The history of the race

The origins

Some centuries ago, the Aztecs already possessed cats without hair like the sphinx. They called them naked Mexican cats. Pre-Columbian engravings showed naked cats which had been part of the jaguarondi culture. In 1830, the German naturalist J.R. Rengger described naked cats in his natural story about the mammals of Paraguay . At the beginning of the last century an article which showed a black and white photograph of two sphynxes indicated that this race was nearly erased.

Naked cats appeared during different ages all over the world.

The first two known sphynxes belonged to Mr. J. Schinck in New Mexico ; he had found them when he visited the Indians, where nobody was interested in these two cats.

1936 In North Carolina a domestic cat gives birth to a completely naked kitten.

1938 The genetic professor R. Letard discovers two naked cats produced by Siamese cats.

1950 A litter of nine Siamese are born, three of them are naked. These three are crossed within each other and give birth to three more naked cats.

1966 The real start of the breeding of sphinx.

Ontario : Elizabeth, a domestic black and white cat gives birth to a kitten named Prune. Rydiadh and Yania Bawa take them under the wings; afterwards Keese and Rita Tenhove join them.

These four breeders baptize this new race “Moonstone cats, then “Canadian Hairless” and finally “Sphinx”.

Two sphynxes of this Bawa/Tenhove program could be traced, the last specimen was the female named Dutchie’s Nerfertiti.

1974 In Minnesota , Jezabelle, a farmer’s cat, gives birth to two naked kittens in a one year interval. The owners of Jezabelle, Milt and Ethelyn Pearson, give those two named Epidermis and Dermis to Kim Mueske of the Z’stardust cattery in 1981.

1978 The Dutch doctor Hugo Hernandez buys two kittens which were a result of Dutchie’s Nerfititi/Prune’s Napoleon of Bor-Al of the Mewsi-Kal cattery; producer: Sandy Kaiser :

One male : Mewsi-Kal Starsky

One female: Mewsi-Kal Johnny.

No other could of Mewsi-Kal could be traced ever since.

In Toronto (Canada) Shirley Smith adopts a male naked kitten, which is black and white, and calls it Bambie. It has been sterilized and lives at the Aztec cattery in Canada . In 1996 it celebrated its 16 th birthday.

1980 The mother of Bambie gives birth to two new litters, in which in each one one naked female appears, Squeakie and Pinki. They are delivered to Doctor Hugo Hernandez and renamed Punky and Paloma.

Barbara Sutherland from Washington acquires a male sphynx, which appeared spontaneously in western Canada . She names it Five O’clock Shadow. It has no descendants.

The doctor Hugo Hernandez starts his program: He crosses Mewsi-Kal Starsky/Mewsi- Kal Johnny; the offspring dies at birth. Punky and Paloma arrive in Toronto .

The crossing between Mewsi-Kal Starsky/Punky and Mewsi-Kal Starsky/Paloma bring no results. He decides to sell the couple Paloma/Mewsi-Kal Starsky to Hannie Nathans in Germany . Finally Paloma gets pregnant but loses its litter and the breeder won’t find another pure male. Dr. Hernandez associated the Rex Devon to his breed; he crosses the Rex Devon Carare van Jetrophin with Punky. She will give birth to five kittens.

1981 Kim Mueske of the Z’stardust cattery buys two females born at Pearson:

Epidermis: brown classic tabby, born in July 75.

Dermis: blue mackerel tabby, born in April 76.

Kim Mueske acquires on the same time two Rex Devon:

The mother: Scattergold Granberry of Z’stardust.

The son: Cantaur’s Hercule’s of Z’stardust.

The crossing of Dermis Z’stardust/Cantaur’s Hercule’s of Z’stardust gives birth to two females in July 1982.

1983 Tonia Vink starts a sphynx breeding program. She buys a male F1 from Hugo Hernandez named Ra, a descendant of Punky and Carare van Jetrophin, and a female sphynx named Hathor de Calecat an offspring of the brother of the litter of Ra named Ramses which was coupled with Paloma. Hathor de Calecat will be given to Janice Plumb of the cattery named Amarogue/Shaird in Enfield Middlesex ( England ).

1983 Patrick Challain ( Paris ) buys five kittens of the same litter produced by Hannie Nathans in Germany ; the offspring of Ramses/Paloma :

One female, Ajahanda’s Lendila (Mogwai), offspring of Ra/Hathor de Calecat.

One male, Ajahanda’s Timothy Atilla (Gizmo), offspring of Ra/Ajahanda’s Giloesjipa, the last daughter of Ra/Hathor de Calecat.

David Mare buys the male Epidermis and a female named Alopecia Totalis, produced by Hugo Hernandez; from this couple a male named Mare’s E.T. is born in North Carolina which will be given to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Benson. We don’t have any trace about Mare’s Sphinx.

1984 Carole and Walter Richard, cattery Britanya, start a breeding project for sphynxes with the help of Dr. Soveig Pflueger. The first crossing is:

One female Devon , Britanya’s Aida Lott---one male sphynx, Chnoem de Calecat ( E.T.)

This marriage gives birth to four sphynx:

The male, Britanya’s Lord E Im Naked

The male, Britanya’s Gremlin

The female, Britanya’s Ladi Godiva

The female, Britanya’s Baronness Quilit

Britanya’s Lady Godiva was the first sphinx to become the SUPREME Grand-Champion of the TICA.

Since the history of mythic cats has started, it is related to multiple small breedings which have disappeared without leaving a trace. But fortunately there are some people who like to be associated to this fantastic race. So thanks to Ridyah and Yania Bawa, Keese and Rita Tenhove, Dr. Hernandez, David Mare, Sandy Kaiser, Milt and Ethelyn Pearson, Kim Mueske, Shirley Smith, Barbara Sutherland, Hannie Nathans, Tonya Vink, Patrick Challain, Aline Noel, Georgina Blassey, Carole and Walt Richard……

Thanks to Jezabelle and Elizabeth, and also to all their kittens; Bambie, Prune, Dermis, Epidermis, Five O’clock shadow, Squeaky, Pinky… and to their descendants; Dutchie’s Nerfititi, Prune’s Napoleon of Bor-Al, Mewsi-Kal Starsky, Mewsi-Kal Johnny, Hathor de Calecat, Ra, Ramses, Ajahanda’s Zendila, Ajahanda’s Lady Godiva, Britanya’s Baroness Quizit… But also to the Rex Devons which permitted the sphynxes to exist: Cantaur’s Hercule, Curare van Jetrophin, Britanya’s Aida Lotts….

The history of the sphinx wouldn’t exist without the association of many people who love these mysterious cats. These were and are breeders of long or short term who tried to improve this magnificent race in order to see what it became up to now.