The origin of the breed, the standard of appearance, the character and health of the Peterbald, advice on care, features of selection and kittens. Price when buying a Peterbald kitten. Peterbald is the Mr. and Miss Elegance of the modern feline world, bred in Russia, the city of Petersburg. Gracefulness and dignity, grace and regality of posture, lightness and dexterity, strength and independence, courage and nobility, tenderness and devotion. And all this in one cat with a spectacular fashion model and almond-shaped eyes of the all-knowing Sphinx.
The origin of the Peterbald breed
The Peterbald breed, or, as it is also called, the Petersburg Sphynx, was bred by Russian breeders: felinologist Olga Mironova and cat breeder Tatyana Komarova, most recently - in 1994.
The task of the breeders was to combine the elegant slenderness of the oriental cat's body with the oriental expressiveness of the Siamese and the naked hairlessness of the Don Sphynx. The priority was to get exactly a naked cat with an oriental look.
For this purpose, the Don Sphynx cat Afinogen Myth and the magnificent oriental tortoiseshell cat Radma von Jagerhof (world champion) were specially selected and experimentally crossed. The kittens obtained as a result of this "marriage" became the first representatives of the Peterbald breed. Further breeding work was entirely aimed at consolidating the "oriental character" of the resulting appearance of the breed. For this, the crossbreeding of Peterbalds was subsequently carried out only with Siamese, Balinese and Oriental cat breeds.
The official international registration of the breed in the American Cat Association TICA (The International Cat Association) was made in 1997. Since 2000, when the “naked gene” of the ancestors, the Don Sphynxes, was finally hereditarily assigned to the breed, a categorical ban was introduced on mating the Petersburg Sphynx breed with the Don Sphynxes. In 2003, the St. Petersburg Sphynx breed was recognized by the World Cat Federation WCF (World Cat Federation).
The literal translation of the name of the breed from English sounds pretty funny - "Bald Peter". Who exactly the creators of the breed had in mind when choosing the name is not known for certain. Is it really the very founder of St. Petersburg, Emperor Peter the Great?
External standard of Peterbald cats
The St. Petersburg Sphynx is a truly unique animal, it is so refined and graceful and colorful in an oriental way. Peterbalds in their appearance are surprisingly reminiscent of the famous syenite sphinxes of St. Petersburg, installed on the University embankment of the Neva. Isn't this similarity the creators of the breed were trying to achieve?
But in essence, a peterbald is a naked oriental or Siamese cat:
- Small head The Peterbald cat has a wedge-shaped, as if chiseled, narrow shape with flat cheeks and a pronounced straight nose. The profile of the animal, combined with the length of the neck, resembles the profile of Queen Nefertiti from the famous sculptural composition, so refined, noble and regal it is. Sometimes this shape of the profile is called by experts "cat-lovers" the "drawn shape" or "the profile of the saiga".
- Neck - thin, long and graceful, like a swan.
- Ears - large, erect, wide at the base and somewhat divorced to the sides, which creates the illusion of eternal alertness or fear of the animal. Lower ear set is preferred.
- Eyes a very beautiful almond-shaped or oriental slanting shape, deep-set, flush with the cheekbones, with the outer corners extended to the temples. The mystically all-knowing eyes of the Egyptian Sphinx. Eye color - deep green and bright blue or (even better) intense blue in color-point cats.
- Body type Petersburg Sphynx elongated, elegantly muscular, flexible and thin, with a narrow chest and shoulders (ideally, their width should be equal to the width of the hips). Peterbalds are medium-sized cats. Their body weight does not exceed 5 kg in adult males and 3.5 kg in females.
- Animal limbs very long, slender, which is why the representatives of this breed resemble professional fashion models on the podium. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones, due to which the back line is raised to the pelvis. The legs are oval. The toes are thin and neatly tucked together. The paw pads are not pronounced. The tail is long, slender, thin, very flexible, resembling a whip. The presence of kinks or hooks is considered a serious disadvantage.
- Skin covering thin, delicate, with excess skin, gathering in numerous parallel shifting folds, especially noticeable on the sides, head and at the base of the legs. There is a long longitudinal fold on the abdomen.
