What Makes a Hairless Cat Different from Other Cats?

If you're a cat person, but don't like your space to be in a mess with a cat's hair, you should consider raising a hairless cat. Hairless felines are different from other cat breeds because of their physical look.

Genetic mutation and breeding

Hairless cats have no hair to protect their body due to genetic mutation. In 1966, a hairless feline was born, and later on, he produced another hairless kitten when he was bred. Over time, more hairless cat breeds increase as they mix and breed Devon Rex with American Shorthairs.

Health

Like other pets, hairless cats also have some health conditions that you should be concerned about so that you can prevent negative things from happening in the future. Most diseases or other types of health conditions that they have are related to their genes and have a strong impact on the breed. Therefore, they will have a high risk of developing more health problems than normal cats. In addition, you should look out for their weight gain to manage and check their health properly. If the felines gain excess weight, they will have diabetes or can develop any other life-threatening disease.

Besides checking their weight, you should also care for their dental disease. You don't want your pet to have problems with them and could not eat until it affects other parts of their body. Bring them into dental exams for further treatment if there's any problem.

The hairless cat's health conditions due to genetic mutation are heart disease, blood type, neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI), Alopecia, and Urticaria Pigmentosa. As for heart disease, they can have cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition, or secondary to other diseases that could damage the heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is when the overactive thyroid gland thickens the heart muscle. As a result, you could notice some symptoms of rapid breathing, lethargy, and poor appetite. Genetic testing is needed for this breed of cat to examine further and have effective treatment.

Due to the breeding, hairless cats have different types of blood from other normal cats, and they either have type B or rare type AB. Since the blood type is scarce, it would be life-threatening if your cat encountered any critical problems that need a blood transfusion.

Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI) or Hemolytic Icterus is an immune-mediated disease caused when a newborn kitten with type A blood drinks milk from type B blood or vice versa. The reaction could kill the kitty in a few days of birth. Another genetic health condition is Alopecia, where your cat has greasy grunge, and their ears will get waxy. Hence, you need to wash and clean your cat frequently. Finally, Urticaria Pigmentosa is an allergy that causes itchy skin and red mumps.

How to Care for Hairless Cats?

Since this breed has no hair, washing it regularly is a must. It does not have hair to protect it from dirt or sunlight, so its skin tends to build up oil very quickly. You always need to wash their skin to prevent oil buildup. Furthermore, without any hair, the ticks or fleas could easily live on their skin. But bathing them regularly can also dry their skin. Taking care of their skin is essential; diet is also significant to prevent oily or dry skin.

Giving the right amount of food would also help with other health problems. Since cats love to nibble on their food at least 10-15 times a day, you should always help them engage with physical activity to exercise and not gain weight. Furthermore, a hairless cat is very active and happy; you should always give them attention and play with them to reduce their boredom.

Do Hairless Cats Need Special Care?

Of course, this breed needs more special care than other cat breeds due to their genetic mutation. When taking your pet to the vet, ensure that the vets are familiar with this breed and know how to treat them when they encounter health problems. You need to be someone who loves cats, knows how to take care of them, and can afford everything your cat needs.

Are they Really Hairless?

Even if they are called hairless cats, they are not completely bald. Instead, small patches of hair are on their body, around their tails, ears, face, and feet. Therefore, since they do not have thick hair like other felines, they are sensitive to extreme weather conditions and tend to stay indoors instead.

The Ultimate Lists of Hairless Cat Breeds

Even if hairless cats are another cat breed, there are also different types of hairless cats with other characteristics. So let's find out about the eight lovely felines.

1. Sphynx: Sphynx is the most well-known hairless cat and playful type. If you raise it, you must shave away the tiny patches of hair.
2. Bambino: This type is the mix between Sphynx and the Munchkin, and it's a tiny cat that weighs only 5 pounds.
3. Donskoy: Donskoy is also known as Russian hairless, and they are muscular and a bit wrinkly. It is also very smart.
4. Dwelf: As the name suggests, it's a very tiny feline with short legs and a long body. It's a breed between the Sphinx, the Munchkin, and the American Curl.
5. Peterbald: The cross breed between Sphynx and an Oriental Shorthair is very playful.
6. Minskin: Minskin is a mixture between Sphynx and Munchkin, and it's one of the most miniature cats with very short legs.
7. Ukrainian Levkoy: It's the newest breed. They have wrinkles and have a muscular appearance with inward-facing ears.
8. Lykoi: This type is the only hairless feline covered with black or gray hair.

Even if their appearance differs from other cat breeds with hair, their traits are the same. They are very playful, active, and genius, so you would enjoy playing with them at home when bored.