Are Sphynx cats high maintenance?

Yes, by cat standards. Budget an hour or so a week for bathing, ears, nails and eyes, plus more laundry, and accept a cat that wants constant company.

Can Sphynx cats be left alone all day?

Not happily. This is a breed that bonds hard and gets destructive or depressed when alone for long days. Two cats, or a home with someone in it, works far better.

Do Sphynx cats sleep with you?

Almost always. They seek out body heat, so under the duvet or against a person is the default sleeping spot unless you supply a warm alternative.

Are Sphynx cats good with children and dogs?

Usually yes. They are confident, people-focused and rarely shy, which suits a busy household — provided children are taught to handle bare skin gently.

Diva, a Sphynx cat, in couture — Patched Tortie Queen of the Wrinklebottoms

Owning a Sphynx: An Honest Day in the Life

August 10, 2026 Aaron Parsons Comments 0 Comment

The photographs show the good bits. Here is the rest of it — a genuine day with hairless cats, written for anyone trying to decide whether they actually want to live like this.

Morning

You do not wake up on your own. There is a cat on your chest, another under the covers against your legs, and at least one voice explaining that breakfast is late. Hairless cats sleep in the bed with you, under the blankets, pressed against skin, because you are the warmest thing in the house.

Breakfast is loud. Then the plates get inspected, the bench gets patrolled, and everybody follows you to the bathroom because the idea of a closed door is offensive.

Through the day

They are not background pets. A Sphynx wants to be in whatever you are doing: on the keyboard, in the shopping bag, inside the washing basket, on the shoulder of anyone who sits down. If you work from home, you work with an audience. If you leave for ten hours a day, you get a welcome at the door and a lot of resentment beforehand — this is a breed that genuinely should not live alone all day, which is part of why we keep several.

Warmth dictates the geography. They will find the sunniest patch, the heater, the laptop, the top of the fridge, the freshly ironed washing. Put a heated bed down in winter and it will never be empty.

The maintenance you actually do

Ears wiped, nails and nail beds cleaned, eyes checked, folds wiped, teeth brushed when the cat is agreeable. A bath every one to three weeks with a warm room and a stack of towels. Washing: cat clothes, cat bedding, and your own bedding more often than before, because bare skin leaves oil marks. A quick body check while you handle them, which is easy on a cat with no coat to hide anything.

None of it takes long. All of it is every week, forever.

Evening

Peak chaos, then peak affection. They wrestle, they sprint the hallway, they knock something off a shelf while looking directly at you. Then the switch flips and they are draped over people, purring, dead asleep, radiating heat.

The honest downsides

They are loud and they are persistent, and no does not register.
Nothing is private. Not the bathroom, not the plate, not the laptop.
The house runs warmer than you would otherwise keep it, and there is a laundry load that did not exist before.
They do not cope well with being left alone for long days.
There is a weekly grooming routine you cannot skip.

Why we do it anyway

Because a cat that greets you at the door, sleeps under your blanket and follows you room to room is a different kind of company. People who want a decorative, independent cat should buy a different breed. People who want a small warm shadow with opinions should keep reading the rest of this site.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Are Sphynx cats high maintenance?: Yes, by cat standards. Budget an hour or so a week for bathing, ears, nails and eyes, plus more laundry, and accept a cat that wants constant company.
Can Sphynx cats be left alone all day?: Not happily. This is a breed that bonds hard and gets destructive or depressed when alone for long days. Two cats, or a home with someone in it, works far better.
Do Sphynx cats sleep with you?: Almost always. They seek out body heat, so under the duvet or against a person is the default sleeping spot unless you supply a warm alternative.
Are Sphynx cats good with children and dogs?: Usually yes. They are confident, people-focused and rarely shy, which suits a busy household — provided children are taught to handle bare skin gently.