Tips for sphynx care and supply list?

[sphynkles]

so, as you may know from my other threads, I'm 11, I live in Canada, Im getting a sphynx kitten in December and I am absolutely OBSESSED! But, with a sphynx, comes supplies, and with supplies, comes care. I'd like some advice on how to care for a sphynx (bathing, feeding, comfort,etc.) and the supplies I'd need, as well as maybe some brands you prefer, (especially if you live in Canada, even better if in BC!) and some overall advice when choosing a kitten and stuff like that. Thank you! Hope you have a purrrrrfect day!

 

[Xandria]

Congratulations.

My own routine is here:
Max & Min’s Spaw Treatment Routine

Some additional information:
In the meantime, I managed to encourage a Canadian vendor to stock some HyLyt Shampoo!!! They currently have 6 bottles, and will likely get more if there's demand for it. They're$22.50 CAD per bottle which isn't that bad (the same from Chewy is about $11 USD). So if you factor in exchange, shipping, and the customs and duty you might get hit with, it's a very good deal.

HyLyt Shampoo

I love Pets Drug Mart. This is where I also buy FortiFlora: Fortiflora Feline

They also carry Vetericyn (always good to have on hand): Vetericyn VF Skin Wound Care Spray 118ml

My favourite kitty toothbrush: CET Cat Toothbrush with Toothpaste Packet

Toothpaste: CET Tartar Control Enzymatic Toothpaste

Need some Lysine Viralys brand? Viralys L-Lysine HCI Nutritional Supplement

And dental chews: CET Chews Cat (they are out of stock on these chews as is the rest of Canada -- I just had to order from the USA because if I run out Max and Min will mutiny).

They usually carry Epi-Otic ear cleaner but that product is dry in Canada right now too: Epi-Otic Ear Cleanser

There is also a ton of information in this section here:
Sphynx Cat Help Center

That should get you started

 

[sphynkles]

Congratulations.

My own routine is here:
Max & Min’s Spaw Treatment Routine

Some additional information:
In the meantime, I managed to encourage a Canadian vendor to stock some HyLyt Shampoo!!! They currently have 6 bottles, and will likely get more if there's demand for it. They're$22.50 CAD per bottle which isn't that bad (the same from Chewy is about $11 USD). So if you factor in exchange, shipping, and the customs and duty you might get hit with, it's a very good deal.

HyLyt Shampoo

I love Pets Drug Mart. This is where I also buy FortiFlora: Fortiflora Feline

They also carry Vetericyn (always good to have on hand): Vetericyn VF Skin Wound Care Spray 118ml

My favourite kitty toothbrush: CET Cat Toothbrush with Toothpaste Packet

Toothpaste: CET Tartar Control Enzymatic Toothpaste

Need some Lysine Viralys brand? Viralys L-Lysine HCI Nutritional Supplement

And dental chews: CET Chews Cat (they are out of stock on these chews as is the rest of Canada -- I just had to order from the USA because if I run out Max and Min will mutiny).

They usually carry Epi-Otic ear cleaner but that product is dry in Canada right now too: Epi-Otic Ear Cleanser

There is also a ton of information in this section here:
Sphynx Cat Help Center

That should get you started

Thank you so much, you are awesome.

 

[Zyra]

Hey, little one! I'm sure you're going to be an amazing sphynx mom, you're doing the right thing by doing your research early. I love your avatar, did you draw it?

Xandira's covered most of the bases in her post, and very thoroughly too! I'm not going to go into quite as much detail, but I have outlined the daily routine I have with my kitten, Neech (he is four months old now). I have highlighted all the supplies we use in bold. I hope it helps:

8AM:

Neech and I wake up. I share a bed with Neech. If you decide to bed share with your kitten, I suggest buying some dark bed sheets. Sphynx cats typically leave dark red stains on everything they sit / lie on!

You do not have to bed share with your sphynx if you do not want to. Sphynx are very social cats, so your kitten will not enjoy being left in a room on his own all night. However I'm sure you could train your cat to sleep in their own bed at the foot of your bed. If you have other cats, perhaps they could sleep in a separate room together.

