New baby, new life?

[chitowngirl]

Hi all! I am getting my new baby girl this Friday and I have a feeling I have no idea what Im in for! This is my first animal, first cat, first everything and I feel like, from what it sounds like, it might be like taking care of a baby! (Don't have kids either) Im very excited, but any advice for a first time Sphynx owner would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[TanyaT]

Welcome and congrats!! You are going to love this new baby! I also bet you will want another!!

 

[Mug-ys mumma]

Hi and Welcome!!

Just enjoy your new baby and be prepared for lots of crazy antics! Also prepare you friends for being bored senseless by continuous talk of your baby and the latest funny thing they've done!

Can't wait for pictures!

X

 

[kiennasmom]

Hi Chitowngirl! Welcome to the site!! You will wonder how you lived this long without a sphynx in your life lol They're addictive. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want; we're a very helpful bunch

I'm so excited for you. Before I got mine, I never really understood what people meant when they said sphynx were "part child, part dog, part monkey"....oh yeah, and a teeny bit of cat thrown in haha but that is exactly how they are. Very social, extremely curious, with distinct personalities.

Please keep us posted with pics and such. And again, a big welcome to Sphynx Lair

 

[Mews2much]

Welcome to Sphynx Lair.
Sphynx are like Potato Chips you can not just have 1.
If you need any advice just ask and we can help you.

 

[chitowngirl]

Thanks guys! Here's a picture! We have yet to meet, but how could I resist that face?! I was set to get a Devon Rex but it was a done deal after I saw this picture! She had to be mine!

 

[Mug-ys mumma]

Beautiful!

X

 

[Maggies mommy]

Welcome to the fourm!!!! Congrats on ur baby girl ur gonna enjoy her so much!

 

[susi794]

You are about to enter a life long love affair....these little angels are such a delight! There are videos that show you how to bathe, clean out ears, trim nails etc. here--also many good discussions about what to feed your new baby....and we will answer any questions we can. Sphynx Lair is a great place. You've hit the mother lode of everything a site ought to be---this is the friendliest place I know--best information, best moderators, best people, best pets, best pics. Best everything! People here will celebrate the good things with you, support you when things go wrong, and love to hear your stories and look at all your pics.
Your new baby is gorgeous!!!! Welcome to the Lair.
Susi and the gang

 

[Jinxlover]

Welcome...Your girl is a doll..You will love her, nothing like a Sphynx.

 

[chitowngirl]

Ooh I have questions! So these cats love heat.
a.) What can I do instead of leaving a heading pad on all day for them? It makes me nervous to have electricity running like that when Im not there. I heard there were these clay things you can get online that stay hot for like 12 hrs. that you put in their beds. Are those good?

b.) Also, what if they lay in the sun a lot? I live in an apt. but its sunny. I see all these things like beds that you can attach to the window sill, but I dont want her "laying out" all day for fear she'll get skin cancer. How do I address this? Do I lather her up with sunscreen everyday? Do there wear coats in the summer time?

c.) Im seeing things on this site like their smell... do these cats natually have an odor or can that be avoided with regular bathing?

d.) Oh and any recommendations on a good shampoo that wont dry their skin?

 

[ElGatoLoco]

My situation was similar to yours when I got Butterball. First of all, don't worry. I very seriously doubt it's like taking care of a baby because if it is, I'm going to be father of the millennium. A few things to calm your nerves:

Baby kitty could have runny stools. And they may smell to high heaven. It's important to find a good quality food and stick with it. It may take a month or even longer for kitty's belly to adjust to new environment and new food. The bad stools will go away if kitty is healthy.

Kitty will want to get under your covers with you. If you don't mind, great. But kitty is like a mini heater and will make you hot. Get a kitty bed and a blanket. It will be used. Butterball likes when I stack one kitty bed on another and make a little cubby hole for him. Otherwise he makes me hot and he licks my legs with his sandpaper tongue.

Kitty's tongue will probably be really rough.

