Stupid Guest Tricks

Seriously, if you don't believe Sphynx cats require that much maintenece, go to http://www.catchannel.com, click on cat breeds, then Sphynx. It'll give you the breed standard and what's required to keep one.

felinefan wrote:Seriously, if you don't believe Sphynx cats require that much maintenece, go to http://www.catchannel.com, click on cat breeds, then Sphynx. It'll give you the breed standard and what's required to keep one.

Informative website. I looked up my next cat, a bengal, and did not find any surprises, thankfully.

felinefan wrote:Seriously, if you don't believe Sphynx cats require that much maintenece, go to http://www.catchannel.com, click on cat breeds, then Sphynx. It'll give you the breed standard and what's required to keep one.

The site you reference advises regular bathing and "frequent cleaning" of ears and nail beds. Regular to me is not the same as twice weekly. Frequent ≠ daily. The half-dozen or so Sphynx that I know personally get bathed at frequencies of once a week for an intact male show cat (he has absolutely flawless skin) up to once a month for altered pets (they all three have lovely skin). Nailbeds are cleaned at bath time, ears are generally done once every 7-14 days on all of them. They're all in excellent robust health, smell good, and are nice to touch.

YMMV.

It does depend on the individual cat; I was stating a general term. I bet stud-tail on a Sphynx must take extra diligence. Stud-tail is when they get extra oil on the bases of their tails, just because they're studs. Thankfully, all the male cats we've owned, with one exception, were neutered. And the exception was an outdoor/indoor cat, but I don't recall Thomas' tail being extra oily.

felinefan wrote: I bet stud-tail on a Sphynx must take extra diligence. Stud-tail is when they get extra oil on the bases of their tails, just because they're studs.

Cats get 'stud tail' when the glands near the base of the tail go into overdrive and starts producing excess oil. It's androgen-related, so more common in intact males, but queens and altered cats can suffer from it also.
I actually find stud tail easier to control on hairless and thinly coated cats. Treatment involves clipping the area, frequent washing, and often antibiotics. No need to clip a Sphynx, and no hair to trap the nasty waxy grease against their skin.

Well, I learned something. Not sure I ever wanted to know that, but... :D:

I was thinking the extra oil on top of the regular amounts of oil on a Sphynx would mean a bit more scrubbing. Taking a few more minutes to do a good job.