8.15AM:

I leave Neech a pouch of wet food in a metal bowl. You can use ceramic bowls also, but make sure you do NOT use plastic feeding and drinking bowls! As sphynx cats have no fur, their skin is much more sensitive. Plastic bowls can give them feline acne, and other skin problems.

Sphynx cats have no whiskers, so they are prone to respiratory infections. I sprinkle L-lysine Powder on Neech's wet food every morning. If your kitten has been particularly sneezy recently, I would recommend sprinkling a dosage of about 500ug onto their food that week. On a normal day, a dosage of about 250ug is recommended.

Sphynx cats are also more prone to a skin condition called urticaria pigmentosa and this can be prevented by making sure they aren't in the sun too much and giving them Fatty Acid Supplements. I mix these in with Neech's wet food every morning, too. Different countries supply different brands of fatty acid supplement - ask your vet if you are unsure where to get these in Canada.

You may find, at first, when you begin to mix these supplements in with your sphynx's food, they will not eat it. The trick in these situations is not to spoil your cat. Once they understand that you will not replace food they do not want to eat with yummier food, they will slowly learn to eat what they are given!

I also leave Neech some dry food every day. That way, once he has finished his wet food, he will have something to snack on through the day. (Every few days I will also leave him some goats milk or fish. It is really important that sphynx cats maintain high protein levels and these high protein treats are a good way to do that! Make sure to never give your cat cows milk, as this gives them diarrhea.)

8.30AM:

Neech usually goes to the toilet at around this time. Once he has done this, I clean his litter tray. I do this by scooping his poop with a shovel, into a little plastic bag and throwing it away outside. Once every 4-5 days I empty all of the cat litter from the tray into a big plastic bag and replace it with fresh litter.
I find clumping litter is a lot easier to clean daily, however, do not use this until your kitten is at least six months old. Before this age your kitten may try to eat and play with their litter. As clumping litter expands when it gets wet - this could cause serious health problems for your sphynx.

6PM:

As cats are nocturnal, Neech spends most of his day sleeping. At around this time, he gets a little more active and I will usually play with him for an hour or so. Sphynx cats are my favourite breed of cats as they make play time so much more fun and interactive than your average breed. With a little effort and training your kitten will play great games with you in no time. I have included a video below of Neech and I playing fetch!
You may have a few problems in the early days. In particular, it is really important you teach your kitten that hands / arms / legs / humans are not toys and they should not attack them! Buying a wand toy might help you do this. I found this guide very helpful (I have had to remove the first half of the link as I do not have permissions to post links yet, but it is from WikiHow):

/Stop-a-Cat-from-Biting-and-Scratching


BATHING, NAIL CLIPPING AND EAR CLEANING:

Neech and I usually do this once a week. Every sphynx is different and your cat may love the water, they may hate it. I think Neech is somewhere in between - he clearly does not enjoy bath time but he just lets me get on with it!
My only word of advice is that you should be VERY careful when clipping nails and cleaning ears. If you do it incorrectly, you could seriously injure your kitty. SphynxLair have some great videos on YouTube in which they use a cat called Leonidas and show you how to correctly clip nails and clean ears.

Edit: the fetch video won't load, I'll upload it to media at some point instead!

 

[Xandria]

Great comment, @Zyra !

I concur about the dark coloured sheets... and clothes... and everything! ha ha ha. I'm glad I was into earth tones before we got Max and Min. hahaha.

 

[Zyra]

I forgot to mention, these are the products I use for bathing, ear cleaning and nail clipping. Honestly, there are better quality products out there but sadly, budget wise, I had to cut some corners. These products are safe for your sphynx if you are on a budget. I imagine Xandria's products are much better quality, if you have the funds:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for bathing)
Johnsons No More Tears Baby Shampoo (for bathing - use caution with this one as my sphynx has used it since he was born, but I have heard it can upset the PH balance in other sphynx)
Coconut Oil (for bathing and to moisturize post-bathing)
Johnsons Baby Oil (for bathing and ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Buds (for ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Wool Balls (for ear cleaning)
Simple Perfume and Alcohol Free Make Up Wipes (for wiping down his paws before nail clipping or if he has poo / dirt on them)

I also purchased a pair of nail clippers designed for babies from a local chemist, and use these for his nails.

