Sphynx Multiples Double the Fun

by Kay Marshall

There have been many cats to pass through the open doors of my heart, but none have impacted my life as much as our Sphynx. Even in the very early days of having Sphynx in our home I knew that this experience would be different. I quickly discovered that these are cats that are not exactly cats at all!
To experience a Sphynx is to broaden your perspective of the word pet. You will be the lucky owner of a cat that does-n‘t just invite you into their world but one that demands that you step in, step up, and embrace the experience! You may find it overwhelming at first, but in short time you will find that you have been trained to attend to most of their needs, whims, and pleasures … which shall always include plenty of food, water, attention, and a very clean litter box.
A common question that people often ask when consider-ing bringing a Sphynx into their lives is ―What are the pluses and minuses of Sphynx owner-ship? From an owners perspective I recently an-swered that ques-tion for an online Sphynx community member as follows:

NEGATIVES


 they create lots of poop
 they eat lots of food
 they need to be bathed routinely; at least once every 7-10 days due to skin oils
 their ears need cleaning on a routinely basis
 there are some breed specific health issues (these will be covered in another article by a breeder)
 they need more attention than ordinary cats and therefore are best in pairs
 be prepared for jaw-dropped stares, dumb questions, and the occasional boorish taunt of "Oh, that's ugly!", "What's that?", "That looks like an alien!" and other equally unin-ventive statements by the unimaginative or the non-pet enthusiast.

As a personal note: For any procedure necessitating anes-thesia, please consider having your vet use a gas such as Isoflourane or Sevoflurane rather than the more common in-duction agent, Ketamine. Ketamine may cause an undiag-nosed case of HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) to pro-gress, leading to death. Sadly, in April 2008, our lives were
touched by this experience when our three year-old, joy-ful boy, Gimli, was killed during a routine dental clean-ing by a vet using Ket/Val. Within minutes Gimli suf-fered cardiac-arrest and we have had to deal with his avoidable death. My experience, and ongoing research, is partially one of the reasons I jumped at the invitation to give my time as Editor of the Owners section. I will share my story with you more in the April/May issue.

POSITIVES…and there are many!


 more love than you can ever believe you deserve
 a personality that is a mixture of dog, cat, two-year old in-quisitive toddler, and sometimes monkey (as they love to jump on the shoulders of passing beloved humans for a fun ride)
 life-altering explosion of pet love, breed loyalty, and a sense of privilege and pride at being owned by a Sphynx
 a "cat" with the ability to learn words, walk on leashes, fetch and retrieve, and generally act like no other cat you've even known or been around
 a bucket of love that feels like a soft, velvety, hot-water bottle
 there are several superb online network of Sphynx owners who will answer questions, mentor you and/or other newcom-ers to the breed, share photos, and encourage you to do the same.

With a Sphynx it's all good. If you, or someone you know, are considering one of these lovely creatures please understand that it is a commitment of time and energy. They need and require hu-man interaction, and they are happiest when they come in pairs. If you're considering ONE, why not consider TWO?!

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