Hello from this little mouse!

[anamiez]

Hi everyone, excited to join this community and learn more about this lovely breed! Meet our new mouse in the house, Shaolin. Picture taken just after we brought him home, and he seems to have settled in very quickly which has been amazing, we even have a routine down! At least so far... This is our first Sphynx, I've got experience with Scottish Folds and regular tabbies, so it's all very new for me including his energy levels...

 

[SunnyP]

He's got a little superhero mask!

 

[Yoda mom]

@anamiez Happy adorable Shaolin Gotcha! Look forward to lots of pics amd tales!
Jump in and enjoy this fun friendly bunch ! Shaolin is the purrfect house mouse !
Be sure to check out the info center for great threads
Feel free to ask any questions . We all help each other for the love of nakids!

Remember to have vet mark chart No Ketamine anesthesia ( it can have a rebound effect on heart - many use propofol amd Isoflurane instead ) and kitty proof for life ! Two of the first members shared with me when I got my first sphynx

Hugs n head smooches !

So glad you joined us

Do you have furbabies, pics ? All are lair family

Want is Shaolin ‘s silliest habit favorite toy ?

 

[Toa and Ross]

Welcome to sphynxlair. Congrats with Shaolin! What a beautiful cutie

 

[admin]

Hello @anamiez and welcome to Sphynxlair! So glad you found us! Wow! What a cutie! Please enjoy the community!

 

[Cinafina]

Oh my, Shaolin is so adorable, I just love his mask!! Good to have you on the lair and hope to see more of him

 

[Condo commando]

Could be related ??? !!!

 

[Shmeeps]

He is beautiful! Almost blue and white in that pic

 

[Anita Eccleston]

Hi everyone, excited to join this community and learn more about this lovely breed! Meet our new mouse in the house, Shaolin. Picture taken just after we brought him home, and he seems to have settled in very quickly which has been amazing, we even have a routine down! At least so far... This is our first Sphynx, I've got experience with Scottish Folds and regular tabbies, so it's all very new for me including his energy levels...

Hello there !
And a massive welcome ! We don’t have many sphynx mommas from the uk !
How old is shaolin he looks like one of my new babies biological siblings lol
That would be bazaar lol
I think you will love it here on the lair so many lovely genuine people who would go that extra mile to help and advice you !
Please give us loads of update pictures ! So we can watch shaolin progress and see what mischief he gets up to lol
Xxx❤️❤️❤️❤️Xxx

 

[anamiez]

Awww thank you everyone for the warm welcome! xx Shaolin has settled in and he has been a sweetheart. He’s got two modes - biggest cuddle bug or the number one parkour champion in the building, he’s a VERY playful one. We had some troubles a bit with his tummy but all appears to have settled down now any tips for what kinds of foods Sphynx kittens like and don’t like, let me know. We’ve settled down now on a mix of dry and wet, mainly chicken but he loves tuna as well. A couple of more pictures attached he’s currently 13 weeks!

 

[Anita Eccleston]

Awww thank you everyone for the warm welcome! xx Shaolin has settled in and he has been a sweetheart. He’s got two modes - biggest cuddle bug or the number one parkour champion in the building, he’s a VERY playful one. We had some troubles a bit with his tummy but all appears to have settled down now any tips for what kinds of foods Sphynx kittens like and don’t like, let me know. We’ve settled down now on a mix of dry and wet, mainly chicken but he loves tuna as well. A couple of more pictures attached he’s currently 13 weeks!

Hi there !
He is a proper little snuggle bum !
My two bigger babies like salmon and tuna love chicken not keen on beef or duck !
They have dry food down constantly . My little one Nailah is a monkey she keeps pinching the bigger ones food ( wet )
Xxx❤️❤️❤️❤️Xxx

 

[anamiez]

Yeah I think he's not a big fan of beef as well, although breeder gave us a couple of cans of wet beef. I was reading and came across even here I think that they're more likely to be sensitive to beef. Haven't tried duck yet! Maybe later when he's a bit older We also have dry down, luckily he likes it - got a big bag of Chicken Applaws for Kittens! When would one start feeding him food meant for adults? The tuna we have is actually meant for adults, but the wet chicken food we have is for kittens.

 

[Condo commando]

I'm in the US so it could be different across the pond but FWIW, here the distinction between "kitten" and "adult" cat food is because the government mandates a higher level of nutrition (mainly higher protein) for growing kittens.