 

[sphynkles]

I forgot to mention, these are the products I use for bathing, ear cleaning and nail clipping. Honestly, there are better quality products out there but sadly, budget wise, I had to cut some corners. These products are safe for your sphynx if you are on a budget. I imagine Xandria's products are much better quality, if you have the funds:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for bathing)
Johnsons No More Tears Baby Shampoo (for bathing - use caution with this one as my sphynx has used it since he was born, but I have heard it can upset the PH balance in other sphynx)
Coconut Oil (for bathing and to moisturize post-bathing)
Johnsons Baby Oil (for bathing and ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Buds (for ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Wool Balls (for ear cleaning)
Simple Perfume and Alcohol Free Make Up Wipes (for wiping down his paws before nail clipping or if he has poo / dirt on them)

I also purchased a pair of nail clippers designed for babies from a local chemist, and use these for his nails.

Thank you! Yes I did draw my avatar . One question though, I have tear free baby shampoo called hurts bees, would that work? What ingredients in shampoo can be harmful to sphynxes?

 

[Maddie]

You should use pet shampoo. Not human stuff.
You might know about pH from science class. Cats and dogs skin is neutral, like water. Humans are more acidic, like coffee kinda thing. So the shampoos are made to not irritate the pH. So using a more acidic soap can wreck the kitties skin

 

[sphynkles]

You should use pet shampoo. Not human stuff.
You might know about pH from science class. Cats and dogs skin is neutral, like water. Humans are more acidic, like coffee kinda thing. So the shampoos are made to not irritate the pH. So using a more acidic soap can wreck the kitties skin

Oh ok. And the shampoo is BURTS bees not hurts bees lol.

 

[Maddie]

I knew what you meant lol they have a pet line I believe

 

[sphynkles]

I knew what you meant lol they have a pet line I believe

Ok thanks

 

[Zyra]

Thank you! Yes I did draw my avatar . One question though, I have tear free baby shampoo called hurts bees, would that work? What ingredients in shampoo can be harmful to sphynxes?

I have read that certain human shampoos are bad for sphynx because they upset their skin's pH balance, as it is not the same as human's. I would recommend asking a vet or talking to a breeder about which human products are safe for use on sphynx? Sorry I can't be more helpful!

 

[sphynkles]

I have read that certain human shampoos are bad for sphynx because they upset their skin's pH balance, as it is not the same as human's. I would recommend asking a vet or talking to a breeder about which human products are safe for use on sphynx? Sorry I can't be more helpful!

Ok thanks!

 

[sphynkles]

I forgot to mention, these are the products I use for bathing, ear cleaning and nail clipping. Honestly, there are better quality products out there but sadly, budget wise, I had to cut some corners. These products are safe for your sphynx if you are on a budget. I imagine Xandria's products are much better quality, if you have the funds:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for bathing)
Johnsons No More Tears Baby Shampoo (for bathing - use caution with this one as my sphynx has used it since he was born, but I have heard it can upset the PH balance in other sphynx)
Coconut Oil (for bathing and to moisturize post-bathing)
Johnsons Baby Oil (for bathing and ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Buds (for ear cleaning)
Johnsons Cotton Wool Balls (for ear cleaning)
Simple Perfume and Alcohol Free Make Up Wipes (for wiping down his paws before nail clipping or if he has poo / dirt on them)

I also purchased a pair of nail clippers designed for babies from a local chemist, and use these for his nails.

Yep, I already have baby clippers from when my bro was a baby, and does the coconut oil you can eat work on sphynxes? If so, I have that. And what kinds of pets shampoos would you reccomend? Just a normal can shampoo or?

