolutely LOVE raw chicken necks! I find them at the grocery store, they are very inexpensive (2 pounds for $1) though I get funny looks from people when I buy them :LOL:. I just cut them up into one inch pieces and give them to the cats, bones and all. The cats go crazy for them! Remember, raw bones are perfectly fine for your cat - a great source of calcium and good for their teeth - but never give cooked bones, as they will splinter and can cause serious damage. Here's a video of my cats crunching on their chicken necks:


If you do a search on the forum, you'll find quite a few threads about feeding raw.
 
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tessblack

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Hi

I just got my first two spynx in september and they are from the same litter. Twitch's tail since we have got her has become really furry. Almost looks like some one played pin the tail on the cat. She is a bit more fuzzy than Tux as well but not very noticeable.

His tail is getting a bit furry as well but nothing like hers.

Not having the breed before I guess they just have different amounts of fur.

I live in Texas so it is not that cold at any time but not sure if that makes a difference. Being from canada I know how cold it can get so I am sure that could be a possibility.

Walter is very cute!

tess
 

2sphynxgirl

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For a treat, my cats absolutely LOVE raw chicken necks! I find them at the grocery store, they are very inexpensive (2 pounds for $1) though I get funny looks from people when I buy them :LOL:. I just cut them up into one inch pieces and give them to the cats, bones and all. The cats go crazy for them! Remember, raw bones are perfectly fine for your cat - a great source of calcium and good for their teeth - but never give cooked bones, as they will splinter and can cause serious damage. Here's a video of my cats crunching on their chicken necks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvLHwoBN-E

If you do a search on the forum, you'll find quite a few threads about feeding raw.

I was searching for "taurine" and this popped up. My boys went NUTS when they heard the video of Brooke's kitties eating their chicken necks!:Hysterical::Hysterical:

Guess we'll have to try those at our house, even if just for the sound:LOL:
 

mercurysmile

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hee hee thanks :)

He's lost his fuzzy "old man chest hairs" now, and is a flock coat (feels like peach fuzz)

I almost miss his fuzz though
 
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