Don Sphynx is a pretty strong and muscular cat with wrinkled, warm skin. They are lively and graceful, clever and kind creatures. Don Sphynx is a cat with hairlessness of a dominant gene. A Canadian Sphynx used to be the only registered hairless cat until recently. Don Sphynx cats were first found in Russia in 1987 in Rostov-na-Donu. It all started with the cat Varya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

who was found in the street and taken home by Helen Kovalova. Cat "baldness" was mistakenly taken for a disease, but hairlessness proved to be stable and inherited. Irina Nemykina, a cat breeder and cattery owner (Myth) kept the cats and turned them into a breed. The originator of the breed is cat Chita. The following ten years of breeding in Rostov-na-Donu, Moscow and St. Petersburg resulted in a full-scale cat breed, enjoying popularity in Russia and Europe alike.

Russian experts on aboriginal breeds of cats established the standard for the breed on December 3, 1994. In 1996 Don Sphinx was registered with the World Federation of Cats (WCF).

 

    There are four basic types of Don Sphynx: hairless, flock, velour, and brush. Some of the hairless type lack even whiskers and eyebrows. The skin is soft, warm and even sticky. Soft creases all over the body characterize it. The velour type cats have delicate hair, which is much like velour to the touch. Brush type cats have got short and thin hair. Velour and brush type cats "undress" with time and become hairless. The initial coat doesn't break the breed standard and is not a breed-fault. The amount of hair influences only the kitten's price. Don Sphynx can be of different colors. All the three types are used in cat breeding.

 

    Don Sphynx are characterized by high body temperature, so they seem hot to the touch, especially if the pet is just from the heating battery. This is the reason for some opinions that the cats can have the healing effect. Some say Don Sphynx do not cause allergy, but this is not exactly true. Naturally, cat owners are not troubled with cat hair, but some allergies are caused by skin discharges or by saliva, regardless of whether the cat has got hair or not.

Hairless cats first shocked people with their extraordinary appearance, but managed to win a great number of cat lovers all over the world because of hairlessness, cheerful character and unpretentious care. Feeding them is not of difficulty either. These fantastic cats know how to please their owners. They sometimes resemble dogs in their behavior. They quickly know their name and come immediately when called. These cats will meet you near the door when you come home from work. They like sleeping in the owner's bed, stealing delicatessen from the table and sunbathing on the balcony. Don Sphynx treats all members of the family well, and can hide only from noisy children.

 

    Due to exclusiveness of the breed, some owners want to crossbreed Don Sphynx with Angora, Siberian or other cats. The only result is ruining the breed and losing the unique gene pool. As a result, we can witness lots of "bald" mongrels, which have not inherited either the phenotypes of the character of Donskoy Sphynx.

 

    A few catteries choose a more complicated way and deal with pure Don Sphynx only. Due to the effort of many breeders and enthusiasts Don Sphynx have become well known in many countries in the world and successfully take part in international exhibitions, impressing both specialists and spectators.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                   Don Sphynx, The true History

 

 

 

 

    Let’s have a look at the true breed history. Real one, not taken from general description. Imagine small town Rostov-na-Donu on South of Russia. Warm climate, poor people, who lost their jobs after Perestroika and were growing vegetables to have some food. Lots of homeless cats supported from time to time by people. No one ever heard about felinology, clubs, and breeds. Poor people very often have sweet character. This is why Varvara was rescued. She could not be neutered – there was no vet service in this town. People used to destroy newborn kitten. Chita (Varvaras daughter) remained alive only because the neighbor who used to destroy Varvaras kittens was far away.

 

    In brief, there were no any cats except so-called ESH from the nearest yard to breed with. No one thought about making new breed seriously. This is why ESH is the basis of Don.

 

    When by lucky chance the first Dons were brought to StPetersburg and then – to Moscow, breeders tried to inspect hairless phenomenon and Dons were bred to all possible breeds. This is why you have what you have in Pedigree.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                            Chita

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    From the start of breed the idea of breeding of two hairless Sires was looking quite natural. But such a way of breeding was resulted in slim kittens with weak chin and bad immune system’s Siberians were introduced in order to get strong bones structure and because they are close to aborigine cats. Put your attention, that in Rostov-na-Donu most of ESH have Angora bloods. Siberians are the common cats of North Russia where Moscow and Petersburg are situated and were Dons were moved here in Ukraine they did not use Siberians, and I believe that it was better for the breed. A lot of Russian Dons have rounded heads and they are too greedy etc. The addition of Russian blue was not bad idea. But as a result and conclusion – the best outcrosses were (and are) ESH of the corresponding outlook and then – inbreeding the only outcrossing that was really interesting is Oriental cat and Peterbalds were developed on this basis.Thai cats…. Here everyone who has Thai in their Pedigree is trying to move it out of Pedigree by all means.

So according to my (and common) opinion ESH is principal outcrossing. Otherwise new Dons will be just hairless Russian

 

    Blue, hairless Thai, hairless Siberians, hairless Bengal’s. Moreover, we believe, that Dons are so magic, because they are the showing us the nobleness and beauty possessed by poor cats, homeless and abused by people.

The specific feature of this breed is hairlessness caused by spontaneous dominant mutation.

 

    H. Kovaljiova in Rostov-on-Don, 1987, found these cats. All don sphinx derived from hairless queen named Chita ("Myth" cattery of I. Nemykina).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        Genitics in a breif of the Don Sphynx

 

 

 

 

    Originally the name "Sphynx" was attributed to hairless cats, bred on the basis of the mutation revealed in Canada. Canadian mutation is appointed to a recessive allele - hr. Specimens that are homozygous for this allele (hrhr) do not always display hairlessness in its' full expression: sometimes they have thin residual coat with a corrupted texture, that is more prominent on legs, muzzle and tail (these are so-called Points).

