Category : Hairless Cat Hints
This week has shown another burst in people showing interest in Sphynx Cats. Being “discovered” as a breed is a double edged sword. There are those people that genuinely want to care and love their Sphynx Cat and will be sensible by gathering all the information they can about the breed BEFORE buying one (such as buying my Sphynx Cat Book ). Then there are people that want one for Christmas, but come Easter are looking to dump or sell their kitten because it isn’t as fun or cute as it used to be.
Headlines like the one below also attract the unscrupulous kitten mill breeder who will exploit a breeding Queen and the people they sell to, all in the name of a quick dollar.
If you are here to get more information about the breed than I congratulate you on putting in the time to research the breed. They do have a set of needs that are distinct from other cat breeds and more resemble that of a toddler child. The pair used as models for the article above are in desperate need of a face wash, and that is not unusual of the breed. Wiping mucky eyes, ears, and staining on the nose is going to be part of your daily routine. Can you put up with that as an owner?
If you have any doubt at all whether you will be able to dedicate yourself to a Sphynx then I implore you to wait, or choose something else that requires less care. It doesn’t mean that you are a bad person, but not everyone has the lifestyle that can fit in with the needs of a Sphynx Kitten or Sphynx Cat.
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 Cat Luna and Sphynx Kitten Pierre went to the vet today as both have some skin issues that we wanted looked at. Sphynxes + Vet nurses = lots of hugs and kisses for your Sphynx. Be prepared for lots of stares and questions from other people in the waiting room as well.
My favourite reaction was a little old lady who was there to pick up her crazy, circle spinning hairy pooch. On seeing Luna she went over instantly to her and gave her pats and strokes and said “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing!?”. Of course Luna just lapped it all up.
Until we went into the vet’s room anyway. Luna looks to have a fungal infection in one of her toenails. We have been monitoring the nail to see if it would clear up, but so far no luck. Before going to the expense of tests for fungus we will try soaking her feet in Malaseb which will kill any fungus (if that’s what it is).
Remember way back when we talked about Pierre’s tail chewing habit? Well he has stopped doing that and his tail has healed nicely. Unfortunately what hasn’t healed is a rash that he got after cooking himself on his heat mat over winter. First it appeared to be a heat rash, but after it not going away even after the heat mats were turned off we were puzzled why it is so slow to heal. It doesn’t seem to bother him, and where he can’t lick it it just looks like a scab. Where he can lick it has a reddish cast and could be infected (no pus or discharge, just red). So it is onto antibiotics for him for a week to see if that helps with the healing. If no change then it’s skin scrape time.
He gets to have Malaseb baths as well. More on their progress in later posts.
Update on weights
Luna 3.3kg
Pierre 3.8kg
Click to buy online
Despite Sphynx cats being hairless, they are still only one small step away from being wild animals.
Wild cats gather their nutritional requirements from meat and meat only. If you came here hoping to be able to feed your Sphynx a vegetarian diet, I am afraid you are going to be disappointed. Not only are Sphynxes pure (obligate) carnivores, they also react in an extra negative fashion to low quality pet food products which include vegetable materials.
Let’s look at what Sphynxes need from their meat. These figures are a minimum requirements
Adult Sphynx Cat Food
Protein… 26%
Fat …… 9%
Calcium…. 0.6%
Phosphorus… 0.5%
Potassium… 0.6%
Sodium….. 0.2%
Chloride…. 0.3%
Magnesium… 0.04%
Iron… 80 mg/kg
Copper… 5 mg/kg
Manganese…. 7.5 mg/kg
Zinc……. 75 mg/kg (maximum 2000 mg/kg)
Iodine….. 0.35 mg/kg
Selenium…. 0.1 mg/kg
Vitamin A… 5000 IU/kg (maximum 750,000 IU/kg)
Vitamin D… 500 IU/kg (maximum 10,000 IU/kg)
Vitamin E… 30 IU/kg
Thiamine… 5 mg/kg
Riboflavin… 4 mg/kg
Pantothenic Acid… 5 mg/kg
Niacin… 60 mg/kg
Pyridoxine… 4 mg/kg
Folic Acid….0.8 mg/kg
Vitamin B12…0.022 mg/kg
Choline….. 2400 mg/kg
Taurine… 0.1%
If you feed your cat a pure fish diet, then you need to ensure you supplement with vitamin K at 0.1%
For Sphynx kitten food, Pregnant and Lactating Sphynx Queens
Protein… 30%
Fat …… 9%
Calcium…. 1%
Phosphorus… 0.8%
Potassium… 0.6%
Sodium….. 0.2%
Chloride…. 0.3%
Magnesium… 0.08%
Iron… 80 mg/kg
Copper… 5-15 mg/kg
Manganese…. 7.5 mg/kg
Zinc……. 75 mg/kg (maximum 2000 mg/kg)
Iodine….. 0.35 mg/kg
Selenium…. 0.1 mg/kg
Vitamin A… 9000 IU/kg (maximum 750,000 IU/kg)
Vitamin D… 750 IU/kg (maximum 10,000 IU/kg)
Vitamin E… 30 IU/kg
Thiamine… 5 mg/kg
Riboflavin… 4 mg/kg
Pantothenic Acid… 5 mg/kg
Niacin… 60 mg/kg
Pyridoxine… 4 mg/kg
Folic Acid….0.8 mg/kg
Vitamin B12…0.022 mg/kg
Choline….. 2400 mg/kg
Taurine… 0.1%
(Figures are from the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile, referred to by pet food bodies worldwide. This is an industry standard recommendation and not a scientific one)
It is not always possible to feed your cat raw food. I am not going to push the “raw food only” line because there are reasons and conditions when it is difficult for Sphynx cat owners to do so. So saying that, feeding canned and manufactured dry foods means keeping a good eye on what the label says when it comes to what that food is made up of.
The biggest gut issues Sphynxes have can be linked to manufactured cat food that use “fillers” made from vegetable and cellulose matter. It might sound mighty tasty to us to see a bag proclaiming chicken and brown rice, but that brown rice is going to give your Sphynx Cat or kitten, gas, diarrhea and a bloated (painful) tummy.
How to read a pet food label
These rules may not apply in your country so check your local pet food standards
Pet food labels should follow standards held mostly worldwide that the ingredients are listed in order of predominance by weight including moisture, before cooking.
Use of the term “meat” can only be used for clean flesh, with or without the fat, skin, sinew, nerves, blood vessels. Meat byproducts include internal organs and parts of the animal, and ground meat meal will be parts of the animal like head, feed and other parts that would not be able to be consumed normally.
If you see corn,rice, wheat, or references to them up in that first couple of ingredients then thing very carefully as that food is using fillers for bulk weight and adding nothing to the nutrition or health of your Sphynx cat. Look for grain-free foods and ones that the majority of listed ingredients are meats.
Remember to take with a grain of salt (terrible pun) everything that is said on or about pet food by the sales and marketing companies. There is a brand out there that has made a specialized “Sphynx Cat” dry food that contains grain products and does not have any scientific basis on its development.
References
Your Cat’s Nutritional Needs
Check the Bag
Sphynx People Say…