Furless Felines Sphynx Standards

	Furless Felines Sphynx Breeders Of Exotic Sphynx Cats

	Sphynx Show Standards
	CFA Standards
	HEAD: The head is slightly longer than it is wide, with prominent cheekbones and a distinctive whisker break. The skull is slightly rounded with a flat plane in front of the ears. The nose is straight and there is a slight to moderate palpable stop at the bridge of the nose. CHEEKS AND CHEEKBONES: Prominent, rounded cheekbones which define the eye and form a curve above the whisker break. MUZZLE AND CHIN: Whisker break with prominent whisker pads. Strong, well developed chin forming perpendicular line with upper lip. EARS: Large to very large. Broad at the base, open and upright. When viewed from the front, the outer base of the ear should begin at the level of the eye, neither low set nor on top of the head. The interior of the ears is naturally without furnishing. EYES: Large, lemon-shaped, with wide-open center while coming to a definite point on each side. Placement should be at a slight upward angle, aligning with the outer base of the ear. Eyes to be wide set apart with the distance between the eyes being a minimum of one eye width. Eye color immaterial. BODY: The body is medium length, hard and muscular with broad rounded chest and full round abdomen. The rump is well rounded and muscular. Back line rises just behind the shoulder blades to accommodate longer back legs when standing. Boning is medium.
	NECK: The neck is medium in length, rounded, well muscled, with a slight arch. Allowance to be made for heavy musculature in adult males. LEGS AND FEET: Legs are medium in proportion to the body. They are sturdy and well muscled with rear legs being slightly longer than the front. Paws are oval with well-knuckled toes; five in front and four behind. The paw pads are thick, giving the appearance of walking on cushions. TAIL: Slender, flexible, and long while maintaining proportion to body length. Whip-like, tapering to a fine point. COAT/SKIN: The appearance of this cat is one of hairlessness. However, short, fine hair may be present on the feet, outer edges of the ears, the tail, and the scrotum. The bridge of the nose should be normally coated. The remainder of the body can range from completely hairless to a covering of soft peach-like fuzz, no longer than 1/8th of an inch (two millimeters) in length. This coat/skin texture creates a feeling of resistance when stroking the cat. Wrinkled skin is desirable, particularly around the muzzle, between the ears, and around the shoulders. There are usually no whiskers but if whiskers are present they are short and sparse. COLOR: Color and pattern are difficult to distinguish and should not affect the judging of the cat. White lockets, buttons, or belly spots are allowed. PENALIZE: Hair other than described. Delicate or frail appearance. Thin abdomen, thin rump, or narrow chest. Bowed front legs. Should not resemble the Devon Rex, Cornish Rex or Oriental body type. DISQUALIFY: Kinked or abnormal tail. Structural abnormalities. Aggressive behavior endangering the judge.
	GENERAL: The most distinctive feature of this cat is its appearance of hairlessness. The Sphynx is of medium size and body conformation with surprising weight for its size. Females are generally smaller than males. The head shape is a modified wedge, with prominent cheekbones and whisker pads giving a squared appearance to the muzzle. The body feels warm and soft to the touch, with a skin texture akin to either a soft peach or a smooth nectarine. The Sphynx is sweet-tempered, lively, and amenable to handling. SPHYNX COLORS: All colors and patterns, in any combination, found in felines is acceptable in the Sphynx with exception to any of the colors or patterns that are determined by the placement of color on the single shaft of hair. e.g. shaded, cameo, smoke, chinchilla, ticked or otherwise tipped hair shaft. Being a cat noted for its lack of hair, these descriptions would not apply to the Sphynx. Note: exposure to sun will intensify all colors
	POINT SCORE HEAD (35) 5 .. Size/Shape 10 .. Ears 5 .. Muzzle/Chin 5 .. Profile 5 .. Cheekbones 5 .. Eyes BODY (35) 5 .. Neck 10 .. Chest 10 .. Abdomen and Rump 5 .. Legs and Feet 5 .. Tail COAT/SKIN .. 30
	TICA Standards
	GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois. It may be covered with very fine down which is almost imperceptible scrotum, short, soft, fine hair is allowed. Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. A lion tail (puff of hair on the tip of the tail) is acceptable. The skin is very wrinkled in kittens. Adults should retain as many wrinkles as possible, especially on the head, although wrinkling should not be so pronounced that it affects the cat's normal functions. The head is slightly longer than it is wide with prominent cheekbones and a distinct whisker break. The profile has a slight to moderate stop at the bridge of the nose. The eyes are a large, rounded lemon in shape slanting to the outer corner of the ear. There is slightly more than the width of an eye between the eyes. The ears are very large, broad at the base and open, with no interior hair. They are upright, neither low-set nor on top of the head. The neck is medium, well-muscled and rounded, arching from the shoulders to the base of the skull. The neck is powerful, especially in males. The chest is broad, and may tend toward being barrel-chested. The body is medium to medium long, well-rounded, thick through the abdomen, having the appearance of having eaten a large meal, but not fat. The Sphynx is very hard and muscular, having medium bone structure; it is not a delicate cat. The tail is whippy, tapering from the body to the tip (rat tailed). The tail length is to be in proportion to the body. The leg length is in proportion with the body, but not fine-boned; the legs are firm and muscular to the feel. Female's legs may be more slender than those of the males. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front. The forelegs are widely set. The paws are oval, with long, slender toes and the paw pads are thicker than in other breeds, giving the appearance of walking on air cushions. The cat should not be small or dainty. Males may be up to 25 percent larger so long as proper proportions are maintained. The Sphynx is sweet-tempered, lively, intelligent and above all amenable to handling.
	PENALIZE: Overall small cat. Body that is too thin, frail appearing or delicate or fine-boned; too cobby or foreign. Lack of wrinkles on the head. Straight profile, narrow head. Non-amenable disposition. Significant amounts of hair above the ankle. WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS: Any indication of wavy hair or suggestion of the Devon Rex, or Cornish Rex in molt; any evidence of depilitating, plucking, shaving or clipping or any other means of hair removal. Unable to handle. See Show Rules, ARTICLE SIXTEEN for rules governing penalties/dis-qualifications applying to all cats.
	Points: HEAD 35 points,Shape and Size 5, Muzzle and Chin 5, Profile 5, Cheekbones 5, Eyes 5, Ears 10, BODY 35 points, Chest 10, Abdomen 10, Legs and Feet 5, Tail 5, Neck 5, COAT AND SKIN 25 points, COLOR 5 points. RECOGNIZED CATEGORIES/DIVISIONS/COLORS:All Categories, all Divisions, all colors.
	HEAD Size: Medium Shape: Modified wedge with rounded contours, slightly longer than wide. Skull: Slight rounded with a rather flat forehead. Profile: Slight to moderate stop at bridge of nose. Cheekbones: Prominent. Muzzle and Chin: Strong rounded muzzle with distinct whisker break and firm chin. NECK Length: Medium. Shape: Rounded, well-muscled. Miscellaneous: Arches from shoulders to base of skull. Powerful, especially in males. EARS Shape: Broad at base and open. Size: Very large. Set: Upright, neither low-set nor on top of the head. Miscellaneous: Interior is totally hairless. Slight amount of hair allowed on lower outside edges and on the back of the ear EYES Shape: Rounded lemon. Size: Large. Placement: Slanting to outer corner of ear. Slightly more than an eye width between eyes. Color: Ideally to conform to coat color, but green and hazel acceptable.
	BODY Size: Medium. Length: Medium to medium long. Chest: Broad, may tend toward barrel chested. Abdomen: Well-rounded, having the appearance of having eaten a large meal, but not fat. Boning: Medium. Musculature: Hard and muscular, not delicate. TAIL Shape: Whippy, tapering from body to tip (rat-tailed). Length: In proportion to body. Miscellaneous: Lion tail (puff of hair on tip) acceptable. LEGS Length: In proportion with body. Hind legs slightly longer than front. Front legs widely set. Boning: Medium. Musculature: Firm and muscular.
	FEET Shape: Oval with long, slender toes. Size: Medium. Paw Pads: Thicker than in other breeds, giving the cat the appearance of walking on "air cushions". Toes: Very long, slender and prominent. COAT AND SKIN Length: Appears hairless. May be covered with short, fine down. May have puff of hair on tip of tail. Texture: Chamois-like. A feeling of resistance may be felt when stroking the skin of some cats. Whiskers: Sparse and short. Wrinkles: The skin is very wrinkled in kittens. Adults should retain as many wrinkles as possible, especially on the head, although wrinkling should not be so pronounced that it affects the cat's normal functions. COLOR All colors of all divisions. White lockets and buttons accepted.

	918-439-1959





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