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.
Just time for a quick update on Sphynx kitten Pierre’s injuries. After we came back from vacation it was time to take Pierre’s stitches out, in fact after removing his cone he decided to take his stitches out himself, luckily this time his wounds had healed.
I’m amazed at how well his skin has healed, his scars are barely noticeable and 99% of his lumps have disappeared. I am pretty sure that they will fully disappear in time. His mental scars may take a little longer to heal, he is still frightened by the sound of barking dogs. I have to admit I prefer him being scared of them, then wanting to go over for round two.
You would think that he didn’t eat while he had his cone on because since having it removed he has been eating after five cans of soft food a day. more he had his cone on and we put that down to him not eating much while sleeping a lot.
Batteries are dead in the camera but I will update with a picture ASAP
The breeder has sent through the baby photos of the litter that our Sphynx kitten will come from. I am so excited and don’t mind whether I get the single male or one of the two girls. You can see from their markings that they will be a form of brown, but eye colour needs to develop as well as the markings darken up a bit.
If you are interested in how Sphynx cat colours are classified, take a look at the chart below and see if you can name what colour your Sphynx is (no checking their papers!)
White
White to pink. Nose leather and paw pads are pink.
Black
Black. One level tone. Consistant from tip of tail to the nose. The nose leather is black. The paw pads are either black or brown.
Blue
Blue. One level tone. Consistant from tip of tail to the nose. The nose leather and the paw pads are blue.
Red
Red. Deep, Clear, Rich, Brilliant red. No markings. Lips and Chin are the same color as the skin. Nose leather and paw pads are brick red. Brilliant red.
Cream
One level shade of buff cream. No markings. Nose and paw leather pads are all pink.
Chocolate
Rich, Even Toned, Chestnut brown. The nose leather is brown. The paw pads are brown or cinnamon.
Lavender
Even throughout frosty-grey with a pinkish tone. Nose leather and paw pads are lavender-pink.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon. Even tone throughout the whole body. Nose leather and paw pads are cinnamon.
Fawn
Even tone throughout. Pale, pinkish color. Nose leather and paw pads are pale fawn.
Chocolate Tortoiseshell
Rich chestnut brown mottled or patched with red and/or cream. Blaze on face desirable.
Cinnamon Tortoiseshell
Cinnamon mottled or patched with red and/or cream. Blaze on face desirable.
Lavender Cream
Lavender mottled or patched with cream color. Blaze on face desirable.
Fawn Cream
Fawn mottles or patched with cream color. Blaze on face desirable.
Calico
White with unbrindled patches of red and black. White predominant on underparts.
Van Calico
White with unbrindled patches of red and black that are confined to the extremities; head, tail, legs. One or two small patches of color on body allowable.
Dilute Calico
White with unbrindled patches of blue and cream. White predominant on underparts.
Dilute Van Calico
White with unbrindled patches of blue and cream confined to the extremities; head, tail, legs. One or two small patches of color on body allowable.
Bi-Color
Solid color and white. Tabby and white. Tortoiseshell and white. Pointed and white. Any color and white, etc.
Van Bi-Color
Solid color and white. Tabby and white. Tortoiseshell and white. Pointed and white. Any color and white, etc. The color is confined to the extremities; head, tail, and legs. One or two small patches on body allowable.
Fawn Calico, Lavender Calico, Cinnamon Calico, Chocolate Calico
White with unbrindled patches of approperiate color moarkings. White predominant on underparts.
Fawn Van Calica, Lavender Van Calico, Cinnamon Van Calico, Chocolate Van Calico
White with unbrindled patches of approperiate color markings that are confined to the extremities; head, tail, legs. One or two small patches of color on body allowable.
Pointed Pattern:
Point restricted colors that show little or no color contrast between body and points in the mature Sphynx. Although born very light in color, the pointed Sphynx will darken and appear solid in color as an adult. Eye color is vivid blue. Nose and Paw pads are approperiate to body color. The pointed pattern may be combined with ANY other pattern (except mink) and ANY colors, e.g. lilac-silver lynx point and seal-tortie point with white (shown in the Bi-Color Class).
Mink Pattern:
Point restricted colors that show little or no color contrast between body and points in the mature Sphynx. Although born very light in color, the mink Sphynx will darken and appear solid in color as an adult. Eye color is aqua. Nose leather and paw pads are approperiate to body color. The mink pattern may be combined with any other pattern (except pointed) and ANY colors, e.g. natural mink, blue mink, champagne mink, platinum mink, natural tabby mink, blue-cream, tortie mink and white (shown in Bi-Color Class).
Sable
The mature cat is rich, warm, sable brown without shadings, barring, or markings of any kind. (Kittens are often lighter in color.) The nose leather and paw pads are brown.
Champagne
The mature cat should be a warm, honey beige without shadings, barring, or markings of any kind. The nose leather will be light, warm brown and the paw pads will be warm, pinkish tan.
Platinum
The mature cat should be a pale, silvery-grey. There will be no shadings, barring or markings of any kind. The nose leather and the paw pads will be lavender-pink.
Tortoiseshell
Black mottled or patched with read and/or cream. Blaze on face desirable.
Blue-Cream
Blue mottled or patched with cream. Blaze on face is desirable.
