The basic care of a Sphynx is much the same as that of any house cat. They need their vaccines, decent food, clean water, and plenty of loving play.
VET
Before you bring a sphynx into your life I recommend you find a vet that has experience working with Sphynx or is willing to take advice from someone who has. Their lack of hair means their bodies work harder to stay as warm as their furred cousins and their bellies tend to look fuller. This has caused more than more vet to think their was something wrong with the cat when they went in for shots.
Once you have found a vet you trust then it is time to start looking for your new family member. Sphynx get all the normal cat vaccines.
My kittens are spayed or neutered before they are placed as pets.
This is to ensure that the kitten is healthy and ready to go before it is with it's new family.
FOOD
There are many good food brands out there, some are only available in certain regions so my best advice is to look for a brand that has high protein and low ash and salt content. I know many people that feed a raw diet. This is fine so long as there is nothing for the cat to choke on and any uneaten food is removed before it can go bad, just like with human food.
At our house we feed a mix of several different brands of food so that the cats do not have a sudden change of diet if one is unavailable. It also seems to make the move to a new home easier on their tummies. I tend to feed kitten food for the cat's entire life as it has a higher protein content than most adult foods. The brands around me that I use in the mix include, Iams, Royal Canin, Chicken Soup for the cat lover's soul, Science Diet and Innova. For extra treats and calories when there are little ones I also provide chicken, rabbit and beef scraps from my family's meals. These scraps can be raw or cooked but should not have any onion, garlic, or strong spices. Not all the cats I have had liked raw, but most loved the cooked.
WATER
I use water bowls and the auto waters. Whichever method you use it is important to ensure that they are cleaned often and kept full. I tend to add some Lysine to my water as it is said to help the skin. The body does not make this amino acid but only absorbs what it can use. Not all animals will drink water with this added so if you do decide to try it be sure to have at least 2 water sources, one with and one without. It can be found with large animal supplies or in the vitamin aisle at the grocery store in pill form.
TOYS
You do not have to spend a fortune to have great toys for your sphynx. A ball of paper, a juice can ring, a ping pall ball... all of these get endless hours of play at my house. We do have some store bought toys but other than the ones on a string or pole they tend to be played with only when the above list is hidden from view. The fridge and stove tend to have a nice collection of toys under them. :)
VET
Before you bring a sphynx into your life I recommend you find a vet that has experience working with Sphynx or is willing to take advice from someone who has. Their lack of hair means their bodies work harder to stay as warm as their furred cousins and their bellies tend to look fuller. This has caused more than more vet to think their was something wrong with the cat when they went in for shots.
Once you have found a vet you trust then it is time to start looking for your new family member. Sphynx get all the normal cat vaccines.
My kittens are spayed or neutered before they are placed as pets.
This is to ensure that the kitten is healthy and ready to go before it is with it's new family.
FOOD
There are many good food brands out there, some are only available in certain regions so my best advice is to look for a brand that has high protein and low ash and salt content. I know many people that feed a raw diet. This is fine so long as there is nothing for the cat to choke on and any uneaten food is removed before it can go bad, just like with human food.
At our house we feed a mix of several different brands of food so that the cats do not have a sudden change of diet if one is unavailable. It also seems to make the move to a new home easier on their tummies. I tend to feed kitten food for the cat's entire life as it has a higher protein content than most adult foods. The brands around me that I use in the mix include, Iams, Royal Canin, Chicken Soup for the cat lover's soul, Science Diet and Innova. For extra treats and calories when there are little ones I also provide chicken, rabbit and beef scraps from my family's meals. These scraps can be raw or cooked but should not have any onion, garlic, or strong spices. Not all the cats I have had liked raw, but most loved the cooked.
WATER
I use water bowls and the auto waters. Whichever method you use it is important to ensure that they are cleaned often and kept full. I tend to add some Lysine to my water as it is said to help the skin. The body does not make this amino acid but only absorbs what it can use. Not all animals will drink water with this added so if you do decide to try it be sure to have at least 2 water sources, one with and one without. It can be found with large animal supplies or in the vitamin aisle at the grocery store in pill form.
TOYS
You do not have to spend a fortune to have great toys for your sphynx. A ball of paper, a juice can ring, a ping pall ball... all of these get endless hours of play at my house. We do have some store bought toys but other than the ones on a string or pole they tend to be played with only when the above list is hidden from view. The fridge and stove tend to have a nice collection of toys under them. :)