Sphynx Mixed Breed?

[Artemis]

Hello! I hope that this is the right place to ask such a question, if it isn't, I apologize, and will understand if the admins want to move/remove this thread.

My best friend/roommate and I have a cat that we think might have some Sphynx DNA, but we aren't entirely certain (He is a rescue).

As far as I have read, the hairlessness gene for Sphynxs is recessive, and some cats can carry copies of the gene without expressing it, ie, they still have hair (If I got this wrong, please correct me, there was only so much information I could find without going through some scientific journals, and my JSTOR account is refusing to let me log in).

I want to know, a) Is that possible? and b) If it is possible, can said cat express other traits found in sphynxs, such as the waxy ears, heightened body temperature, tail curling, etc.? We mostly want to know in case health issues come up.

Thank you for your time,
- Artemis

 

[Sheldon13]

I’m no expert either, but I had a similar experience with a litter of kittens at a rescue I work with. They were all in possession of half the normal hair. We could see skin especially on the head and around the eyes. They were particularly friendly and loving. I maintain that they had to have some Sphynx in them but who really knows??? I know there is a cat genealogy website that can do a genetic breakdown for you. I’ll see if I can find it tonight.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Artemis]

I’m no expert either, but I had a similar experience with a litter of kittens at a rescue I work with. They were all in possession of half the normal again. We could see skin especially on the head and around the eyes. They were particularly friendly and loving. I maintain that they had to have done Sphynx in them but who really knows??? Know there is a cat genealogy website that can do a genetic breakdown for you. I’ll see if I can find it tonight.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

That is very kind of you, thank you!

And yes, although our boy has fur, the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes are particularly prominent. They make him look as though he is always pondering something, which he likely is.

 

[Sheldon13]

Here’s an article that lists a few of them. I would go with Basepaws.

Home Veterinarians

Our mission is to provide pet parents with the most up-to-date expert information and resources you need to make more informed decisions for your pet.

www.certapet.com

Oh he’s definitely pondering. Pondering what mischief he can get into...

Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Toa and Ross]

I’m no expert on DNA but I know from the breeder my girl comes from that it is possible a sphynx had the hairless gene but still has furr. I only can’t ex0lain how that works. I hope you post a photo of your boy. Just because we love cute cat pics

 

[Artemis]

@Sheldon13 : Thank you! I will be sure to give that a read.

@Toa and Ross : That is what I thought. I was wondering if perhaps my boy is something like that, or had a parent like that. I assume that the gene for lack of hair is recessive, but I don't know if it has to work in tandem with other genes in order for it to be expressed or not.

Do you know if there is any way to tell if he is? Aside from a DNA test, as we are a little short on money right now.

My roomate has the better pictures of him, but I will ask her to send some to me as soon as she gets back.

 

[Yoda mom]

do you have some pics?

 

[Artemis]

@Yoda mom First of all, great name!) I will post some soon, just need to get them from my roommate. My phone's camera isn't the best, so we usually use her's to take photos.

@Toa and Ross : Would you happen to have any photos of said hairy sphynxes? And do you know if those cats still have other sphynx traits like waxy ears and higher body temperature, etc.?

 

[Sheldon13]

I know you didn’t tag me, but I found the pics of the cat we thought was a mix. You can see how thin the coat is.

Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Artemis]

@Sheldon13 : I never say no to cat photos. First of all, Holy Bast, that is an adorable cat (Forgive the minced oath, but I couldn't find any threads talking about what sort of language is acceptable here and didn't want to offend).

My boy's coat is thicker, but it does seem to have a similar texture. The face looks similar, too. I don't know if this is relevant or not, but strangely enough he has little bald patches on his legs from where he rubs them when he is lying down. With repeated friction, this seems to happen pretty easily. He also tends to be dry.

(Off-topic, and this is going to make me sound like a complete newbie, but is there any way I can edit my posts? Scrolling back up it looks like I accidentally stuck an emoji in the last one.)

 

[Sheldon13]

I think balding spots is pretty common in Sphynx with a little bit of a coat. Your best bet is probably the genealogy thing.

You can edit posts for 1 hr after posting. After that it is locked. If you made an egregious error you can ask admin to fix it for you. An extra emoji is no big deal though.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Artemis]

Ah, thank you, I was wondering.

For those of you asking for pictures of our boy, ask and ye shall receive!

We don't have any photos of his dry, dandruff-prone skin, or the awful earwax, mostly because we didn't want to gross anyone out, but here are a few photos of how his fur wears away. The first is on his leg, the second, on his neck from his harness, which he hasn't been wearing long:

At the Window (He pretty much always curls his tail, usually a lot more than this):

Unfortunately, the lighting in our apartment isn't great, so we couldn't get a good shot of his forehead wrinkles, but they are incredibly prominent, even under his winter coat. I will see if I can get a good photo later.

