Bringing Home a Sphynx Kitten: What to Plan For

Buying a Sphynx kitten is a wonderful decision and we would like everybody who wants one to have one. We would also like nobody to be caught out, so this is the part of the conversation that rarely happens before the deposit: a hairless cat is a cat with ongoing care, and it is worth checking you are comfortable covering it before the kitten arrives.

What varies, and why we do not quote a price here

Kitten prices differ by country, by breeder, by pedigree and by what the breeder has invested in health testing before the litter existed. Anyone quoting you a single universal figure is guessing. Ask the breeder you are actually talking to, and ask what is included — registration, vaccination status, microchipping, desexing arrangements, and what happens if something goes wrong.

The part worth planning for

Every cat needs routine veterinary care, and there is no version of cat ownership without it. For a Sphynx the list is the same as any cat’s, so the only thing we would ask you to confirm is that you can comfortably cover it year after year:

• Routine vaccinations and the annual check-up that goes with them.
• Preventative treatment — parasite control, dental attention, and whatever else your vet recommends for your area and your cat.
• A plan for the unexpected, whether that is pet insurance or your own savings. Cats do occasionally need a vet at short notice, and the last thing anyone wants is that decision made by a bank balance.

That is the whole message. We are not going to publish a spreadsheet of numbers, because the figures differ everywhere and would be out of date by next year — your own vet can tell you what routine care costs where you live, and it is a reasonable question to ask them before you commit.

Small things that are specific to a hairless cat

None of these are large, but they are real and they surprise people:

• They eat more than a coated cat of the same size, because they spend more energy staying warm.
• They want the house warmer than you might otherwise keep it, and they appreciate heated beds in winter.
• They wear clothes, and clothes get washed and replaced.
• They are bathed regularly, so there is a modest ongoing supply of gentle shampoo and towels that belong to the cat now.

What you get for it

A cat that follows you room to room, sleeps under the covers against your skin, greets visitors at the door, and behaves less like a housemate than a small, warm, deeply nosy family member. Ask any Sphynx owner whether it is worth it and you will get the same answer, usually with a cat already sitting on them.

If you are weighing it up, ask us anything. We would far rather answer a long list of questions now than place a kitten with someone who felt rushed.

Meet the cats behind the advice

Everything here comes out of running a household of Sphynx and Donskoy cats — meet the queens, studs and kittens, or send us an enquiry if you have a question we have not answered.