Origin and history

Don Sphynx is a Russian breed of hairless cats. These cats have very much in common with sphynx cats originating in Canada , but their gene pool is different. The first hairless cat, which became the predecessor of all Don Sphynxs, was found in Rostov-na-Donu , Russia in 1987. Don is one of Russian major rivers, which gave the name to Rostov-na-Donu city and later to its native cat breed.
When a Russian breeder Elena Kovaleva brought home homeless bald female cat she decide that it was sick and tried to cure it from the supposed disease that caused loss of hair. But it was discovered soon that the absence of hair was not the result of disease but a natural mutation. The cat was named Varvara and later gave birth to hairless kittens. They and other aboriginal cats became a base of the new breed which was named Don Sphynx. The other name of the breed is Russian hairless. The breed was recognized by WCF in 1997.

Temperament and Personality

Don Sphynxs are highly intelligent and loyal to the owner. They say about Sphynxs, "They are not humans beings yet but they are not already cats." They are smart, waggish and very lively and behave themselves rather like children not like cats.

Size and Appearance

The Don Sphynx has a muscular medium sized body. This breed differs from Canadian Sphynx by heavier bones. All colours are allowed by the breed standard. The eyes are almond-shaped. The ears are big. The Don Sphynx's paws are of distinctive shape. They have elongated fingers with webs and are able to seize things with fingers.

Care

Don Sphynxs are hairless so they don't need combing and don't shed, free from musk odour. They are inclined to sweat so need daily wiping with cloth as well as regular bathing. Due to high body temperature Sphynxes need more food than other breeds. The high body temperature also helps Sphynxes to resist infections. Adult Sphynxes possess high immunity to most diseases. But it is important to keep them away from draughty places.

Don Sphynx

Body: Medium in size, medium strong and muscular, with level back and broad hips . Legs long,
medium strong, hind legs longer than forelegs . Paws oval with long toes (monkey fingers).
Tail long and straight, with a rounded tip .

Head: Wedge-shaped skull, with prominent cheek bones and eye brows. Forehead flat with numerous
wrinkles. Profile with a definite curve to the straight nose of medium length. Muzzle medium long
and rounded , with slight muzzle break. Chin strong

Ears: Large, with rounded tips. Set high, slightly tilted forward. Outer edges of the ears continue the
lines of the head. The distance between the ears to be not more than ear width.

Eyes: Medium large, almond-shaped, slanted. Any colour allowed.

Coat: The skin is elastic , with pronounced wrinkles on the head, neck, belly and legs. It may be
covered with slight fluff or be totally bare. Whiskers are desired. Legs, feet, tail and muzzle
can be covered with slight coat not longer than 2 mm. Totally bare cats are preferred.

Colour: All colours are accepted, the descriptions of colours are listed in the General Colour Guide.

Faults: Body fully covered by hair .

"Part monkey, part dog, part child and part cat." This is how the
French standards describe the temperament of a Sphynx. They have very high metabolism and therefore burn a lot of
calories to keep warm. Besides having particularly good appetite
Sphynx cats are very loving, very playful, tremendously demanding, and
extremely soft. Their skin feels like a soft peach.
The Sphynx is a result of a spontaneous mutation, proving once again that Mother Nature has
the best sense of humour!

The Sphynx is a rare breed of cat with extremely little or no fur, or at most a short fuzz over its body, and no whiskers. Their skin is the color their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc) may be found in Sphynx too. They are very affectionate and extroverted and like to cuddle with their humans, other humans, and each other.

Because Sphynx cats don't deposit hair on furniture or clothing, they tend to be easier to clean up after, and therefore often less troublesome to mildly allergic owners. Some notice symptoms but handle it by bathing and cleaning them slightly more often than one would otherwise.

The Sphynx breed is known for a sturdy, heavy body, a wedge-shaped head, and an alert, friendly temperament. Although hairless cats have been reported throughout history (hairless cats seem to appear naturally about every 15 years or so), and breeders in Canada have been working on the Sphynx breed since the early 1960's, the current American and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of natural mutations:

• Dermis and Epidermis (1975) from the Pearsons of Wadena, MN, USA and
• Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma (1978) found in Toronto, ON, Canada and raised by Shirley Smith.

Other hairless breeds might have different body shapes or temperaments than those described above. There are, for example, new hairless breeds, including the Don Sphynx and the Peterbald from Russia, which arose from their own spontaneous mutations. The standard for the Sphynx differs between TICA and FIFE.
(Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)