Because we often have a hard time getting back to everyone within a few days after receiving questions via E-Mail, we thought it would be helpful to post the answers to the questions we are most frequently asked...

Are Mickey and Lupi for sale?
When will you have kittens available?
What do you charge for your kittens and cats?

I am allergic to cats. Will I be allergic to these funny looking buggers?

How did you initially find Mickey and Lupi’s breeder?

I can’t find a Sphynx breeder in my home town, and none of the local pet stores carry them.  Where can I get a Sphynx?

Do all Sphynx cats have health problems?

How much do Sphynx cats costs?

How much does it cost you to care for these cats, for a year?
 

Are Mickey and Lupi for sale?  When will you have kittens available? What do you charge for your kittens and cats?

By far our most frequently asked questions, the answers are “No,” “Never,” and “We don’t.” I am always flattered when people ask, but the truth is, Mickey and Lupi are our best little buddies, and we are simply the world’s proudest parents, who want the world to know how wonderful the Sphynx truly is.

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I am allergic to cats. Will I be allergic to these funny looking buggers?

Most likely, if you're allergic to cats, you'll be allergic to hairless cats - it's the  enzymes in their saliva, which is then transferred to their skin (or fur) when  they groom themselves, not the fur.  Just like in all animals and humans, fur is shed, and  the skin ("dander") flakes off as it is replaced by new skin.  The fur and  dander, coated with the irritating enzyme, float in the air and cause the allergic reaction.

The reason this breed works for a lot of allergic  people is that, because there is no fur to shed and float around, there is less dander floating around in the air.  Sphynx skin is oily, due to the lack of fur,  and the dander tends to cling to the cats.  You wash them weekly, so a lot of the dander goes down the drain.

If you're allergic, you just have to make sure to keep the cats (and your fingers, after touching the cats) away from your eyes and nose, and wash their bedding often, as their blankets will absorb their skin's oils and dander.  We explain everything we do to live with these cats and our allergies on our ”allergic?” page.

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Where did you initially find Mickey and Lupi’s breeder?

We found our breeder (before we had internet access) in CatFancy magazine's breeder directory. Because of our cat allergies and the considerable cost of purchasing a Sphynx, we spent several nights making long-distance calls to breeders, asking lots of questions and generally ”feeling them out” for one with whom we felt very comfortable, on a personal basis.

Once we made our choice, they sent us a videotape featuring the kittens and cats they had available, a tour of the cattery, and an on-screen narrative showing them, and their children, interacting with the cats, and explaining their feelings about the breed and their dedication to outcrossing Sphynx with other shorthair breeds in order to improve the genetic integrity of the breed.

This gave us even more confidence in their integrity and began a friendly telephone relationship with the family.  Once our first Sphynx kitten, Bucknekid (“Bucky”), spent a few months with us, we knew it was time to add Mickey. We were sent another videotape of the available kittens, and we immediately knew that tiny, spunky, crazy, pink Mickey was our little man.  Heartbroken when we couldn't convince the breeders to sell him, we were overjoyed when they offered him to us a month later, with hope that a loving family environment would be the best thing for his chronic respiratory illness. We gleefully accepted the challenge, and with God's help, have been successful in making him well.

Because of our victory with Mickey's health, our breeders called us to offer us a rescue cat who was so seriously and chronically ill with the feline herpesvirus (feline viral rhinotracheitis) that they would otherwise have euthanized her.  This is how Lupi became part of our life, and we've never looked back.

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I can’t find a Sphynx breeder in my home town, and none of the local pet stores carry them.  Where can I find a Sphynx breeder near me?

First of all, my humble personal opinion is that I would NEVER BUY A DOG OR CAT FROM A PET STORE!  More likely than not, the kittens or puppies there, and their parents, have gone through hell just to get to that point. Always go with a reputable breeder.  Although it seems the number of Sphynx breeders has increased dramatically since we first initiated our search five years ago, the chances of finding one near you aren't as good as you may hope.  Then, you must consider carefully whether the breeder nearest you is actually the breeder you are best off going with. When we began our Sphynx search using only our CatFancy magazine listings, we found only two breeders within an hour of our home. One never returned our calls, and the other's number had been disconnected!

The breeder we eventually worked with was just over 600 miles from our home. Mickey's brother, Bucky, flew to Milwaukee on a major airline, which, in retrospect, must have been terrifying, although once he had his feet back on the ground, he adjusted quickly to his new home.  As for Mickey, well, domestic animals can't fly commercially without a veterinarian's certificate of health, and let's just say that Mickey was far from qualifying. We knew that driving was our only option, and because we and their breeders were excited to finally meet each other, they met us half-way at a truck stop restaurant.  We had lunch, with tiny Mickey hidden inside my sweatshirt, under the table. Lupi's health situation was quite serious as well, and in her case, I made the 1200-mile, 24-hour round trip drive to bring her home for some serious loving.

