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MerBear MerBear Originals
Brockville, Ontario
Posts: 1,540

uglycat.jpgMy sister just forwarded this pic to me - I find the cat and kittens actually very scary!  Do you think the pic is real?

Marion

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Oh, those are Sphinx cats!  They don't have hair! 

They're funny. bear_original

shantell Apple Dumpling Designs
Willamette Valley Oregon
Posts: 3,128

One of my daughter's old boyfriend's family has one.  His dad is a very well known vet in the area...and yep, they pretty much look like that...no hair.  Kinda weird looking but very much cat.  LOL

Stellajella Wien
Posts: 1,399

Sad, what we humans create out of genetical mulfunctions....Sphinx are said to be antiallergenic ...
they need suntanlotion not to burn their skin and their normal body temperature is higher than the the one of hairy cats, not to cool off....
They look very grimm but they are sad to be very very sweet cats.

Gaby bear_flower

Melbear Melbear's Quality Collectibles
Spruce Grove, Alberta
Posts: 527
Website

My friends cousin has one of those.. it feels like ultrasuede.. heehee. That is kind of a creepy pic though

Bear Hugs!
Melanie

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

I know they look ultra Halloween, but this is one case of not judging a book by its cover.  These kitties are ultra sweet  bear_wub !!!  And for diehard cat lovers that are utterly allergic, its the perfect solution.   bear_thumb

Like I said, I know they look weird, but try to be unbiased when you meet one.  You'll be truly suprised  bear_flower

Jodi Falk Bears by Jodi
Gahanna , Ohio USA
Posts: 3,463

I bet they are still loveable !!! bear_grin

doodlebears Doodlebears
UK
Posts: 7,414

doodlebears Celebration Ambassador

Not my favourite picture, but hey none of us can choose what we look like. I think it is sooooo sad that some animals are breed to look so different. As Gaby said they need special treatments against the sun and cold. My friend had one of these cats and it really suffered one summer and had bad sunburn and during the winter time she would have to put wooly jumpers on the cat to stop it getting sick through the cold.

Hugs Jane.

Kelly Blondheart
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 289

Well now ya know how animals feel when they look at us with our hairless bodies!

puca bears puca bears
Posts: 1,934

Must say - I agree with you Jane......it's not fair to breed such freaks - after all, they wouldn't stand a chance in the wild.
Having said that, I'm sure they are very sweet...and hey, NO fleas!!!!
huggies
Maria

Lovethosebears Yorkshire
Posts: 1,899

eewwwwww Its the one yellow eye thats freaking me out!!!!!  The little babies are cute thou  bear_grin

Hugs Ali x

StarHawk2003 VallierBears
Shropshire
Posts: 270

Sphinx are actually really sweet cats. Yes, they do need suntan lotion on if they go outside, but with a pedigree cat, or a cat in general I wouldn't let them outside.

Sphinx aren't actually hairless, they feel like a peach! They are actually really nice! I just love um! bear_original

Richy ~

DebbieD Posts: 3,540
Kelly wrote:

Well now ya know how animals feel when they look at us with our hairless bodies!

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:   Yep!!  I remember reading "Bambi"  ....yes, reading, no Disney movie for me, and being repulsed by the 'barefaced creature'.   bear_shocked   I thought it would be some awful animal with mange ~ and it ended up being a hunter!!!   bear_sad   Well, yes, same thing to an animal on the wrong end of a gun  bear_rolleyes

I also agree with Starhawk, these babies shouldn't be allowed outdoors ever.   I have had too many personal experiences with my own outdoor cats meeting awful and untimely deaths.  I'd hate for the same to happen to one of these sweethearts.

Oh, and that yellow eye is just a reflection from the camera.  A lot like the red eye humans get.

Summer5 Pawssibles
Loon Lake, Saskatchewan
Posts: 571

Wow they are different.  Just how cuddlely would they be....or would you even want to cuddle one?

DebbieD Posts: 3,540

I'd love to cuddle up with the ones I met  bear_wub  bear_wub  :hug:   They are like huge people magnets, big fuzzy soft, hot water bottles that purr contentedly whilst being cuddled  bear_wub

cherylbruinwerks Bruinwerks
Edmonton
Posts: 784
Summer5 wrote:

Wow they are different.  Just how cuddlely would they be....or would you even want to cuddle one?

