Welcome to Sphynxlair! Connect with Sphynx owners & enthusiasts around the world!

Meet our boy, Ren

sphynxluvr

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Ren came to us five years ago, when I had this wonderful idea to get my daughters a sphynx cat. The breeder didn't want to separate the last two boys in the litter, and our family couldn't decide on just one. I was able to present each of my daughters with their very own sphynx kitty for Christmas. Own our way home, back to New Jersey, with our two new adorable kittens, their names were chosen-Ren and Stimpy. Our family of four formed an incredible bond with its' two newest members, and our love for this breed and all that makes them special began.
Unfortunately, we lost Stimpy on February 13, 2010 to HCM. For those of you who have gone through this experience, I am sure you can relate to how quickly devastating it is. Our hearts still ache for our missing half of the Ren & Stimpy phenomenon. He was perfect in every way, and his life was filled with happiness and love and warm places to cuddle.
Ren has been to the cardiologist and was given a clean bill of health. However, he needs to lose a few pounds. He misses his brother terribly. He roams around the house crying out to his best friend who doesn't answer, which makes Stimpy's loss even harder on us humans.
I decided to join this site for information, which has been provided greatly to us. Some of the stories I've read have broken my heart while others give me hope. I also feel a certain kind of bond to all of you owners/breeders, because until you have owned a sphynx, there is truly NO understanding how special they are.
Now our family is desperately hoping to get in touch with a reputable breeder or rescue center in hopes of finding an adorable, loving companion, not only for us, but for Ren. I can assure that we are very well-educated in the care and needs that the breed requires and can guarantee that they will be placed in a loving, caring, warm environment. We have tons of baskets filled with blankets in warm places for nap time. We love lifting up covers and cuddling with kitties. If any of you can help in any way your information and feedback would be welcomed. Thanks for listening and I look forward to meeting more people who are owned by a sphynx! :Smile:
 

gizmo6370

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Welcome sphynxluvr :Smile:

Sorry for your loss of Stimpy...i'm sure it's very hard on Ren and your family :Cry:
When you are gonna buy a new friend for Ren...make sure that the breeder scans for hcm...if your gonna get a rescue sphynx it's harder to find out...if they come from good lines...so there's a certain risk involved....
Here on the forum are some people who have recently have a litter of kittens....maybe you can give them a pm...or they can pm you....
Good luck in your search :ThumbsUp:
 

admin

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Hello and welcome to Sphynxlair Sphynxluvr! Im glad you found us and hope you enjoy the site! Sorry to hear of your loss.
 

Brooke

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Thank you for your kind words.
Can anyone tell me what scanned for HCM actually means????

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry to hear about Stimpy. March 21 last year, I lost my boy Harold to HCM. This week, I've just learned that my boy Nelson now has it :Cry:...both of them were rescues, so, like gizmo mentioned, there was risk involved because I didn't know their history.

However, if you're looking for a breeder - you'll want one that scans their cats for HCM. Meaning: they have echocardiograms done every year on every one of their breeding cats. Since HCM is genetic, this is the only way to try to ensure this disease isn't passed on to offspring. Even then, it's not foolproof but for now it's the best tool we've got.

I'm glad to hear that Ren was given a clean bill of health. Did he have an echo performed? If not, I would highly recommend having one done right now for him - to get some baseline figures. Then he should be scanned again in one year to make sure nothing is changing. I'm sure you know by now that HCM is genetic and since his littermate had it, sadly, he is at high risk of developing it, too.
 

sphynxluvr

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I realize that scanning for HCM is looking for Heart defects, But how can a breeder guarantee that a kitty wont develop a problem in the future????
Sorry everyone I'm new at this and I just dont want to lose another cat. The information youre providing is appreciated.
 

gizmo6370

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I realize that scanning for HCM is looking for Heart defects, But how can a breeder guarantee that a kitty wont develop a problem in the future????
Sorry everyone I'm new at this and I just dont want to lose another cat. The information youre providing is appreciated.