When we decide it's time to add another Sphynx to our family, we'll most likely run to the internet, due to the countless Sphynx breeder directory resources that can be found, as well as picking up a number of cat magazines to page through.  Then, we’ll definitely do everything we can to pick them up ourselves, rather than having them fly.

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Do all Sphynx cats have health problems?

This is another very common question we face, and the toughest to answer, as we’ve only had personal experience with three of these cats.  We've not spoken with many breeders, and none of the three veterinarians who have shared in Mickey and Lupi's health care have ever treated a Sphynx cat before, nor have they ever done any research on the breed.

Simply put, however, purebred animals generally have their issues, due to the initial inbreeding necessary to reproduce and perfect an unusual feature.  For example, white, blue-eyed cats are often deaf; hip dysplasia is more common among German Shepherds and larger cat breeds like Maine Coons; Persian cats are more likely to contract a certain kidney disease.  Stilbirths and spinal abnormalities are common among Manx (tailless) cats.  Great Danes are bound to develop tumors. More information on this subject can be found at the following URLs:

www.netpets.com/dogs/reference/genetics/diversity.html
members.aol.com/jshartwell/inbreed.htm

All we can hope is that there are lots of breeders producing healthy, robust, disease-free Sphynx cats with enough respect for the breed that they do everything they can to improve their genetic diversity, making them stronger by outcrossing and not inbreeding cats with weaknesses simply for the quest for the ”Perfect Sphynx.”  Because we haven't researched any other breeders than our own (and their cattery, which they sold, WAS infected with the rhinotracheitis virus), all we can speak of is our own experience. Bucky, Mickey’s big brother, is six years old and perfectly healthy, except for a very slight heart murmur, which has never caused him any trouble.

We have received a number of heartbreaking letters from a number of Sphynx “parents” whose cats do have mild to serious health problems, and some of have been lost to various diseases.  At this point, I have no knowledge of whether this is an indicator of the genetic integrity of the breed, or whether the parents of Sphynx who are ill are just more likely to write to us, after all we’ve gone through.   I pray it is the latter, and remind myself that we have also received quite a few letters from the parents of perfectly healthy Sphynx cats, who just want to share stories and ask questions about our own experiences with this unusual breed.

Needless to say, if you're looking for a healthy cat, and ONLY a healthy cat, don't do business with a breeder that has sickly cats, especially when you're already paying a premium for this rare breed or already have health cats in your household. Do your homework, visit the cattery if you can, do everything you can to ensure that the breeder is ethical.

If, however, you are ready and willing to provide special love for a hairless angel with special problems,  there is most likely a sickly little Sphynx out there who is waiting and hoping for a momma or daddy just like you to rescue and love him or her like a maniac. As we've said so many times, it's been one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of our lives.

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How much can I expect to pay for a Sphynx cat?

We always chuckle to ourselves, and give each other a reassuring wink, when someone exclaims, “Wow - that’s one of those hairless cats, isn’t it?  Man, I bet those are expensive - like a couple hundred bucks, right?”

Are you sitting down?  Depending upon the degree of hairlessness, the price varies.  Last time we checked, Sphynx cats that are HEALTHY, as well as ”pretty darned near completely hairless” like Lupi, Mickey and his brother, Bucky, were going for $1,500 or more. We've heard of prices anywhere from $500 for “pretty furry” Sphynx cats that still possess the heavenly temperament of the Sphynx,  to upwards of $3,000 for breeding show cats.  Yikes.  As we said earlier, you don’t buy a Sphynx on a whim.

One option we can suggest is that if you are willing to make the commitment to care for a cat with special health requirements, you may find that a breeder will allow you to adopt a “health challenged” sphynx free of charge, rather than euthanizing the cat.  Lupi is our little “rescue” and we can’t even imagine our life without her.

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How much does it cost you to care for these cats, for a year?

Quite frankly, we don’t keep track, and because of our complete commitment to them, it doesn’t matter to us. We do what we need to do to keep them healthy and happy. If they didn’t have any health problems, they would cost the same as any purebred cat to maintain.  Feeding a high-quality diet (which does cost more), brushing their teeth, providing proper attention and the bare minimum of vaccinations will help keep veterinary costs down.

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