Kitty will probably sleep alot. A whole lot. Don't worry, cats can sleep up to 20 hours per day. Play with kitty frequently so he/she gets good and strong though.

Get ready for claws. They can get ya. Trim em up.

Kitty will be climbing on everything. Kitty will especially get curious when you're eating. Be careful what you give kitty. No bones.

And probably the most important thing that comes to mind. GET KITTY USED TO WATER! Otherwise you're kitty will be like Butterball at bath time and you don't want that. Trust me. Just check out my videos. The consensus is to use baby shampoo unscented.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment. I look forward to reading your stories.

 

[Mews2much]

I do not use heated beds or heating pads for my sphynxs.
I have blankets and snuggle sacs.
They get sun burned just from being on the window sill.
Do you know if the kitten is used to baths?
They love to sleep under the covers in the bed at night.
I use burts bees when I bathe my cats or aveeno.

 

[Jinxlover]

Blueberry is very oily.I have to wash her every 3-5 days!! I use Dawn dish soap, it cuts the oil really good. They don't smell bad I love the way mine smell. Good food is important. What is she eating? I don't use heat myself, I just leave little blankets around and she crawls under them. Good luck.. A Sphynx is the best friend you will ever have.

 

[chitowngirl]

What is a snuggle sac? And yes I will get her used to the bath ASAP!! haha! But what if they like the sun? No one told me if sunscreen is bad or not. I get her Friday and my bredder suggested Evo or Wellness... do I do dry or wet or both and how many times a day?

 

[Jinxlover]

I feed EVO it's a great food.. I feed dry and wet. She has dry down all the time and I feed her wet(1/2 a can) 2x's a day.I was told not to use sunscreen. If they lick it off it will make them sick.

 

[Haji the Sphynx]

Ooh I have questions! So these cats love heat.
a.) What can I do instead of leaving a heading pad on all day for them? It makes me nervous to have electricity running like that when Im not there. I heard there were these clay things you can get online that stay hot for like 12 hrs. that you put in their beds. Are those good?



b.) Also, what if they lay in the sun a lot? I live in an apt. but its sunny. I see all these things like beds that you can attach to the window sill, but I dont want her "laying out" all day for fear she'll get skin cancer. How do I address this? Do I lather her up with sunscreen everyday? Do there wear coats in the summer time?


c.) Im seeing things on this site like their smell... do these cats natually have an odor or can that be avoided with regular bathing?



d.) Oh and any recommendations on a good shampoo that wont dry their skin?

a. I do use a heating pad for Haji in the winter this year, but there are heat trapping inserts that work well too. Never heard of this clay thing. Even without the heating pad, the kitt will find a warm spot by instinct.

b.
Haji lays in both direct and indirect sun in my windows and hasn't gotten burnt. There are these peel and stick shade things that you can put on a window to provide some tint... think like auto window tinting. I have never used sunscreen on haji.

c.
It's not really a bad odor... just a mild sphynx smell.

d.I use Cetaphil (face cleanser). It's perfect.

 

[heather]

Welcome! Congrats on getting your sphynx!

Your kitty will find the heat. I have throw blankets on my couch for her but she tends to use the comforter on my bed. If you have the sunlight coming into the windows that should be warm as well. I don't know about the clay thing for warming- sounds interesting though! You could use a hot water bottle maybe but its not really necessary as long as the house is at a comfortable temperature and there are blankets. On especially cold days I put a fleece or sweater on Sophie but the temp in my house is around 68 (I prefer it even warmer but it would break the bank!) and she is ok.

I bathe Sophie once per week. Some sphynx can go longer without baths and some desperately need that bath in a week. A week is good though to keep their natural oils in check. The odor of a sphynx is faint and you have to be super close to smell it- just like you would a person's skin (not b.o.!)- its not offensive at all since you can hardly smell it.

 

[ElGatoLoco]

I wouldn't worry about the smell of the sphynx. You basically have to put your nose right up next to them and smell. So if the sphynx did stink, you'd have to make a concerted effort to smell him/her. Butterball really doesn't have an odor though. He does smell like soap after a bath.

