CARE & NUTRITION

Feeding

Sphynx cats have higher energy demands than normally coated cats. Without a full insulating coat they lose heat more easily and use more energy for thermoregulation, which is one of the reasons the breed is known for a strong appetite and often eating more frequently than other cats.

You will sometimes see this described as the Sphynx having a metabolism around 20% faster than a coated cat. Higher metabolism and energy requirements are well recognised in veterinary descriptions of the breed, but there is no good reason to treat 20% as a fixed number for every Sphynx. A small neutered female living in a very warm home and a large, active male are obviously not going to need exactly the same amount of food.

Body condition matters more than a formula. A healthy Sphynx should be well muscled and maintain an appropriate weight without becoming either thin or overweight.

This site recommends a properly balanced raw diet or high-quality complete wet food as the main diet for Sphynx cats.

Cats are obligate carnivores and their metabolism is adapted to obtaining much of their nutrition from animal tissue. When given a choice between foods with different macronutrient profiles, cats have also been shown to regulate their intake towards a high-protein, relatively low-carbohydrate diet.

Moisture is another reason for preferring wet or raw food. Cats naturally obtain a large proportion of their water through what they eat. Studies comparing diets with different moisture contents consistently find that cats eating high-moisture food have a higher total water intake than cats eating dry food, even though cats eating dry food drink more from the water bowl. Higher dietary moisture also increases urine volume and produces more dilute urine.

Dry food therefore provides very little of the cat’s water through the food itself, leaving much more of that intake dependent on drinking.

If raw is fed, balanced is the important word. Raw meat on its own is not a complete diet. A properly formulated raw diet needs to provide the correct balance of muscle and organ meat, an appropriate source of calcium, essential amino acids including taurine, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Simply feeding different pieces of raw meat does not automatically provide everything a cat needs.

How often should a Sphynx eat?

Kittens need to eat frequently. They are growing quickly, have relatively small stomachs and have much higher energy requirements for their size than adults. Four or five meals spread through the day works well for young kittens.

Adults can normally eat less frequently. Three meals a day is a reasonable starting point, although some Sphynx do better with smaller meals given more often.

There is no need to turn this into a rigid feeding schedule. What matters is how much the cat eats across the whole day and what happens to its weight and body condition over time.

Free-feeding dry food is not recommended here. Leaving food permanently available makes it very easy to lose track of how much a cat is actually eating, particularly where several cats share a home, and it makes changes in appetite much harder to notice.

What should be in the food?

Not all cat food is equal and the front of the packet tells surprisingly little about what is actually inside it.

The first thing to check is whether the food is complete. A food labelled complementary is not designed to provide the cat’s entire nutritional requirement by itself, regardless of how good the ingredients may look.

Then look at the actual composition.

Cats have an unusually high requirement for dietary protein compared with many other mammals and retain a number of metabolic adaptations associated with obligate carnivory. They can digest properly processed carbohydrate, so carbohydrate itself should not be described as inherently toxic, but physiologically cats remain adapted to a diet based predominantly around animal tissue.

Clearly identified animal ingredients are preferable to vague descriptions because they make it much easier to understand what the food actually contains.

The ingredient list still needs some common sense. Ingredients are listed by weight and that weight can include water, so simply seeing meat first on the list does not tell you everything about the nutritional composition of the finished food.

The same applies to labels such as grain-free. Removing grain does not automatically make a food high in meat or low in carbohydrate. Grain can simply be replaced with potato, peas or another source of starch.

Ultimately, the useful questions are quite simple: Is it complete? What is actually in it? Does it provide appropriate animal protein and fat? How much moisture does it contain? And does the cat maintain a healthy weight and body condition on it?

That tells you considerably more than the marketing on the front of the packet.

Sources

For the macronutrient section, the experimental work is particularly useful: cats preferentially selected a profile providing about 53% of metabolizable energy from protein, 36% from fat and 11% from carbohydrate in one controlled study. That doesn’t mean every cat food needs to reproduce those exact percentages, but it supports the underlying point about feline macronutrient selection.

For hydration, Buckley et al. experimentally changed only the water content of otherwise nutritionally standardised diets and demonstrated the effect of increasing dietary moisture on urine output and dilution.  A newer study using both colony and privately owned cats also found higher total water intake on 100% wet than 100% dry food, despite dry-fed cats drinking more separately.

