Permissible
- All colour varieties and patterns, including those with white
- Any amount of white
27 breeders are on record here.
Medium-sized, hairless cat with wrinkled skin, large ears, and muscular body. Known for affectionate, attention-seeking personality.
Originated from hairless kittens born in Toronto, Canada in 1966. Hairlessness is caused by a recessive gene. Not truly hairless - covered in fine down. Needs warmth and sun protection.
Generally described as loyal, inquisitive, friendly, quiet, gentle, affectionate and social.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; Prevalence of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and ALMS1 Variant in Sphynx Cats in New Zealand. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Sphynx standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Appears hairless, may be covered with short, fine down.
Chamois-like, a feeling of resistance may be felt when stroking the skin of some cats.
Short, soft, fine hair is allowed on the feet, across the bridge of the nose and cheekbones, at the back of the ears, the scrotum and the tip of the tail.
Permissible
Shortened from FIFe standard SPH — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2025. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
A tick means FIFe recognises that colour in at least one variety with that pattern. It does not mean every combination is recognised.
| Colour | Solid | Tabby | Pointed | With white |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cinnamon | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Fawn | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Red | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cream | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Black tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cinnamon tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Fawn tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| White | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Read from the table at the end of the FIFe standard. Smoke, silver, golden and corin are FIFe’s own names; the exact EMS codes and the eye colours are in the standard.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Sphynx breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
4 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Sphynx in general; any individual animal can differ.
A thickening of the heart muscle that can cause heart failure, blood clots or sudden death. One New Zealand study found HCM in 40% of Sphynx examined at a median age under six years, making this a serious, breed-documented risk rather than a generic cat concern.
What to ask for
A recent echocardiogram report from a veterinary cardiologist for both parents. No DNA test exists for HCM in this breed
An inherited muscle-weakness disorder causing a characteristic 'dog-begging' or 'chipmunk' posture, worsened by exertion, stress or excitement. Affected cats generally die by two years old from choking or aspiration pneumonia. A validated DNA test exists, shared with Devon Rex.
What to ask for
Sphynx and Devon Rex CMS (COLQ) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
The trait that defines the breed also removes the normal protection fur gives against sunburn, cold and skin-oil build-up, leaving Sphynx prone to sunburn, acne, fungal skin infections and waxy ear build-up, and needing regular bathing and a warm, draft-free home. This is inseparable from the breed itself, not a fault a test can screen away.
What to ask for
Not a genetic test — ask the breeder about their bathing and ear-cleaning routine and whether any of their cats have had recurring skin or ear infections
A thickening of the heart muscle that can cause heart failure, blood clots or sudden death. One New Zealand study found HCM in 40% of Sphynx examined at a median age under six years, making this a serious, breed-documented risk rather than a generic cat concern.
What to ask for
A recent echocardiogram report from a veterinary cardiologist for both parents. No DNA test exists for HCM in this breed
An inherited muscle-weakness disorder causing a characteristic 'dog-begging' or 'chipmunk' posture, worsened by exertion, stress or excitement. Affected cats generally die by two years old from choking or aspiration pneumonia. A validated DNA test exists, shared with Devon Rex.
What to ask for
Sphynx and Devon Rex CMS (COLQ) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited defect in the kidneys' handling of the amino acid cystine, which forms crystals and stones in the urine that can block the urinary tract and may need surgery. It is recessive. This SLC7A9 mutation (p.Val294Glu) has been described in a single Sphynx: a neutered male in Florida, homozygous for it, whose first cystine stone was analysed when he was a little over a year old. The 2016 study found the same mutation in a Maine Coon and a non-pedigree cat in North America. How common it is in the breed is not known, but it looks rare: none of 547 Sphynx in a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats carried it.
What to ask for
Cystinuria type B (SLC7A9) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited defect in the kidneys' handling of the amino acid cystine, which forms crystals and stones in the urine that can block the urinary tract and may need surgery. It is recessive. This SLC7A9 mutation (p.Val294Glu) has been described in a single Sphynx: a neutered male in Florida, homozygous for it, whose first cystine stone was analysed when he was a little over a year old. The 2016 study found the same mutation in a Maine Coon and a non-pedigree cat in North America. How common it is in the breed is not known, but it looks rare: none of 547 Sphynx in a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats carried it.
What to ask for
Cystinuria type B (SLC7A9) DNA test result, on both parents
The trait that defines the breed also removes the normal protection fur gives against sunburn, cold and skin-oil build-up, leaving Sphynx prone to sunburn, acne, fungal skin infections and waxy ear build-up, and needing regular bathing and a warm, draft-free home. This is inseparable from the breed itself, not a fault a test can screen away.
What to ask for
Not a genetic test — ask the breeder about their bathing and ear-cleaning routine and whether any of their cats have had recurring skin or ear infections