These cats belong to hairless or "bald" breeds, therefore, on the body of a young cat (under the age of two years), only light fluff is allowed - in the area of the muzzle, ears, tail and lower limbs.
Young Peterbalds, depending on the quality of the skin covering the kitten, are conventionally divided into nine main types:
- "Bald-born" - a cat, originally born completely without hair and having "plasticine" skin to the touch.
- "Naked" - a cat that became completely bald only after reaching the age of two.
- "Rubber" - Sphynx cat, devoid of wool with leather quality similar to rubber, but pleasant to the touch.
- "Dust" - a cat with very short, almost imperceptible hair, as if sprayed on the skin, smooth and delicate to the touch.
- "Flock" is a cat with sparse and soft hairs (length up to 2 mm) all over the body, without eyebrows or whiskers.
- "Velor" is an animal that has a denser coat of wool than that of "flock", which to the touch resembles a velor fabric.
- "Brush" - from English - "brush". The name speaks for itself. The wool of the sphinx is either soft or harsh, puffy hairs of varying degrees of density.
- “Flock-point / velor-point / brush-point” - fur of the appropriate quality is placed only on the points of the cat (head, paws, tail).
- "Varietta" or "straight-haired" - a cat that did not inherit the hairless gene, with straight hair.
It is interesting that the gene that caused the disappearance of the coat in the representatives of this breed was also reflected in the shape of the mustache of these wonderful creatures. The whiskers of the St. Petersburg Scythians have acquired a twisted, spiral or broken shape, which often frightens inexperienced owners, forcing them to turn to veterinarians. In fact, there is nothing wrong with that, and your pets are absolutely healthy and thoroughbred. A curled mustache, and sometimes eyebrows, is completely normal and should not be worried.
All genetically possible types of skin color are recognized as breed standards. These are Siamese, and solid, and with patterns, and with stripes, and two-color (bi-color), and pure white, and rare lilac, and cream, and chocolate, and red. You can't count all of them. But absolutely all of them are allowed and allowed to the feline championships.
Peterbald's character
The St. Petersburg Sphinx is able to charm anyone. He is affectionate, peaceful, not vindictive and communicative. His love for people is boundless and invaluable. Briefly, his affectionate character can be described quite poetically - this is an oriental riddle with hot skin and sunny temperament.
The St. Petersburg Sphynx does not like loneliness and enjoys communicating with the owner and other pets. Often, in a compartment with Peterbalds in the same house, they also contain, well-getting along, Oriental, Siamese and Donchaks, who get along well with each other.
The St. Petersburg Sphynx belongs to the group of oriental cats, or, as they are also called because of the peculiarities of their habits - "cats-dogs", who follow their owners "tail" all day long. They are happy to go into their hands, so much so that they do not drive away (they love endless stroking, scratching and caressing). They need constant communication. It will not be possible to retire, they will constantly loom somewhere nearby, in full readiness to instantly jump onto their hands. People who like less annoying animals are better off adopting a different breed. Peterbalds will not give rest.
These cats get along well with other pets (and not necessarily cats), make friends with dogs and parrots, communicate well with children (you cannot find a better nanny). It seems that this unusual cat perfectly understands the language of many animals, as well as human speech. He is perfectly capable of following commands, catching the slightest changes in intonation and mood.
In the absence of the owners, the Peterbald can find himself some exciting activity. Any piece of paper or candy wrapper can instantly become an object of hunting or a toy for this playful creature. If you are not too lazy and pay attention to training your pet, then you can easily teach him to bring and serve the necessary items, as dogs do at the command "fetch". Likewise, these animals easily learn to execute the command "to the foot", "to walk" and many other completely "doggy" commands.
Easily gets used to the tray and feeding order, not at all trying to break the regime and routine. It is not difficult to teach a Peterbald cat to the obligatory hygienic procedures: rubbing with wet wipes, cleaning ears, clipping nails and bathing. Although the St. Petersburg Sphynx is not a particular admirer of the water element, it endures bathing calmly, steadfastly and without scandal, waiting for the end of the procedure. Over time, and does get used to it.