Supplementation

Supplementation depends first on what you feed.

A complete commercial diet, whether raw or wet, should already contain the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids a cat needs. The important word here is complete. Not every commercial raw or wet food is complete, and the actual amount of individual nutrients can vary between products.

If the manufacturer provides a full nutritional analysis, it is worth checking what is actually in the food rather than assuming that every complete diet contains exactly the same amount of everything.

Home-prepared raw is different. It needs to be properly balanced as a whole diet and will usually require supplementation. Adding a few vitamins or some taurine by guesswork does not make an otherwise unbalanced diet complete.

Taurine

Taurine is probably the one supplement worth discussing separately because cats have an absolute dietary requirement for it.

They cannot make enough taurine themselves to meet their needs and deficiency can have serious consequences, including retinal degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Complete commercial foods, including complete raw diets, should already contain adequate taurine, but the amount is not identical in every product. Where the manufacturer provides the taurine content, it makes sense to check it against current nutritional recommendations rather than simply assuming all foods provide the same amount.

Taurine is also a little different from many other nutrients because cats handle excess taurine relatively well. As dietary intake increases above requirements, urinary excretion increases substantially, and current FEDIAF guidelines do not set a nutritional maximum for taurine in cat food.

That still should not be taken to mean that unlimited amounts can be given. There is no benefit in adding huge doses simply because an upper nutritional limit has not been established.

With a home-prepared raw diet, taurine should be included as part of a properly balanced recipe. But taurine is only one part of that calculation. Adding taurine to a diet that is deficient in calcium, vitamins, minerals or other essential nutrients does not make the diet balanced.

There is also an important distinction when we talk about heart health. Taurine deficiency is a recognised cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in cats. There is currently no evidence that giving additional taurine to a Sphynx already receiving enough will prevent HCM.

Omega fatty acids

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are part of normal feline nutrition and a complete diet should already contain the essential fatty acids a cat requires.

Fish oil is sometimes added as a source of EPA and DHA, but it should not be treated as something every Sphynx automatically needs on top of a complete diet.

The amount already present in the food matters, and more is not automatically better. Increasing polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet also affects the amount of vitamin E required.

If fish oil is being added, choose a product that clearly states how much EPA and DHA it contains rather than using an unspecified amount of salmon or fish oil and assuming that all products are equivalent.

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 is often marketed as a heart supplement and some owners use it in cats with cardiac disease.

The problem is that evidence in cats is limited, and there is currently no good evidence showing that routine CoQ10 supplementation prevents HCM or offers a particular benefit to healthy Sphynx cats.

For that reason, CoQ10 should not be considered a routine Sphynx supplement.

Probiotics

Probiotics may be useful in some cats with specific gastrointestinal problems, but they should not automatically be added to every Sphynx diet.

Evidence in cats is still fairly limited and the effect depends on the particular bacterial strain and product being used. Different probiotics are not interchangeable simply because they all carry the same general label.

If a cat has an actual digestive problem, that is a much better reason to discuss an appropriate probiotic with a vet than adding one simply because the cat is a Sphynx.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient and a complete diet should already provide it.

It becomes particularly relevant when additional fish oil or other sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids are added, because increasing PUFA intake also increases the dietary requirement for vitamin E.

Vitamin E should not be routinely supplemented on top of a complete diet without first checking what the cat is already receiving.

What not to do

Do not supplement blindly.

A complete diet has already been formulated around a particular balance of nutrients, and adding more does not automatically make it better.

Some nutrients can absolutely be given in excess. Vitamins A and D are obvious examples, and even supplements that sound relatively harmless can alter the balance of the diet.

Taurine is somewhat different because cats readily excrete excess taurine and there is currently no established nutritional maximum in the FEDIAF guidelines. Even then, it is still worth checking how much the cat is already receiving before deciding that more is necessary.

If the diet is complete, additional supplementation may not be needed at all.

If the diet is home-prepared, the answer is not to build it supplement by supplement. The whole recipe needs to be properly formulated.

A note on quality

Not all supplements are equal.

Look for products with clear ingredient lists, named sources and proper dosage information. With products such as fish oil, the actual amount of the active nutrients matters much more than the name on the front of the bottle.

Avoid vague labelling and products that do not tell you clearly what they contain.