Classic Tabby Pattern:
Markings are clearly defined on legs and tail. Pattern tends to fade on hairless body. Legs evenly barred with bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail evenly ringed. Several unbroken necklaces on neck and upper chest, the more the better. Markings seen on the skin. Frown lines on head form an intricate letter “M” Unbroken line runs back from outer corner of eye. Swirls on cheeks. Vertical lines over back of head extend to shoulder markings which are in the shape of a butterfly with both upper and lower wings distinctly outlined and marked with dots inside outline. Back markings consist of a vertical line down the spine from butterfly to tail with a vertical stripe paralleling it on each side, the three stripes well separated by stripes of the ground color. Large solid blotch on each side to be encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Side markings should be the same on both sides. Double vertical rows of buttons on chest and stomach.
Mackerel Tabby Pattern:
The markings will be clearly defined on the legs and tail. Pattern tends to fade on hairless body. Legs evenly barred with narrow bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail barred. Necklaces on neck and chest distinct, like so many chains. Head barred with an “M” on the forehead. Unbroken lines running back from the eyes. Lines running down the head to meet the shoulders. Spine lines run together to form a narrow saddle. Narrow pencillings run around body.
Spotted Tabby Pattern
Markings on the cats body will be spotted. The spots can be round, oblong, or rosette-shaped. Any of these are of equal merit but the spots, however shaped or placed, shall be distinct. Spots should not run together in a broken Mackerel pattern. A dorsal stripe runs the length of the body to the tip of the tail. The stripe is ideally composed of spots. The markings on the face and forehead shall be typically tabby markings. Underside of the body to have “vest buttons.” Legs and tail are barred. Markings clearly defined on legs and tail. Pattern tends to fade on hairless body.
Patched Tabby Pattern:
A patched tabby – alson known as a “torbie” is an established silver, brown, blue, lavender, fawn, cinnamon or chocolate tabby with patches of red or cream clearly defined on both the body and extremities; a blaze on the face is desirable.
Silver Tabby
Skin, lips and chin are pale clear silver. Some dense black markings. Nose leather is brick red and paw pads are black.
Brown Tabby
Skin is brilliant coppery brown. Some dense black markings. Lips and chin are the same shade as the rings around the cats eyes. The back of the legs shouuld be black from the paw to the heel. Nose leather is brick red and the paw pads are black or brown.
Blue Tabby
Skin color, lips and chin too, are a bluish ivory color. Markings will be very deep blue. Nose leather and paw pads will be rose.
Red Tabby
Red skin tone with deep, rick red markings. Lips and chin will be red. Nose leather and paw pads will be brick red too.
Cream Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin, will be a very pale cream. Markings buff or cream sufficiently darker than the ground color to afford good contrast but remaining within the dilute color range. The nose leather and paw pads will be pink.
Chocolate (chestnut) Tabby
Skin tone is a warm fawn with rich chestnut brown markings. The nose leather is chestnut or pink rimmed with chestnut. The paw pads are cinnamon.
Chocolate-Silver Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin, is silver. Markings rich chestnut The nose leather is chestnut or pink rimmed with chestnut. The paw pads are cinnamon.
Cinnamon Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin, is a pale, warm honey, markings a dense cinnamon, affording a good contrast with skin ground color. The nose leather is cinnamon or coral rimmed with cinnamon. The paw pads are cinnamon.
Cinnamon-Silver Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin, is a pale glistening silver. Markings dense cinnamon. Nose leather is cinnamon and paw pads are coral.
Lavendar Tabby
Skin tone is pale lavender. Markings are a rich lavender, affording a good contrast with skin color. Nose leather is lavender or pink rimmed with lavender. Paw pads are lavender-pink.
Lavender-Silver Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin is a cold clear silver. Markings lavender. Nose leather is lavender or pink rimmed with lavender.Paw pads are lavender-pink.
Fawn Tabby
Skin tone, including lips and chin, is a pale ivory. The markings are dense fawn, affording good contrast with skin
ground color. Nose leather and paw pads are pale fawn.
OSC (other Sphynx colors)
Any other color pattern than listed. Cats with no more than a locket and/or button do not qualify for this class, such cats shall be judged in the color class of their basic color with no penalty for such locket and/or button.
Examples: any color with one, two, three, or four white feet. All point restricted colors such as seal point, chocolate point, natural mink, blue mink, sable, champagne, platinum, etc.
This information comes from the CFA Sphynx breed standards
Well Sphynx Kitten Pierre continues to be in the wars. 2 days after being restitched a large lump appeared over night on his right side ribs. It was off to the vet again and he had a good poke around. The lump didn’t hurt Pierre and he put up with the prodding and squeezing with his usual stoicism (the vet’s words too).
It couldn’t be determined by just feel whether it was a hernia, or dead/dying tissue. If it was a hernia it would need to be fixed, if it was dead dying tissue then it would need to be watched to see it didn’t get any bigger. We took him home to watch over night.
In the morning it was obvious it was larger and had a pointy defined look to it, so it was back to the vet. He agreed it was larger and we decided to have it excised and if a hernia, repair work done. Again the 4 oclock phone call was good news with the tissue being determined to be necrotic rather than a hernia and he could come home again that night.
Poor Pierre was coned permanently as the stitches on this last wound are external and are up under his right front leg. He has since developed further “lumps” around the abdomen where he sustained more bites and around the ripped part of his stomach skin. The vet is happy for us to watch these over Christmas and keep the antibiotics up to ensure there is no infection.
Pierre is purring and starting to talk again, but loud noises and going outside are still causing him to wriggle and stare about. I am sure the cone is adding to his anxiety as it block most of his view of anything. I am sure he will be very happy in the new year when the cone and the stitches are removed.
Sphynx People Say…