A well-worn ancient Egyptian mummy, or, perhaps more precisely, an alien, an alien from another planet, even from another galaxy; and to someone, it will seem like a real devil of hell, and inform and content - a premium lop-eared creature, although sometimes completely devoid of hair, and therefore little resembling a cat in its classical representation ...
In a word, meet our fellow countryman from Northern Palmyra, Sphynx-Peterbald, he is also “bald Peter”, and for bosom friends and relatively few still fans of this unusual breed, just Petrik.
History of the origin of the breed
As they say, the felinologist Olga Mironova became the pioneer, the breeder of these extraordinary cats, and her first experimental Peterbald was born in 1994 (there is evidence of 1993).
His birth was made possible thanks to the crossing of two elite titled cats with such a pedigree that another biped would never have dreamed of, the Don Sphynx and the oriental cat, Athenogen Myth and Radma von Jagerhof (O Mein Gott, look, the baroness cat!).
Only two years have passed since the birth of the first Peterbald, and a cat named Nocturne was included in the standards of the Felinological Federation of Breeding, and a little later, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, our compatriot Peterbald was officially recognized overseas, and then already at the highest international level - in TICA and WCF.
Work on improving the Peterbald breed continues to this day, they are shamelessly crossed with Oriental, Siamese, Javanese, Balinese cats. But the mixing of the blood of the Petersburg Sphynxes and their Don relatives is prohibited by the standards of the Peterbald breed.
Description of the breed
The first thing that comes to mind when someone starts talking about Sphynx cats in general and Peterbald cats, in particular, is their unusual appearance for the average man in the street - the complete or partial absence of hair, slightly slanted, wide-set medium-sized, and large eyes and, of course, the huge ears of these cats.
By the way, the lack of wool in some cases more than compensates for the amazing grace and inimitable grace of the Peterbalds.
Dimensions and weight
Dimorphism is characteristic of Peterbalds - the weight of females can reach 3.5 kg, while adult males "grow" up to 5 kg of live weight. These are medium-sized cats.
- Anatomical characteristics
- The head is wedge-shaped.
- The ears are wide at the base, large.
- The eyes are almond-shaped, slightly slanted, the iris of one of three shades - blue, yellow, or green.
- The body is muscular, elongated.
- The limbs are thin, long, the legs are oval.
- The tail is pointed, vaguely resembling a whip.
Color and type of coat
The most popular are white, coffee and lilac, and so the color of the Peterbald can be any, and we will tell you about the peculiarities of their wool cover below.
Possible breed defects
The serious defects of this breed primarily include, for example, the rough skeleton and roundness of the muzzle of one of the ancestors - the Don Sphynx. On the other hand, overly lightweight bones, as well as curved, "bent" front legs and the absence of skin folds on the head, can also be attributed to defects.
Differences between the St. Petersburg Sphinx from the Canadian and Don
Peterbalds are somewhat different from their Don and Canadian sphinx cousins, both in a number of external signs, exterior, and character. We will now dwell on purely external differences, the main of which is the presence of ultrashort wool in some species of Peterbald. So,
- The ears, head, and muzzle of the Peterbalds are somewhat more elongated and visually narrower than the ears and muzzle of the Canadian and Don Sphynxes - the elongated and slightly flattened head of the Peterbald forms, if you will, a snake-like profile; by the way, the “muzzle of the face” of his congener the Don Sphinx is “equipped” with much more noticeable cheekbones;
- the eyes of the Peterbalds are somewhat smaller than those of its relatives, and the owner of the largest eyes of this trinity is a Canadian, whose amber almond-shaped eyes and in general the exterior of the muzzle really resemble a humanoid, some creature from another planet, or even something otherworldly, mystical;
- the head of the Canadian Sphynx is wide and short, set on a neck that is more massive than that of the Peterbald or Don Sphynx; by the way, the actual neck of the Peterbald is elongated, and is quite proportional to his muzzle and so on.
Varieties of St. Petersburg sphinxes
The main and only criterion for the variety of Peterbalds is their exterior, as it would not sound surprising, five types of their wool cover:
- naked or hairless, sometimes referred to as gummy - gum cat,
- flock - mustacheless and eyeless individuals, which, nevertheless, have a very short six, up to 2 mm in length,
- velour (physical culture greetings to Arkady Varlamovich Veliurov!), owners of a slightly thicker ultrashort wool than flock wool,
- brush - cats that tend to partially go bald upon reaching adulthood,
- brush point - partially pubescent, covered with a gentle flock, and finally,
- a straight-haired variety that retains the external features of the Oriental and Siamese cats.
Character traits
Like most domestic cats, equally thoroughbred and mestizo, Peterbald is a monogamous creature, with all their little hearts they become attached once and for all to their owner. Although they value the attention to their immodest person and other members of their family to no less extent.
Experts and owners of Peterbald people especially emphasize their high intelligence, curiosity, constant, irrepressible desire to learn everything new, and also their openness, sometimes even beyond measure.
And also the imposing Peterbald are chattering cats, and few can resist their personal charm, their cute chatter. Some will clearly hear "mom" and "love" in this chatter.
Attitude towards children
With children, Petersbolds are very careful and even diplomatic, sometimes, however, they use their claws.
Relationship to other animals
“Petriks” are very friendly and easily make contact and make friends even with birds, rodents, and reptiles, not to mention dogs, if they live in the same house with them.
