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ANKHAMUN AND UTOPIA SPHYNX
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So are they really Hairless?? As many people are aware, the Sphynx is not truly hairless. There is a fine, fine down on the cats that is imperceptible to the eye, and the standard allows for short, soft, fine hair on the ears, muzzle, tail, feet, and scrotum (obviously on the males!). While greater degrees of hairlessness are preferred, Coat/Skin only counts for 25 points in the Sphynx standard, and type should definitely be considered above hairlessness when judging the cats. A very bald cat with poor type should not be put up over a slightly fuzzier cat of superior type. The preferred skin texture should be that of chamois, as opposed to suede. A feeling of suede as opposed to chamois denotes more down on the body than I would prefer, but again, type must be considered when judging the cats. While many judges joke about the wrinkles, there are no points awarded for this in the TICA standard, which states, “... wrinkling should not be so pronounced that it affects the cat’s normal functions.” The Sphynx of yore (i.e., the 1960’s) and of today have been described as being born with down, which falls out later. I have found this not to be the case for the most part. Kittens which are born bald generally stay that way, while kittens born with varying degrees of down, hair, or even coat (like a Devon’s) will lose that down, hair or coat at around four weeks of age, only to have it come back as the cat reaches sexual maturity and the hormones kick in. Overweight Sphynx will tend to grow hair in the places that have the most "padding", ie. the hips and shoulders. Sphynx that are kept in too cool of an environment will tend to grow hair at the extremities, ie. the feet and tail. This type of hair growth is reversible if the problems are rectified. There are many similarities to the appearance of the Sphynx of then and now, most notably the head being slightly longer than wide, a whisker break, a stop at the bridge of the nose, oval feet with long, slender toes, and a hard, muscular, not delicate body. “Barrel-chested” is a term that has endured over the years also. Photos of the cats, from whatever time in their history, show those big ears! Some things will hopefully never change!
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