I used to think that too....until I had the chance to hold one! They feel...um...its hard to describe...like velour or cotton velvet thats been washed a million times....so soft.
Really sweet, although that picture isn't the most flattering... :photo:

Cheryl bear_flower

shantell Apple Dumpling Designs
Willamette Valley Oregon
Posts: 3,128

I tried to grab a picture of my daughter's old boyfriend's cat.  She had a picture of it on her myspace but the little brat changed her password and her myspace is set to private...how rude of her to change her password and not tell her mother.   :crackup:   :crackup:

Michelle Helen Chaska, Minnesota
Posts: 2,897

oh dear!!!! bad hair day? or lack of......

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

Oh my.  I have always felt sorry for those types of cats.  How uncomfortable it must be to not have any kind of hair or fur.  Poor little tihngs. bear_sad

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

I tried to find a 'cute' photo but not so sure I had much luck.

DSC02458.JPG

If I was allergic to cats and HAD to have a pet I'd get a dog! Breeding these mutants is so selfish and cruel. They are so delicate and I'd imagine many live short lives because of not being cared for properly. Of course, being hypo-allergenic and unique makes them likely very expensive so of course breeders are going to jump at a chance like that. I just looked at Sphynx breeders on the internet..... $1200 for a kitten. It's all about money. Sad.

Just my OPINION of course!  bear_noexpression

Laura Lynn Teddy Bear Academy
Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 3,653
Website

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I know that the Chinese Crested dogs (mostly hairless) were used hundreds of years ago to help fight the black plague.  They would hunt the rats that carried the ticks that spread this deadly disease.  Because they were hairless the ticks were easily picked off and destroyed.

StarHawk2003 VallierBears
Shropshire
Posts: 270

Hairless cat's have been documented for over a hundred years. The most comman today is the Sphinx.

Breeders have bred for the overall look of a hairless cat and most breeders aren't out to make a profit. The pure passion for the breed is noted in most breeders. I could go on for hours and hours, regarding Russian blues. I have at the moment taken a break from breeding.

If you look back at quite a few breeds they have just "popped" up from domestic cats. For example the Cornish Rex. The first Cornish Rex popped up in a farm cat litter and off it went into being a well known and wonderful "pixie" breed it is. Also It is a Semi sparse haired breed.

The prices of Sphinx is just one of those breeder things. It can be pretty hard to explain but I will try my hardest.

To breed a Queen (female whole cat) you need a perfect queen who is closest to the SOP (Standard of point). To buy such a good queen will cost you alot more then it would to buy a pet kitten. Then you need to feed the best food, best litter, Vacs. etc. To breed you queen you need to find a complimenting stud who isn't related and who is a good example of his breed. Stud fees cat be silly prices, upto 1,000's of pounds in certain breeds. If you add it all up, you do get a pretty high price tag of what a kitten costs. I don't believe I know a breeder who makes a profit more then 100 pounds and that just goes right back into the next stud fee.

The second option is, Lack of gene pool. With a new breed such as Sphinx there arn't that many unrelated cats in one country. So it means importing cats from other countries to widen the gene pool.

Third is, Breeders charge say 1 thousand pounds for a kitten. If you breed and sell your kittens for 700 pounds who would you go too? Ok, Some may say the cheapest, but if the usual going price has became 1 thousand, doesn't the 700 pound breeder sound a little weird? Are they doing something different, are there diets not as good? They must be taking a short cut somewhere.

I know when I advise people who call me when I have or havn't got kittens, Go for what they want, even if it  means I don't make a sale. If I think a boy would be best suited and I only had girls, I would advise them to contact other breeders. I would give them a price range and tell them not too buy too expencive or too cheap. I would tell them what to ask for and what too look for.

Overall, breeders general don't make a profit, I wish we did. But we all do it for the fun and the improvment of the breed.

Richy~ bear_original

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,914

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Great explanation, Richy.  Thanks for sharing your expertise.

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