Much was made a couple of years ago of the Russian Sphynx Cat that was tattooed by its owner. The rather unflattering picture of the sedated Sphynx still circulates as a curiosity amongst some, and an abomination amongst others.
Personally I think tattooing an animal for decoration is intriguing. Many Sphynx owners dress up their cats and put necklaces on them. Clothing as I have mentioned before, causes cats to believe they are against a hard surface and they can become unbalanced, or freeze in place, or tip over. Keep them in clothes for long enough and their personality will change. I know there will be people out there that dress up their Sphynxes who would say tattooing is cruel.
Tattooing is done already in cats and dogs for medical and identification reasons, under the same conditions that a decorative tattoo is done. I know it is controversial to say I don’t have much of an issue with it, I still wouldn’t have my Sphynxes done because they are so darn cute in their natural form and unnecessary anesthesia is always to be avoided .
Most Sphynx owners I have spoken to have, at one time or another, drawn on their Sphynx…..
Here’s another Russian Sphynx that has been inked and in a much nicer way than the Tutankhamen mask (I really don’t like that tattoo at all).
Tribal Sphynx looks good too
People have also been decorating their Sphynxes online using Photoshop and other programs to give the appearance of being tattooed. Some are so good it is hard to tell the difference.
I couldn’t close without highlighting the opposite Sphynx tattooing and that is getting your Sphynx tattooed on YOU.
When Luna was delivered to us from her breeder, she came with a nasty surprise. Within two days she was in an animal emergency clinic being treated for cat flu after a massive temperature spike caused her to fit. As you can imagine this was terribly frightening and we feared the worst at the time. The vet diagnosed her as having cat flu (probably the herpes based one but did not take a swab). The breeder swore there was no cat flu in her cattery, yet it was clear that Luna had incubated the flu somewhere before she even reached us.
Luna recovered after treatment and antibiotics and we kept an eye on her since because she will always carry it and could again have a flare up.
Fast forward to when Pierre was mauled by the dog next door and it became apparent during his recovery that the stress of the attack and recovery had caused him to have health issues too. With red runny eyes and occasional sneezing the vet advised this was possibly chlamydia, another contagious illness, and started him on antibiotics. That seemed to work and he was back to his crazy self after a couple of weeks.
Then came Lucy into the house and illness has raised its head again. This time both Pierre and Luna have serious respiratory issues (bronchial pneumonia) and are on some strong antibiotics and expectorants. Pierre and Luna are exhibiting completely different symptoms which doesn’t help with a firm diagnosis. Pierre has an “impressive” cough, the vet’s description not mine, and is listless with a slight temperature. Luna is sneezing, spraying mucous from her nose, listless and has developed small pinprick sores on her face.
What is most worrisome is that Lucy today started sneezing and has one runny eye and the vet has put her on antibiotics too.
The plan is to monitor carefully and if any deterioration then it will be time to sample the lung expectorate. I’ll keep you informed.
[update - I did post more about Pierre's illness which turned out not to be Chlamydia but Mycoplasma felis . Click on the link to read about it]
After my blog post yesterday there was an enormous amount of people looking for more answers on the death of Kat Von D’s Sphynx cat, Ludwig. HCM is such an important issue in the entire animal community, not only the Sphynx community that I have decided to go in depth into what it is and how it kills.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects the heart by thickening the walls of the myocardium. HCM affects humans and certain breeds of animals. We have all read stories of fit young people who have died on the sporting field, in many cases the cause is HCM.
In the Sphynx breed (and others) research is continuing into the cause of HCM but the genetic link is indisputable which is why screening for HCM and declarations by your breeder are of utmost importance. It is still possible to contract HCM without a genetic cause, but in the whole that is not as common as inheriting the disorder. If one parent has the genetic trait to pass on HCM, then the chances are 50% of their kittens can develop it.
Reputable breeders of Sphynx cats are working hard to try and breed this disorder out as much as possible. Do NOT buy from a breeder who does not screen for HCM.