As Brooke mentioned :

However, if you're looking for a breeder - you'll want one that scans their cats for HCM. Meaning: they have echocardiograms done every year on every one of their breeding cats. Since HCM is genetic, this is the only way to try to ensure this disease isn't passed on to offspring. Even then, it's not foolproof but for now it's the best tool we've got.
 

kiennasmom

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Hi Sphynxluvr & welcome to the site! I'm so sorry to hear about Stimpy :Cry:
I've lost two sphynx to HCM previously & my little girl is also HCM+, so I know the pain you're going through. There are so many friendly, knowledgable people here who can help you out with any questions you have, and lots of people willing to just listen. Best of luck in your search for a new friend for Ren and enjoy the Lair!! :ThumbsUp:
 

Brooke

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I realize that scanning for HCM is looking for Heart defects, But how can a breeder guarantee that a kitty wont develop a problem in the future????
Sorry everyone I'm new at this and I just dont want to lose another cat. The information youre providing is appreciated.

They can't guarantee it. The best they can do is know what lines they are breeding with, whether or not there is known HCM in those lines, and scan their cats annually.

One problem, is that -as you've seen- HCM doesn't often become symptomatic until the cats are 4 or 5 years old...often well beyond their breeding years. So, they may scan clear, have lots of kittens for a couple of years and then suddenly scan positive for it and they've already passed the gene on to many kittens. Also, HCM can pop up out of nowhere, even if the parents scan clear.

That's why it's important to work with a breeder who knows their lines in and out, and knows the status of previous generations if possible...AND, to protect you, when you purchase a kitten, make sure it comes with not only a regular health guarantee, but a genetic health guarantee (that would cover things like HCM, birth defects, etc.). I've seen genetic health guarantees that range from 1 year to up to 5 years. The longer the guarantee, the better, IMO.
 

lemmysmommy

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Hello and Welcome.....I am sorry to hear about Stimpy. I love the names though!! It was my favorite show as a child. LOL. Good luck in finding Ren a companion!
 

sphynxluvr

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Thank you all for your sympathy and warm welcomes. The information You give is such a help. Yes, Ren has had an EKG and will get a yearly as recommended by our cardiologist. His parents are still alive and are approximately 8-10 yrs old, and doing well. There was no other case reported of their kittens having HCM as far as I know. Stimpy did have a heart murmur which was never detected by our regular vet, however these were her first sphynx patients. I had a friend lose 2 boys to HCM and was eager to have them X-rayed but we both agreed that would be at their 6 yr check up.
I read your post about Harold shortly after Stimpy passed and cried my heart out. I Feel for you. Going through it with Nelson must be killing you. Theyre just so easy to Love!
Thank you everybody, thank you all so very much!!!:Smile:
 
J

Jinxlover

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Welcome! good luck with your search.
My girl comes from a back yard breeder that does not scan for HCM and it worries me everyday.
 

susi794

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Welcome to the Lair. It's a wonderful site with wonderful people on it--you'll get more than you bargained for here. I hope you find a friend for Ren soon.
 

sydkat7

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Welcome! Good luck finding a buddy for Ren...hopefully you'll find the perfect (HCM-free) sphynx soon...
 

tessblack

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Welcome and so sorry for you loss. I have to say I love the names, was a big fan of the show.

I just got my first two, brother and sister and August and they are always together. I worry about them all the time and getting them scanned soon. I always worry about losing them or just one and how hard that would be on the other.

You will get lots of great info here that is for sure, but you will end up in tears as well. But through it all I feel so much more confident with the knowledge I have.

 

Nofuratu

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Welcome to the site! There are great people here to share with!

Love the names you chose for your cats and am so sorry you lost one. I hope you find another naked friend to join your family soon.

My cat Nofuratu has a blog about his travels "Adventures of a Naked Cat" www.nofuratu.blogspot.com I have a link to his breeder on there that you may want to research. She scans for HCM. I havent scanned nofuratu yet but will soon......once I find a vet that does it in atlantic Canada.
 
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