10/4: Hairless pets

[Undertoad]

How'd you like to wake up and see this thing staring at you?

I think the hairless cat was originally bred to test cosmetics - I know they've bred hairless mice for that purpose.



But popularized by the Austin Powers movies, some catteries (not to be confused with batteries) are breeding them. So maybe in a few years we'll all have hairless cats. But what if you prefer dogs?



Well, this is a hairless terrier. There have been other hairless dogs. The Chinese Crested has nothing but a tuft of fur on its head and tail. They are excellent little dogs.

These hairless versions are just as friendly as "regular" cats and dogs... they just look weird.

[roXet]

It's like holding an ass.

[Joe]

Is that the cat's pelt being used as a tablecloth?

I'm sorry, but that thing would never be allowed in my house.

[jet_silver]

It isn't the sphynx's fault they look that way. They're nice cats, kind of silly, vaudeville animals who want attention all the time. They can't really stand sunlight (they get sunburned) and they are always looking for another warm spot.

I wouldn't go to the trouble of having an expensive cat that feels like a warm chamois leather and has to stay inside. I got my cat from a parking lot. But there are people who think sphynx cats are cool. At the cat shows the -owners- very often turn up in skin-tight leather to match the cats (cat show people are strange and the sphynx owners are strange even for cat show people).

[Katkeeper]

The next tiem my cat barfs a fur ball, I might think about having one of these...but not seriously.

[mrsjm2002]

I just had to jump in on this conversation... First off, the pictures of the babies posted are BEAUTIFUL!!! I have to babies of my own and would even think about getting another cat with hair again. No hair floating around my house, not allergie/asthma attacks, and a SUPER lover boys!! When I first went to the breeder to pick one out, I was a little freaked out myself. I only saw pictures on the internet which didn't prepare me for the meeting. My first son walked right up to me, sat down in my lap, snuggled up, and started purring...The other little guy was going to be a breeder but is a "special needs" cat. Love them both and have to stop myself or I would fill this whole page up!!

[Katkeeper]

Do they get cold easily or need more warmth, etc.?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Welcome to the Cellar Mrsj. I assume they like to play and run around the house like other cats. Sometimes cat misjudge or get surprised and fall or crash. Do the bald cats get more scratches or cuts and bruises without hair to protect them?

[juju]

Don't hairless cats still have the "dander" that people are often allergic to?

[LUVBUGZ]

According to my "Atlas of Cats of the World", the Sphynx appeared as a mutation in a litter of cats born in Canada during 1966. None of the Sphynx cats are totally hairless, but their coat is so short that they are considered "hairless". Apparently, whatever hair it has is lost as the cat ages and the skin becomes wrinkled. They are unable to cope with any extremes of temperature and must be protected from strong sunlight and winter temps. Since hairlessness is inherited in the recessive manner, hairless cats mated to haired cats will produce normally furred kittens who's genes are split for hairlessness. For this reason some cat fanciers fear that such cats may unintentionally spread the gene to other breeds. Also, it takes time for these genes to show because it takes two of them to produce hairlessness and some breeders fear that by then the genes may have reached high numbers in a given population. Others, on the other hand see no danger in breeding for hairlessness as long as it is done responsible. This is all subject to opinion. I personally think it is possibly a bad idea because there are a lot of wack-o's out there who do stupid things and we could possibly see bald Persians in the future, but that's just my opinion. I definitely hold no resentment towards the poor little guys because as Jet said it's not their fault thay look that way.
Juju, I know of several people who prefer this breed because they do have allergies. I'm not sure if they have "dander" or not, but the people who own them say they don't have allergic reactions to them like they do with haired cats.
Bruce, I don't think these cats are anymore succeptible to scratches and bruises a than haired cats, but not 100% sure. I know that hair, while offering protection against the elements, is often what leads to problems with abcesses in cats. Stickers and thorns get caught in the hair and often puncture the skin and work their way deeper in which eventually forms an abcess. Big vet bills here. Fortunately, I am able to treat most abcesses on my cats saving a minimum of $150 each time I don't tave to take them into the vet's.

[MrsWildman]

Hairless cats are the most wonderful pets! My husband and I adopted one about 6 months ago and we love her. Her name is Demi and she is 4 years old. For people with cat allergies hairless cats MAY not give them problems. My husband and his family are all fairly (but not horribly) allergic to cats and they all love to cuddle her.
She does get cold, her favorite spots are on top of the computer monitor, in the window, and under the covers. She also needs to be bathed about once a week, and have her ears cleaned about twice a week.
They are really great pets for cat lovers with allergic relatives or loved ones, but be warned: Have the allergic party spend some time with one first to see how they react.

[lumberjim]

i had heard that most people who think they are allergic to pet hair are actually allergic to the saliva of that pet.

[Lady Sidhe]

I heard that it's not the hair, but the skin flakes. I don't know. But I do know that certain animals are "hypoallergenic," for lack of a better word. Dogs such as poodles and Yorkies have "people hair," not fur, so they don't seem to aggravate allergies.

The Sphynx (I've always wanted one of these cats, but can't afford one ) are also supposed to be easy on allergies. There's also another "hairless" dog, called a Mexican Hairless, that, like the Sphynx, has soft, downy, almost nonexistently short hair--again, supposedly easy on allergies.

Hm...maybe it's just me, but the "uglier" a critter is, the cuter I think it is. Kind of the "so ugly it's cute" thing. I don't think Sphynxes are ugly, though. I like their big ears and bunny hind legs. Not to mention that beautiful, angular, egyptian face!


Sidhe

[blue]

My niece mail ordered one of these hideous things a year or 2 ago, I did some research on the internet for her, including those ugly pictures. She ended up paying something ridiculous like 12-1500 dollars, she named it some long compliated name (I think it's a registered breed/bloodline thing), calls it ET for short, and it does look kind of alien.

Finally saw it for the first time....the damn thing is just adorable and way lovable. Very nice, unique pet.

[wolf]

I really can't conceive of any pet being sufficiently adorable to warrant a $1500 price tag.

Particularly for something that is likely to get sick at some point.