Here is a bonus photo that my roommate likes to call, "Khajit Has Wears... Khajit Has Skooma...":

He is also an incredibly warm boy with a high body temperature. I kind of feel like even if he doesn't have sphynx blood that he certainly shares quite a few traits with them in the health department.

P.S. I am really sorry if the photos are too large!

 

[Sheldon13]

Very handsome.

Yeah I think the hair is just really brittle and that’s why it rubs off so easily.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Artemis]

Sorry to basically be reviving a dead thread! I would have asked sooner, but I haven't been feeling very well.

As I said earlier, even if he doesn't have Sphynx DNA, my boy still has quite a lot of health issues in common with Sphynxs (From waxy ears to skin issues to a higher body temperature).

Would it be alright if I asked you guys for advice about some of them?

Here be the boy!

Sorry for the blurry picture, but his "sister" decided to help with the photography.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sorry to basically be reviving a dead thread! I would have asked sooner, but I haven't been feeling very well.

As I said earlier, even if he doesn't have Sphynx DNA, my boy still has quite a lot of health issues in common with Sphynxs (From waxy ears to skin issues to a higher body temperature).

Would it be alright if I asked you guys for advice about some of them?

Here be the boy!

View attachment 100362

Sorry for the blurry picture, but his "sister" decided to help with the photography.

Of course that's all right. We love all pets. And always willing to try and share our experience!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Sure...so many issues are not Sphynx related but cat related. This is a supportive community and we will be glad to help but of course your vet is the best resource.

 

[Artemis]

Thank you!

Of course, we do confer with the vet, but I also find it helpful to get some information from pet owners who have dealt with things like this first-hand.

I suppose my first question would be, what do you all do to help with your cats' earwax?

The vet gave my boy some drops, and although they have helped a bit with the colour and the stickiness, he is still producing a ridiculous amount of wax. His ears always feel like a furnace. It doesn't seem to cause him any pain, but they do seem to itch. With some persistence, he will allow the outer ear to be cleaned, but good luck getting any drops in those ears besides the ones the vet provided.

Second, what do you do about dry skin? I have no idea why, but his fur is extremely brittle and will wear off easily. Parts of his legs are naked, now, and he can practically create a snowstorm all on his own with all of the skin flaking off. We comb him often and have tried petwipes, but not much seems to work. On the parts of his body that aren't as dry, he tends to get greasy (Thankfully his siblings usually groom it off for him before he can stain anything).

Thirdly, do you have any suggestions to stop a cat from cooking themselves? According to the vet his body temperature runs high, but he loves his sunbeams(To the point where he begs us to turn the sunlamp for the plants on for him), and around this time of year I sometimes get worried that he will somehow make himself spontaneously combust.

 

[Sheldon13]

Well his skin may be dry from too much exposure to the light/heat. You can use olive oil or argan oil on his skin and supplement with some fish oil, preferably sardine oil. For the ears, ever since I started using TrizULTRA with keto we have had drastically less ear wax to contend with.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Artemis]

Our older female might like him better if he was covered in sardine oil (She is a grump, but also a fish addict)!

I think we might have to go with olive oil for now, though. I do worry about it making his better-hydrated areas even greasier, though.

I thought that it might be his sun-bathing habit, too, but he seems to have just as much dandruff, etc. during the winter as the summer.

TrizULTRA is something that we haven't tried. Do you know if it is available in Canada?

 

[Sheldon13]

lmao noooo! Don’t put the sardine oil on his skin! That is a -supplement- for his diet! Lol. Just use the olive or argan oil on his skin.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Sheldon13]

I’m not sure if TriZULTRA is available in Canada. I ordered mine online from Amazon.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Condo commando]

I also use Trizulta+Keto. The first time I bought it at my vet's office and afterwards I kept buying it online.

@Artemis are you sure the amount of ear wax isn't because he has an infection?

 

[Artemis]

lmao noooo! Don’t put the sardine oil on his skin! That is a -supplement- for his diet! Lol. Just use the olive or argan oil on his skin.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

Ha ha! I figured as much. Sorry, it was supposed to be a joke! I forgot to put the italics around "covered" and now I feel like an idiot.

I'll check the local pet shops, but it looks like ordering the TrizULTRA+Keto online might be the way to go.

I also use Trizulta+Keto. The first time I bought it at my vet's office and afterwards I kept buying it online.

@Artemis are you sure the amount of ear wax isn't because he has an infection?

Absolutely positive. We have had him tested several times, and he doesn't have an infection or mites. He is just ridiculously waxy. He has a benign polyp in one ear which makes it a little worse than the other, but they are both still pretty bad. His little brother used to groom the wax out of his ears when he was little, but then I guess it became too much for him and he stopped (He used to make some pretty good disgusted faces while he did so, though).