And also, like all sphinxes, representatives of this breed are unusually talkative. And the timbre of their voice cannot be called quiet. Sometimes they yell, and they yell quite loudly, especially when they feel that they will now be left alone or will not be taken to bed with them. This usually occurs in the first months of existence (in extreme cases, up to the age of one year). Then it passes, these animals are very intelligent and quick-witted. Growing up, they gradually forget their bad habits and speak very loudly only when they are hungry.
In general, the Peterbald is a wonderful, affectionate, warm breed for patient people who adore close contact and continuous communication with a pet.
Health of St. Petersburg sphinxes
Studies have shown that this breed does not have any significant health problems of a hereditary-genetic nature.
But the problems inherent in all naked cat breeds do occur. Especially of a cold nature and related complications, which is quite natural in the complete absence of even minimal wool. That is why Peterbald people need more comfortable living conditions, excluding drafts, hypothermia and overheating.
Sometimes there is an allergic rash or acne on the tail. And if it is quite easy to get rid of acne, it is enough to use the most common lotion for acne, then sometimes you have to fight with allergies for the whole cat's life (although, sometimes it disappears on its own, when you move to an area with a different climate).
For the rest, the Peterbald is classified by veterinarians as a cat breed with good immunity, requiring minimal medical intervention with a good and caring attitude of the owner, timely vaccination and properly organized nutrition.
Peterbald care
Caring for the skin of the St. Petersburg Scythian is quite specific (it all depends on whether your pet is completely bald or conditionally bald), but in general, it is close to the usual methods of caring for Sphynx cats. It does not take much time and does not overburden the owner.
The main specificity of the skin of this handsome man, like all sphinxes, is the fact that the skin of the Peterbald constantly secretes a certain secret, a protective skin lubricant, which many for some reason take for the sweat of an animal. In fact, this is precisely the lubricant (rather sticky and similar to waxy), without which the animal would constantly have problems with drying and cracking of the skin. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to fight this "evil" every day. It is recommended that you simply bathe your grimy pet once every one to two weeks (it all depends on the degree of pollution), using shampoos that are most gentle on the skin.
But among the fans of the breed there are also opponents of such frequent bathing (although the Petersbolds treat the water calmly, without getting stress). They prefer to wipe the pet with baby wipes or a damp towel every one to two days. Both options are acceptable and not burdensome. Which one you choose is up to you.
It is also necessary to regularly clean the ears of your purr and remove the secretions that collect in the corners of the eyes and trim the claws. All this clever Scythians allow you to do with yourself without any problems.
Peterbald kittens
In cats of the St. Petersburg breed of bald sphinxes, the maternal instinct is excellently developed. They easily cope with pregnancy, bringing about five young offspring at a time. Moreover, all newborn kittens, by a strange whim of Mother Nature, have a different quality of skin and wool.
According to the observations of breeders, usually out of five newborns, one is a "brush", two are a "flop", and the rest are completely bald. Moreover, what kind of sphinx will become in adulthood, according to the condition of its skin and coat in youth, is difficult to predict even for experienced specialists.
The peculiarity of the young St. Petersburg sphinxes is that they see their sight earlier and grow quickly, gaining weight. The mother cat devotes all her time to them, constantly licking, feeding and playing with them. The maternal instinct of these cats is so strong that they are easily able to feed and "bring into the people" and their own and other people's kittens.
Price when buying a Peterbald kitten
The new sphynx cat from St. Petersburg with hot skin and surprisingly affectionate character has already gained considerable popularity not only in Russia, but also abroad. More and more people are willing to have such an extraordinary pet.
Currently, the price for a kitten of this hairless breed ranges from 5,000 rubles to 15,000 rubles. It is possible that the most thoroughbred and stately individuals with a rare color (for example, lilac) will cost you much more than the specified amount.
And it is also very important - do not take the kitten earlier than three months of age, no matter how you would like it. An early separation from a mother cat always traumatizes the psyche of the cub and does not allow him to fully develop. This is where the problems begin. With health, with the psyche, with education. Do you need it?
More useful information about the St. Petersburg Sphinx (Peterbald) in this video:
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