Having said that, there poo's can stink up the house. And I mean that literally. Butterball had some horrible poo issues when I first got him. I kept a diary on the forum where I rated his poos. It was bad. Anyway, I did some research and found some quality kibble and stuck with it. His poo issues just went away. He hasn't had any more issues since then. His poos still stink but he covers it up with litter and it only lingers for 10-15 minutes.

 

[Brooke]

Welcome to the forum!! Like everyone else says - you're going to love having a sphynx. Be warned, it's an addiction! You'll probably have even more questions after you get her home, but have no fear - we'll be here to help, and don't forget about the search bar at the top of the page, too... if you have a concern, chances are we've most likely already covered it!!

a.) What can I do instead of leaving a heading pad on all day for them? It makes me nervous to have electricity running like that when Im not there. I heard there were these clay things you can get online that stay hot for like 12 hrs. that you put in their beds. Are those good?
General rule of thumb, if you're cold, your kitty will be cold, too. If you're comfortable, so is she. So unless your house is freezing cold during the day, you don't need to leave a heating pad for her. But, blankets are a MUST! Sphynx love to burrow under blankets. You can also buy thermal pet beds that are not electric but they store body heat and will keep her warm when she lays on it. My sphynx prefer the really soft & fluffy throws that are in all the stores right now.

b.) Also, what if they lay in the sun a lot? I live in an apt. but its sunny. I see all these things like beds that you can attach to the window sill, but I dont want her "laying out" all day for fear she'll get skin cancer. How do I address this? Do I lather her up with sunscreen everyday? Do there wear coats in the summer time?
If she lays in direct sunlight, she can get a sunburn. This is especially true of lighter colored sphynx. I've never used sunscreen on my cats because most of them contain toxic ingredients that the cats will lick off. Before you put any sunscreen on your cat, check with your vet that the ingredients are safe. Some members here can recommend some that their vets have told them is okay (the search bar above will help you find that info)

c.) Im seeing things on this site like their smell... do these cats natually have an odor or can that be avoided with regular bathing?
My boys can get a little bit musty smelling if they've gone a few weeks without a bath...normally they don't have an odor at all.

d.) Oh and any recommendations on a good shampoo that wont dry their skin?[/QUOTE]
Each Sphynx is different, and this has been a topic of great debate on this forum! Many of us use Dawn dish soap (the regular blue kind), the same soap that's used to clean marine animals after major oil spills - because it's so great at cutting through oils and grease. Dawn is great for really oily Sphynx. It keeps my boys cleaner longer. However, I can't use it on my girl Helen, because it dries her skin too much and she gets flaky dandruff. In fact, Helen doesn't require baths at all, she just gets wiped down with coconut oil once a month. J & J Baby shampoo is also very good. Try to choose something gentle, unscented, without essential oils added. If you do a forum search for "shampoo", you'll find tons of recommendations!

There's so much more to learn, and you're going to have so much fun with her! I'm excited for you!!

 

[Marnasobsession]

Welcome Chitowngirl! You are in for a fun ride! You are starting out with the Rolls Royce of pets (IMHO). You will find lots of support, wisdom, compassion, and laughter here. We are going to need pics!

 

[admin]

Hello Chitowngirl,
Once you get your baby home and you have quetions, just hop online with us and ask away!:Laugh: Do some searching on the sphynxlair search engine on the top of each page on the forums about bathing nail clipping and food choices to start. We have thousands of threads and posts on these kittys!

 

[lemmysmommy]

Hello, Welcome and Congratulations!! Your little girl is gorgeous. You will love owning a sphynx.

 

[Lulu Bird]

Hi and Welcome!!

Just enjoy your new baby and be prepared for lots of crazy antics! Also prepare you friends for being bored senseless by continuous talk of your baby and the latest funny thing they've done!

Can't wait for pictures!

Agreed! You will love it and after a little while you won't be able to imagine life without your new pal! Don't be afraid to ask questions - find a vet you trust and keep your sense of humor

 

[Pbinky]

Enjoy your new baby!!!