How to Breed or Raise Sphynx Cats

Years ago I fell in love with this marvelous rare breed of hairless cat; known as the sphynx, and I will share a bit of useful information that I myself wish someone had shared with ME in my early days. First; selecting a quality sphynx should be your first priority. Research responsible sphynx breeders via cat registries like TICA and CFA and ask questions of EVERYONE before you adopt or purchase a sphynx. Check the 'bad breeder list' on the internet as it can sometimes provide clues as to who you may not want to deal with (especially if all the stories 'match up' about particular breeders) Read the breed guidelines for proper form and structure of a quality sphynx from the cat registries websites so that you will know what you are 'looking for' in your sphynx so far as body type, eye shape, ear placement, skin quality, color, etc. are concerned. Make sure that the breeder you choose to deal with has properly pedigreed cats and adheres to ethical guidelines. Ask for references.

When breeding a sphynx (or any animal that births multiple babies), you must time heat cycles very well. Have you ever heard of a dog or cat giving birth and having 'a runt of a litter'? Well, in truth, a runt is NOT a runt ... it's a premature baby; and here is why. Simple biological fact; while a female dog or cat is in heat; she ovulates one to two eggs every 24 hours that her cycle lasts. SO; if her heat lasts for 5 days; she will produce 5 to 10 eggs. If she mates with a male every day of her heat cycle; he will (if his sperm is viable) fertilize any egg she produces during the full cycle of her heat. Birth occurs 63-65 days after the FIRST egg is fertilized. SO, if a female cat is in heat for 7 days and breeds all 7 days; she will give birth roughly 9 weeks after that first day of breeding. THUS; the egg or eggs that are fertilized on the LAST day of her heat cycle will one week less developed than those fertilized on the first day of the cycle; or one week premature. This doesn't really sound like a big deal, but take into account that 1 week in a cat pregnancy is like 1 MONTH to a human. Human babies that are born full term fare far better than those babies born a month early; now take into account the fact that sphynx cats have delicate immune systems and face various genetic hurdles as well and you have a kitten mortality rate of nearly 50% of each litter if breeding is not carefully planned. Get to know your female sphynx and monitor her heat cycles carefully. Plan your breeding so that she mates with the male only the first 1/2 of her heat cycle; example: if she is in heat 6 days on average; let her mate only the first 3. This will drastically reduce your sphynx kitten mortality rate right off the get go.

Fading kitten syndrome ... ever hear of it?? This is a condition where the mother cat's breast milk is actually toxic and fatal to her babies. This occurs when a male cat and a female cat have different blood types. They mate and their babies therefore will also have different blood types, part will have the father's and part will have the mother's. Usually, it seems that the babies follow their mother's blood type just by the 'nature of science'; but on occasion, babies will be born with the father's blood type and when this occurs, the mother's breast milk (IF her blood type is different than that of the male) is actually toxic to those babies. Is there hope? Sure. You can have both the parents blood typed prior to any breeding to discover if their blood types are different and if so; when the babies are born, take them from the mother for the first 24 hours after birth and carefully bottle feed them with a milk supplement purchased from your vet via a syringe. Newborn sphynx kittens normally eat apx. 1 cc every 1 to 2 hours the first day. You should never give any baby animal homoginized cow's milk from the dairy section of your grocery store as this can lead to severe diarrhea, malnourishment, and death. Kitten formula should be slightly warmed via placing the syringe into a cup filled with warm tap water for a few minutes and tested upon the inner arm to ensure that it is not too hot for a tender mouth. Do not microwave your baby's formula as good kitten milk from your vet will usually contain probiotics or powdered colostrum which will be damaged by microwave heat.

IF you are bottle feeding your sphynx babies due to a milk-less mother, a mother that refuses to feed or care for her babies or due to prevention of fading kitten syndrome; BE SURE to stimulate each kitten to urinate AND defecate every 2 hours. A mother cat's tongue is rough like sand paper; she licks her babies genitals often to 'stimulate' them to use the bathroom and prevent toxins from building up in their little bodies. Baby animals do not have the ability to urinate or deficate on their own for up to 3 weeks after birth; sometimes even longer than that! A baby sphynx will die within the first 24 to 48 hours of its birth if it is not made to go to the bathroom regularly. To do this; pinch the skin of the kitten behind the neck firmly between your thumb and first finger of one hand and hold the baby so that it's back is pressed gently but securely into the palm of your hand; you will nearly be holding it on it's back with its four legs in the air. Barely wet a wash cloth or rough dish towel with warm water and holding the dish towel with the opposite hand; press down and rub the baby kitten's genitals with the damp cloth. This should not be a 'gentle' process as it will take a bit of pressure and some minor discomfort to coax the kitten to use the bathroom. The mother sphynx uses her rough tongue and even her teeth on occasion to nip at her babie's front and back end to encourage it to urinate and deficate; so have patience and even if the baby is squealing, know that you are doing what is necessary to keep it alive.

Body temperature plays a big factor in a sphynx's health. Adult sphynx cats (and their babies) are hairless; meaning that they don't wear fur coats like typical house cats and other breeds of cats do. People refer to them as 'living hot water bottles' as they feel unusually warm to the touch. Sphynx cats have a warmer base body temperature than other breeds of cats; usually one or two degrees on average. They enjoy nestling into blankets or laying in sun filled windows. If the ac is on; make sure that it isn't blowing strait onto your nesting bed where a new sphynx mom is sleeping with her kittens as this can lead to severe respiratory issues very quickly. If an infant sphynx baby can't regulate their body temperature properly they can't digest their mother's milk and absorb the nutrients they need to grow properly as well. The mother may seem agitated and move her babies from one place to another seeking out a warmer, draft free area to secure her litter in if you have a fan on or the ac set too cold. Sometimes a heating pad wrapped in a towel set on a low setting can offer her comfort as well; just don't set it too hot as baby kittens cannot crawl away from the heat to regulate their body temperature either.