 

    Russian mutation behaved in some other way. It revealed itself as early as in the first generation bred from two cats - normal and hairless. The results of such mating were quite mixed: some of heterozygous offspring had a residual curly coat at birth, which could be extremely short ("velour") or of normal length but rare, and shafts of hair were thin. These coat texture abnormalities often came together with a bald spot on the crown, resembling a monk tonsure. These kittens lost their coat as grew older - hair bulbs died on some regions or on all surface of skin (except for points). The "shedding" happened in the period from 2 months to 2 years of age.

 

    Other heterozygous kittens were born covered with thick curly hair of normal length. Most of them stayed completely "coated" for their lifelong. Cat specialist conditionally called this variety "brush".

Among the second generation, i.e. animals born from both "shed" parents or one - of "brush" variety and another - a "shed" cat, there was one more type of kittens - completely hairless at birth. They even could have no whiskers and their elastic "large" skin was wrinkled.

 

    However the new mutation did something more to the general appearance of animals than just a disruption the coat development. Among the offspring, especially velour-coated, there were kittens of a very specific type: with a shortened muzzle, clearly seen cheekbones and widely set up eyes, separated with a breath. These features were tightly bond to the coat development and almost never been displayed in a "brush" type specimens. The balder the kitten was the more vivid were the mutant type features... though this happened only in the kitten hood - in contrast to "velour" animals, which kept the specific mutant features in adult age.

 

    Adult hairless at birth Don Sphynx had a wedge-head of medium length, slightly defined (not prominent) cheekbones. The only peculiarity seen in the skull of these specimens is a "cut" chin, which is typical for most of bloodlines, though not required and, in fact, not desired.

 

    Such complex mutations as hairlessness, no doubt, have effect on physiology along with morphology. In this sense, the most evident Don Sphynx feature is reduced growth (which also correlates with the coat development): hairless and sometimes "velour" animals grow noticeably slower than their "coated" siblings. In the adult age the former are virtually of the same size as the latter.

 

    This kind of atrichosis (hairlessness) also influences the cat's behavior: it was noted that Don Sphynx very well resists emotional stress.

 

 

 

 

                                                                              Types of Don Sphynx hair

 

 

 

    There are several types of a skin/hair/coat a Don can have, ranging from totally naked cat (much more naked than Sphynx, for example) to a "brush" kind of hair, which is somewhat similar to a normal cat's hair. With any type of those, a cat is still Don if they look the way the standard describes it.

 

      Completely hairless cats (also called "rubber cats" or "gummy cats"). The kittens of this type are born absolutely hairless. Their skin is soft, warm and almost sticky to the touch, forming charming wrinkles on all body. Completely hairless Don kittens are usually (not always though) born with open eyes and without whiskers and eyebrows. For people who have allergy from cat's hairs most advisable option is completely hairless Don, though it's still not 100% guarantee there won't be allergy.

 

       Flock. "Flocked" hair is short; fine down made of sparse rather little hairs. When you look at "flocked" part of the body from some distance (0,5 meters and longer) you don't actually see hairs on there (especially on light-colored cats), but if you touch it with hand you will momentarily note that it isn't "gummy", it's somewhat other, smoother sensation. Some breeders like to differentiate two subtypes of flock, usual flock and extra-short flock that is one little step from gummy skin. Still, from times to times hairs may very from one of those subtypes to another (with age, pregnancy and other factors).

It's useful to know that even flocked cats may have longer type of hair ("velour" or "brush") on some areas of the body. Usually it's points and tail. Flocked and velour cats may (though some don't) lose hair when they are growing up, right to two years. Usually down becomes shorter and finer on the backbone, from head towards tail.

 

 

 

 

        Velour. Velour type of hair is made of 1-3 mm hairs, closely put one to another. Usually you can see those hairs from middle distance and when you touch a cat with a hand it's still somewhat smooth sensation, though hand get some resistance when you move it over skin, you sense some short hair (which you don't with flock). From longer distances you can notice "velour" by light's shining on the hair. Light doesn't shine on flock and hairless skin.

 

 

 

 

                                                                 Velour kitten from R*Moon Rainbow, Moskow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

        Brush. These are curly hairs, longer than velour. From even middle distance you can't say a brush cat is hairless. She is hairy, though curly. When you touch brush hair, it's absolutely unlikely to anything naked; it's just a soft wool or hard kinky hair, short or lengthy. Brush cats can have curly whiskers, which differs them from cats with normal hair, sometimes also called "straight hairs".

Sometimes a cat can be "brush-point", that is she has brush kind of hair on legs and tail and velour (or even flocked!) on other parts of the body.

 

 

 

 

    Jaroslavna Luchezarnaja R*Moon Rainbow, aka Valenok, Krasa Mira cattery, 8 months old. And the same cat at 2 years old age, she has become velour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main thing is, there are no just 4 strictly defined groups of hairs, those groups are somewhat diffusive, you can't always tell if it's flock of velour, if it's extra-short flock or usual flock and so on. There are plenty of interim cases.

And final note, when you're not sure what kind of hair your cat is, check a legs (not tail) and decide upon its analysis.

 

 

 

 

                                                     

Copyright © 2010 www.donsphynx.eu All rights reserved