However, that does not mean the "kitten" recipe is bad for an adult. It just isn't required.

Pet food companies can make adult cat food a little cheaper because they can put in more carbs and less protein. They still have the required amount of calories but more of them are from carbs. These companies are competing for your business on price (which is not a bad thing all things being equal). But if you look at the higher priced premium brands, they don't even bother with separate "kitten" and and "adult" recipes; these diets would provide more protein to all cats.

So I usually say, if your brand of food comes in both "kitten" and "adult" versions, stick with the kitten one regardless of age.

 

[Condo commando]

Duck did not go well with my crew either. I just tried it to see if they would go for a little change of pace. Duck is very high in fat so it's not something I wanted them to love anyway.

 

[anamiez]

I'm in the US so it could be different across the pond but FWIW, here the distinction between "kitten" and "adult" cat food is because the government mandates a higher level of nutrition (mainly higher protein) for growing kittens.

However, that does not mean the "kitten" recipe is bad for an adult. It just isn't required.

Pet food companies can make adult cat food a little cheaper because they can put in more carbs and less protein. They still have the required amount of calories but more of them are from carbs. These companies are competing for your business on price (which is not a bad thing all things being equal). But if you look at the higher priced premium brands, they don't even bother with separate "kitten" and and "adult" recipes; these diets would provide more protein to all cats.

So I usually say, if your brand of food comes in both "kitten" and "adult" versions, stick with the kitten one regardless of age.

Very interesting, that's useful to know. I did some comparing of the different nutritive values and it really varies depending on the brand. Some 'adult' foods have more of certain vitamins than 'kitten' foods and vice versa. I'll have a look at carbs and protein values.

How would you introduce foods safely from other brands or other types of meats/ingredients? Mix it in with food they already eat on a regular basis?

 

[Condo commando]

How would you introduce foods safely from other brands or other types of meats/ingredients? Mix it in with food they already eat on a regular basis?

For a cat without digestive issues, if all you're doing is offering a different brand or a different flavor (chicken vs beef for example) then you can just switch the food from one day to the next and it's fine. A slow transition is really meant for when the new food is a lot richer that what your cat is used to ......for example, if you were going to feed a piece of liver then I would start small.

It also matters if your cat won't eat the new food; you'd mix the old and the new gradually just to get him to eat the new food.

I believe rotating foods is a good thing mainly because if a certain food is deficient or too high in something, you are balancing it out with something else. Also rotating doesn't let your cat become addicted to one thing, or even worse develop a food intolerance from overexposure to one thing.

 

[Condo commando]

Very interesting, that's useful to know. I did some comparing of the different nutritive values and it really varies depending on the brand. Some 'adult' foods have more of certain vitamins than 'kitten' foods and vice versa. I'll have a look at carbs and protein values.

The comparison really has to be done on a "dry matter" basis, which is a little bit involved but in a nutshell it means you have to compare foods after you take out the water content. If not, you get misleading results. Let me illustrate.....

For example, I make cat food at home. I use only meat ....in other words it's all protein and fat (no carbs). I do add a lot of water because I believe it's good for them. Let's assume my food ends up being 90% water. Does that mean I'm only feeding 10% protein and fat? No, on a dry matter basis I'm feeding 100% protein and fat. Water has no calories so it has to be taken out, then you calculate the % of the dry matter.

Similarly, if a food only has a low amount of carbs when wet, after you take out the water and do dry matter calculation, it could be really high carbs. You've got to be careful about comparing foods with different water percentages.

Google on "dry matter calculator" and you'll find a calculator online you can use to accurately compare

 

[anamiez]

This is super useful information, thank you so much!

 

[Cinderstar95]

Aww, what a precious little guy. I'm also from the states so It may be different, but I typically feed them kitten formulated food until they stop growing so much, then switch them over to adult. I free feed kibble and have found it makes them less food aggressive and food anxious. one of mine eats a prescription diet for his wet food, but my other gets whatever was on sale at the store XD
The issues i've had are more what they WONT eat. food or not, the quality control sphynx must lick it. I've gotten used to eating with my plate above my head so that they can't get it. No manners XD. When my boy was a kitten he would eat anything and everything offered to him and was a known taco thief - he got a taco bell taco out of the bag, onto the floor, out of the wrapper and open with all the meat gone before I caught him. I only had my back turned for a moment. My pair don't like beef as much as they like other canned food but they will eat it. I personally beleive in keeping them on a pretty general and normal diet until they start showing any sort of issues (Mine haven't dietary wise anyway!) and then shift them onto whatever your vet recommends. I grew up with sphynx and my parents always fed fancy feast cans, and we never had any bad digestive issues.
Best of luck with that handsome little man! he looks like hes gonna be a trouble maker