 

[sphynkles]

Cat shampoo I meant

 

[sphynkles]

Also, this is the list of supplies I have to buy, please let my know if I miss anything.

-Two metal bowls for food and water
-litter box, and litter
-kitten food
-cat shampoo
-coconut oil✅
-Q tips ✅
-ear cleaning stuff?
-scratch post
- kitty sweaters
-other stuff I can't think of right now that you can tell me about!

 

[Toa and Ross]

@sphynkles oooooh the sphynx that comes to live with you is such a lucky one! He will have a very dedicated and loving human to own.

The coconut oil you can eat is indeed the coconut oil you can use for your sphynx. It's great to clean them and it makes them feel super soft. But remember the oil also attracs dirt. Don't use too much and clean it very well.

With the list you wrote you'll have the most important things a sphynx needs.

Things that are NOT necessary but will probably greatly appreciated by your sphynx (but every sphynx is different so don't spend too much money on it before you get to know your sphynx and see what he/she loves:

- blankets to crawl under
- a hoody for you where your sphynx can crawl in to be close to you
- Da Bird, a feather toy that is loved by most sphynx (you can buy a cheap feather toy see if he/she likes it, da bird itself is quit expenssive). Other loved toys are springs, lasers and catnip filled toys
- cattree (if you can't afford one you could try to make something yourself your sphynx can run up and down and sit up high

For the rest you need a big heart to love your sphynx. And you sure have that!

 

[sphynkles]

I just went to Canadian tire and urban pets and I have found these items:

A variety of kitten kibble
Good quality scratching posts
Many kinds of food bowls
A warm fuzzy cat hut/bed
A sifting and a non sifting litter box
Clumping cat litter
Cat sweaters
Catnip toys
Litter shovels
Snap away collars
Cat treats
Canned cat food

I have found quite a lot! Should I get the sifting or non sifting litter box, I am leaning towards non sifting because I am on a budget and the sifting box is twice the price of the non sifting one...

Next time I go to those stores, I will bring a notepad and write down the brands and prices.

I've also been visiting a hairy kitten at urban pets, just to say hello, and slightly quench my thirst for a sphinx baby. I also say hi to the other two cats there.

I think I might walk to urban pets now and write stuff down. I will be back in a bit with some prices.

 

[sphynkles]

@sphynkles oooooh the sphynx that comes to live with you is such a lucky one! He will have a very dedicated and loving human to own.

The coconut oil you can eat is indeed the coconut oil you can use for your sphynx. It's great to clean them and it makes them feel super soft. But remember the oil also attracs dirt. Don't use too much and clean it very well.

With the list you wrote you'll have the most important things a sphynx needs.

Things that are NOT necessary but will probably greatly appreciated by your sphynx (but every sphynx is different so don't spend too much money on it before you get to know your sphynx and see what he/she loves:

- blankets to crawl under
- a hoody for you where your sphynx can crawl in to be close to you
- Da Bird, a feather toy that is loved by most sphynx (you can buy a cheap feather toy see if he/she likes it, da bird itself is quit expenssive). Other loved toys are springs, lasers and catnip filled toys
- cattree (if you can't afford one you could try to make something yourself your sphynx can run up and down and sit up high

For the rest you need a big heart to love your sphynx. And you sure have that!

Ok thanks!

 

[Maddie]

Go with a pet store kibble would be my only thing. Grocery store/department store is not good quality. Think of it as feeding your baby McDonalds

 

[Yoda mom]

I like non sifting boxes (wash out weekly )
I use odor ban amd simple green amd Dawn antibacterial soap

Look forward to your list !

 

[Zyra]

does the coconut oil you can eat work on sphynxes? If so, I have that. ?

'

Can anyone help her out? I dont actually know! <3

 

[Catzzzmeow]

As long as pure coconut oil you are fine.

 

[sphynkles]

Thanks!

 

[sphynkles]

My dad decided he will make a cat tree for my sphynx kitten when I get him or her. I'm very close to getting her, just $130 left!