If you cannot work out exactly what you are giving, how much you are giving and why you are giving it, choose something else.Supplementation

Supplementation depends first on what you feed.

A complete commercial diet, whether raw or wet, should already contain the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids a cat needs. The important word here is complete. Not every commercial raw or wet food is complete, and the actual amount of individual nutrients can vary between products.

If the manufacturer provides a full nutritional analysis, it is worth checking what is actually in the food rather than assuming that every complete diet contains exactly the same amount of everything.

Home-prepared raw is different. It needs to be properly balanced as a whole diet and will usually require supplementation. Adding a few vitamins or some taurine by guesswork does not make an otherwise unbalanced diet complete.

Water & hydration

Sphynx cats should always have access to fresh water. Water bowls should be emptied, washed and refilled regularly rather than simply topped up. Food particles, saliva and debris collect in the water surprisingly quickly.

Cats are naturally not very enthusiastic drinkers. As a species they evolved getting a large proportion of their water from prey, and this still matters when we look at how much moisture they take in with food.

A wet or properly balanced raw diet provides a significant amount of water as part of the meal. Cats eating high-moisture diets generally have a higher total water intake and produce a larger, more dilute volume of urine than cats eating dry diets.

This is one of the reasons this site favours properly balanced raw food or complete wet over dry food as the main diet. Hydration is built into the food rather than relying entirely on the cat choosing to drink enough separately.

Fresh drinking water should still always be available, regardless of what the cat eats.

Some cats prefer moving water and will happily drink from a running tap while barely touching a bowl. In that situation a fountain is certainly worth trying. It does not guarantee that every cat will drink more, but giving different water options can help establish what an individual cat prefers.

Fountains need cleaning just as much as bowls do. Filters, pumps and internal surfaces can collect biofilm and debris, so circulating water should not automatically be assumed to be clean water.

Stainless steel or ceramic bowls and fountains are a practical choice because they are durable and easy to clean thoroughly.

Bathing

Sphynx skin naturally accumulates oil and surface debris which is much more noticeable without a coat. This is why most Sphynx need some form of regular skin cleaning, although how often they actually need a full bath varies enormously.

Some cats may need bathing every couple of weeks, while others can go for a few months without needing one. There is no reason to bathe a clean cat simply because a certain number of days has passed. The condition of the skin is a much better guide.

Sometimes hands alone are not enough to remove heavier buildup, particularly in skin folds, between the toes and around the tail. A soft exfoliating glove can help, but it should be used gently in a massaging motion rather than for scrubbing. The aim is to remove excess buildup without irritating the skin.

Use a shampoo suitable for cats and rinse it out thoroughly. Residue left on the skin can itself cause irritation.

More bathing is not necessarily better. Washing too frequently, using harsh products or repeatedly scrubbing the skin can interfere with the normal skin barrier and leave it dry or irritated.

If the skin suddenly becomes much oilier than usual, develops an unusual smell, redness, scaling, itching or recurring sore areas, simply bathing the cat more often is unlikely to solve it. A noticeable change from what is normal for that particular cat is worth having checked.

Over time, most owners simply learn how often their own cat needs bathing. The aim is healthy, comfortable skin, not a Sphynx that has been scrubbed completely oil-free.

Skin folds

Some Sphynx have much deeper skin folds than others, particularly around the neck, legs and armpits. Oil and moisture can collect in these areas, so they are worth checking regularly.

They do not need constant scrubbing. If a fold is dirty, it can usually be gently wiped with a soft damp cloth and dried afterwards. Keeping moisture sitting inside a deep fold can cause more problems rather than solve them.

Redness, soreness, an unusual smell, discharge or skin that remains damp and irritated should not simply be treated by cleaning it more often. These can be signs of dermatitis or infection and are better checked by a vet.

Blackheads and acne

Blackheads are quite common in Sphynx and are particularly noticeable on the chin and tail, although they can appear elsewhere.

A few blackheads do not necessarily mean there is a skin problem. Mild buildup can usually be managed as part of normal bathing and skin care without trying to remove every individual blackhead.

Do not squeeze or pick them and do not use human acne products. Ingredients and concentrations intended for human skin may not be appropriate for cats, particularly when anything applied to the skin can later be licked off.

If the area becomes red, swollen, painful, develops pustules or discharge, or keeps getting worse despite normal skin care, it needs veterinary attention rather than increasingly aggressive cleaning.