Education and training
It is the high intelligence of the Peterbalds that serves as the key to their upbringing and training, it is very desirable, in a playful way, without coercion or, God forbid, pressure on the pet - in this case, the owner will not need the talent of the same Yuri Kuklachev, and training a cat or cat to be brought up will become easy and even funny.
Care
Like any other domestic cat, Peterballed Sphynxes require elementary care, which, of course, due to some of the characteristics of this breed, has its own nuances. So, for example, from time to time, the pet should be wiped with alcohol-free wet wipes, and baby oils are used to moisturize the delicate skin of the Peterbald, which should not contain any fragrances.
Bathing
Petersbolds are taught to swim from a very young age so that in the future this simple hygienic procedure does not raise questions from its main participant and does not serve as a reason for a "uniform scandal".
Bathing takes place in water, the temperature of which coincides with the average body temperature of the Peterbald - 38 - 40 degrees, using special zoo shampoos, naked individuals need to be bathed once every three to four weeks.
After water procedures, the pet is wiped dry and dried in a terry towel, because this is the only way the Peterbald can avoid the annoying cold.
Nutrition
Peterbalds have accelerated metabolism, and therefore certain requirements are imposed on their diet and frequency of feeding.
A Peterbald child should be taught from childhood to a balanced diet and should not be allowed to, both at a young age and later, already in mature years, this cat does not feel hunger or, conversely, does not overeat.
For the normal existence of Peterbalds, both natural food and ready-made dry and wet super- and super-premium food from well-known manufacturers of food for pets is quite suitable.
It is clear that the basis of the diet of domestic cats should be meat, up to 80% of the total amount of food, and the remaining 20% are vegetables, cereals, and fermented milk products, but not pure milk since this is still more intended for kittens. and not to adult individuals of domestic cats, as strange as it may sound now.
Only in this way, the cat's body will be adequately provided with vitamins, minerals, and, finally, amino acids, and the cat itself will remain in good physical shape for many years.
Meat, if we are talking about natural nutrition, should be boiled, but in no case fried, any fatty foods, smoked meats, salted foods, and so on are also excluded - in a word, everything that can only harm the already fragile health of the pet.
In any case, the diet of any cat, not only Peterbalds, should be compiled taking into account the recommendations of feed manufacturers and veterinarians, and felinologists, and then strictly adhere to these recommendations.
Health care
This concept includes a whole range of generally simple activities, which, however, should be carried out regularly, if not constantly. For example, wiping the perineum and anus of an animal after each visit to the toilet with wet wipes that do not contain alcohol or fragrances (after all, a child shouldn't be an asshole!).
Here is a thorough examination of the Peterbald's burdock ears, his eyes, his mouth, finally. It is not enough to say inspection, it is clear that all these "spare parts" require a separate approach: the eyes, the corners of the eyes themselves, should be wiped with a napkin soaked in water, teeth should be cleaned with a special paste using special toothbrushes, claws should be trimmed with a claw, and so on and so forth.
And here, of course, one cannot do without the advice of felinologists and veterinarians.
Walking
In the case of the Peterbalds, you can forget about walking and, in general, any contact with the outside world, unlike, say, a whole series of other new breeds of domestic cats. From the word "absolutely". Or better, forever. Because Peterbald creatures are all made of leather, extremely delicate, very prone to hypothermia, and therefore the street is simply contraindicated for them, it is simply vital for them to stay within the four walls. Even in dry, clear, and cloudless weather, which, by the way, their hometown rarely can boast of.
At worst, special clothing and footwear are provided for such cases. And then it’s a matter of the owner’s conscience.
Breeding Peterbald
In Russia today only three nurseries of Peterbalds are known - in Moscow, Tver and at the very end of geography, in the most ridges, as much as in Norilsk. A quite reasonable question involuntarily arises, what are such gentle creatures doing in this eternally snow-covered city?
As already mentioned, the breed standards do not allow the crossing of Peterbald with fixes of other breeds, and in order to breed Petersburg Sphynxes, preliminary observance of a number of bureaucratic procedures will be required, and if you do everything according to your mind, professionally, and not engage in amateur performances of the lowest order, while violating all conceivable and inconceivable moral and ethical standards.
In a word, breeding Peterbalds is a very, very troublesome business and not everyone, even the most experienced breeder, can handle it.
Kitten care
In order not to cause unnecessary worries in the kitten, he is first fed with what he was taught by the breeder, gradually transferring, if it is really necessary, to a new diet. Kittens are fed up to six times a day, and by adolescence and adulthood, this rate is reduced to two times a day.
How to choose a pet
The most optimal age for choosing a baby is three to four months old, since at an earlier date, any violent action in relation to a future pet, first of all, weaning it from its mother, can cause extremely undesirable stress, like that of the baby itself, which can further affect his health, and his very development, and his mother.
It is clear that when choosing a future family member, the closest attention should be paid to his appearance, and only an experienced felinologist can help make the right choice.
A kitten must be very active and overly curious, literally poke its nose into all holes, and this is perhaps the main indicator of its physical health.
Price
The final cost of a Peterbald baby is influenced by several factors at once, namely: the rarity of the color, its phenotype (a set of characteristics at one stage or another of the individual's development), and so on.
The range of prices, therefore, comes out decent, starting from 5,000 and up to 25,000 rubles for a young cat.