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.
Today is an exciting day in the Sphynx Cat world! I have created www.sphynxcats.com and built a portal to all things Sphynx cat (or Sphynx Kitten) related. This means that when you are looking for Sphynx cat pictures, Sphynx cat videos, Sphynx cat products and other Sphynx cat related sites all you need to do is go to www.sphynxcats.com and follow a link.
In the near future added links to the Sphynx cat podcast (The Naked Truth) and my Sphynx cat designer clothes line (Sphynxy) will be added.
Love to hear your feedback on the site… drop me a comment below
I was happy to receive the results of the PCR swabs today from the vet as it explained why previous treatments were not working. The diagnosis is Feline Herpes Virus (which we now know Luna brought to us as a Sphynx kitten from her breeder) and Mycoplasma Felis (previously called Hemobartonella felis) which appeared at around the time Pierre was attacked by the dog. The treatment for Luna and Pierre is Doxycycline for the next 4-6 weeks with a follow up visit to the vet in 2 weeks time for assessment. As the tetracyclin antibiotics do nasty things to kitten’s teeth, and Lucy is now fit and well, she will not go on the antibiotics.
The good news is that with the medication, nursing and rest, they all should be back to their crazy selves soon enough. In fact the Mycoplasma Felis should disappear completely and with a little luck (and some L Lysine) the FPV should not rear its head for a long time.
the blue dots are Mycoplasma felis infiltrating red blood cells
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]
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.
Sphynx People Say…