HCM Screening
The most reliable way to diagnose HCM, even in an animal showing no signs, is for your cat to have an echo cardiogram (ECG) performed by a qualified radiologist/cardiologist. Be prepared as a Sphynx owner to screen once every year to ensure your Sphynx is not developing HCM.
Symptoms of HCM
Sadly symptoms can go completely unnoticed by owners because they are so subtle. A slight rise in respirations per minute may be the only visible sign. There may be a gradual increase in lethargy. Your vet may detect a hurt murmur and you should ask that he investigate further should that be the case.
Treatment of HCM
There is no cure for HCM, and treatment will come in the form of various medications such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, to help with heart failure. Diuretics to reduce fluid build up, and blood thinners to reduce the risk of clots.
If your cat is showing any signs of paralysis or breathing difficulties you must take them to a vet immediately, there is nothing you can do to alleviate pain or suffering, and delay will cause damage to become potentially permanent.
Probable Cause of Ludwig’s Death
In the course of HCM clots can form due to blood circulation in the enlarged chambers being abnormal. These clots can then enter the blood stream and travel to where the blood vessel branches become too narrow to pass. This will cut off blood flow to that area causing paralysis and pain. This is called saddle thrombosis and is most likely what caused the death of Ludwig. Descriptions of his back end being mangled (paralysed) and his heart giving out, sound very much like this type of clot.
Prognosis for cats with saddle thrombosis is poor. Some can survive after mild cases on blood thinning medication, but the underlying cause, the HCM will continue to be a major health risk factor. In studies of necropsies on cats it was found that 48% of cats that died from saddle thrombosis had HCM.
Sphynx cats are becoming more and more popular on the big and small screens. We have covered some of the more famous ones in previous blog posts, and it is time for an update.
Kat Von D’s Sphynx Ludwig whom we featured here, sadly died in October. Sphynx owners are speculating whether it was from a HCM related blood clot. Kat has two current Sphynxes, Hollywood and Lebowski (shortened to Holly and Leebo). Check out pictures of Kat’s Sphynxes here under Joel Aherns. RIP Ludwig.
The earlier blog post about Lady Gaga owning the Donsky Sphynx is incorrect as it seems one of the women who run Lady Gaga dot com is the owner….close though *wink* Here’s a picture of the Sphynx in the Bad Romance film clip and his owner
The Book of Eli ‘s Sphynx Cat meets an unfortunate end but I won’t go into the details. Quick peek at around 50 seconds of the evil (*eyeroll*) Sphynx.
One of the questions asked by new Sphynx kitten owners is how to introduce the new kitten in with the minimum of fuss. The photo below was taken a mere seven days after we picked Lucy up from the airport. What did I do to make this happy scene? Nothing!
From the moment Lucy came into the house she was allowed free reign. No slow introductions, no locking away in a room till she was feeling safe in her environment. It was quite clear that Lucy was fine with new environments and was lively and curious.
After a 5 hours travel, she was also ravenous. After showing her where the litter trays are the next stop were the food bowls where Sphynx cats Pierre and Luna were having their dinner. Little miss Lucy showed a complete lack of manners (or regard for social standing) and shouldered the two cats out of the way and quickly gobbled all of their food down. Both cats looked at her with astonishment, and then walked away. They accepted her as a member of the family.
Lucy still had to figure out what cat likes to wrestle (Pierre) and what cat likes to snuggle up under the doona (Luna). Trying to play with Luna bought an angry snort or two in Lucy’s direction, and the lesson was learned.
I am not recommending that you should just throw your kitten in the deep end and see if they swim, but if you know your current cats well and your kitten has a strong personality then try immediate introductions. Let them figure it out while you sit back and watch, and if anything gets too heavy remove the kitten and let everyone calm down and try again the next day. Your results may be as good as this pair snoozing after a big day of rough housing.
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