Food and water bowls should be washed regularly. Stainless steel and ceramic are generally easier to keep clean and are a sensible choice, particularly for a cat that develops chin acne. The commonly repeated claim that plastic bowls causefeline acne is much less certain, so it is better not to present that as an established fact.

Sun exposure

Hairlessness leaves Sphynx skin much less protected from ultraviolet radiation than the skin of a normally coated cat. Lightly pigmented and white areas are particularly vulnerable.

Sunburn is the immediate concern, but repeated UV exposure matters as well. Chronic solar damage in cats can eventually lead to actinic or solar dermatitis and squamous cell carcinoma, particularly on lightly pigmented skin.

The safest approach is therefore to limit strong, prolonged sun exposure rather than relying on sunscreen to make it safe.

This matters outdoors, but a Sphynx that spends long periods sunbathing behind a window should not be completely ignored either. Ordinary window glass blocks most UVB but allows considerably more UVA through.

If sunscreen is needed, it should be a product specifically confirmed as suitable for cats and discussed with a vet. Human sunscreen should not simply be substituted, as some ingredients can be unsafe when absorbed or licked from the skin.

For cats spending time outside, shade and limiting exposure during periods of strong sun are more reliable first measures. Lightweight protective clothing can provide additional physical protection if the cat tolerates it, but it should never cause overheating or restrict normal movement.

Ears

Sphynx ears can accumulate a surprising amount of dark, waxy debris. It is also much more visible than it would be in a coated cat.

There is no need to make perfectly clean ears the goal. Some cats need their ears cleaned fairly regularly, others much less often, so it makes more sense to check them and clean when needed than to follow a fixed weekly schedule.

Use an ear cleaner intended for cats and follow the instructions on the product. A cotton pad can be used for the parts of the ear that are easy to reach, but cotton buds should never be pushed down into the ear canal.

Dark brown wax can be completely normal in a Sphynx, but it should not automatically be assumed to be normal just because of the colour. A sudden increase in discharge, unpleasant smell, redness, head shaking or persistent scratching needs checking. Ear mites and bacterial or yeast infections can also produce dark debris and need veterinary treatment.

Claws and toes

Brown, waxy material also tends to collect around the nail beds and between the toes in Sphynx cats. It becomes particularly obvious when the claw is extended and can simply be cleaned gently as part of normal grooming.

How often this needs doing depends on the cat.

Claws should be checked regularly and trimmed when necessary. For many indoor cats this may be around every couple of weeks, but activity and scratching habits make a difference, so there is no particular benefit in trimming claws that do not need it.

Only the transparent tip should be removed, avoiding the pink quick inside the claw. Anyone unsure how to do this should ask a vet, veterinary nurse or groomer to demonstrate it first.

Teeth

Dental care matters in Sphynx just as it does in other cats. Periodontal disease is common in cats generally, but there is currently not enough evidence to claim the same clear Sphynx-specific predisposition that has been demonstrated for conditions such as HCM, corneal sequestrum or entropion.

The most effective form of plaque control at home is tooth brushing.

Daily brushing is ideal, although several times a week is still useful if daily brushing is unrealistic. It is much easier to introduce this gradually when a cat is young, before there is actually a dental problem to deal with.

Use a small soft toothbrush and toothpaste made for pets. Human toothpaste should not be used.

Dental diets, treats and other products can provide additional help, but the word “dental” on the packaging does not necessarily mean that a product has been shown to work. Products supported by evidence, such as those accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council, are a better place to start.

Raw chicken necks or other raw bones are not something that should be recommended as routine dental care. Apart from limited evidence for their use as dental treatment, bones can fracture teeth and raw animal products can carry pathogenic bacteria.

It is also worth getting into the habit of looking at the mouth rather than waiting until a cat stops eating.

Red or bleeding gums, persistent bad breath, visible tartar, drooling, pawing at the mouth or a change in how the cat eats all deserve attention. Cats can continue eating despite considerable dental pain, so a normal appetite does not necessarily mean that the mouth is healthy.

The teeth and gums should be examined during routine veterinary health checks. Some cats will eventually need a professional dental procedure under general anaesthesia, with dental X-rays where indicated. How often depends on the individual cat and what is actually found during examination rather than following a fixed cleaning schedule.