 

[Uksphynxmum]

I'm in the UK and feed my 2 sphynx Applaws wet food. They love tuna and prawn and tuna and seaweed. But their main food is dry and I leave that down all the time. They are on Royal Canin digestive care. Great for their sensitive tummies x

 

[anamiez]

Aww, what a precious little guy. I'm also from the states so It may be different, but I typically feed them kitten formulated food until they stop growing so much, then switch them over to adult. I free feed kibble and have found it makes them less food aggressive and food anxious. one of mine eats a prescription diet for his wet food, but my other gets whatever was on sale at the store XD
The issues i've had are more what they WONT eat. food or not, the quality control sphynx must lick it. I've gotten used to eating with my plate above my head so that they can't get it. No manners XD. When my boy was a kitten he would eat anything and everything offered to him and was a known taco thief - he got a taco bell taco out of the bag, onto the floor, out of the wrapper and open with all the meat gone before I caught him. I only had my back turned for a moment. My pair don't like beef as much as they like other canned food but they will eat it. I personally beleive in keeping them on a pretty general and normal diet until they start showing any sort of issues (Mine haven't dietary wise anyway!) and then shift them onto whatever your vet recommends. I grew up with sphynx and my parents always fed fancy feast cans, and we never had any bad digestive issues.
Best of luck with that handsome little man! he looks like hes gonna be a trouble maker

That is hilarious! Ours is the same, I would expect behaviour like that from my family's dogs We had tuna steak this evening with some avocado and tomatoes on the side and he was all over everything even though we had lemon juice squeezed all over the food. We gave him a bit of the tuna, of course demolished it I'll try Applaws wet food as well I think zooplus even had it on discount...

 

[Uksphynxmum]

That is hilarious! Ours is the same, I would expect behaviour like that from my family's dogs We had tuna steak this evening with some avocado and tomatoes on the side and he was all over everything even though we had lemon juice squeezed all over the food. We gave him a bit of the tuna, of course demolished it I'll try Applaws wet food as well I think zooplus even had it on discount...

Ha ha just like Otto ... he will try to steal anything ! Chili's off a kebab ! And he runs off whilst I'm trying to save him from the burn! Luna was a bit like this at the start but soon stopped. Otto is relentless ! X

 

[Condo commando]

Ha ha just like Otto ... he will try to steal anything ! Chili's off a kebab ! And he runs off whilst I'm trying to save him from the burn! Luna was a bit like this at the start but soon stopped. Otto is relentless ! X

Been there and done that - I found if it really doesn't agree with them they puke it right away. Nature's way of telling them "no"

 

[Cinderstar95]

That is hilarious! Ours is the same, I would expect behaviour like that from my family's dogs We had tuna steak this evening with some avocado and tomatoes on the side and he was all over everything even though we had lemon juice squeezed all over the food. We gave him a bit of the tuna, of course demolished it I'll try Applaws wet food as well I think zooplus even had it on discount...

XD when Shazam was a kitten, he used to go into what we lovingly referred to as night fury mode. My mom made some sort of port one time and he got a hold of a chunk of it and tore around the house like a lunatic for a good 20 minutes with this piece of meat hanging from his mouth. Even my old girl Stashie would occasionally get into a thieving mood. She lived to 13 and I would still watch her steal food. My mom had some grilled chicken on a plate behind her laptop and I watched Stashie casually walk up to it, grab a piece and haul tail off the bed where she enjoyed her ill gotten gains. My girl Rora, who was only around 6 months old at the time tried to carry off a piece of pizza that was as big as her.
Sphynx have no shame!!!

 

[anamiez]

Love all these stories! It's definitely a Sphynx thing. I remember seeing a video going viral on Facebook of a Sphynx brutally attacking and stealing a slice of cake as well
Shaolin has fully settled in I think, he's getting more agile and controlled, exploring everything, behaving very well and seems less nervous and he's got a HUGE appetite. Also let's us sleep until 7-7.30am I'll post more pics later.