Mating Day!

After weeks of waiting for her after her weird call over Christmas, Prune finally went into heat on Wednesday/Thursday and so today, Good Friday I drove her to meet up with her beau. He wasted no time on pleasantries and was on her right away. We left them to it and soon, as we sipped a cuppa the first coitus yell was heard. 

Post mating day 1. Prune rolls and writhes to coat the releases egg with sperm

According to calculations I will know by April 19th (day 21) if she is successfully pregnant and kittens will arrive from day 63 May 31st. I think it will be June 1st or 2nd judging from her previous deliveries. This is definitely her last one and she will be happily retired after this her final litter of kittens are weaned.

I am SO proud of Prune. She has birthed some absolutely smashing kittens all of whom have been such characters and who fill their families lives with joy (and mayhem!) 

Plum has been calling regularly too desperate to procreate but we have not yet got a suitable suitor for her.

Can We Please Talk About Good breeding

It’s so so important that the stud and female cat are both properly health checked… this is not just a vet visit and up to date vaccinations and regular worming but includes very specialise necessary testing too. 

• First they must be free from FIV and FELV - this is tested by a blood draw done  by the vet.
• AND they must have also have an annual heart screening with an accredited VCS cardiologist .
• Additionally it’s ideal now if they have also been DNA tested by Ann accredited lab as we now know one gene that is proven to be linked to the genetic feline HCM so prevalent in this (& other) breeds. There are more genes to identify but it’s a beginning and we must use all the tools available to us

There are far too many people advertising studs for hire & kittens for sale without the cat or parent cats having had all of this screening - which does admittedly require financial investment by the owner/breeder before any kitten embryo is ever begin  . They then sell cheaply to unsuspecting buyers who have not been told about the breed or HCM and what is also sad is that most of these people do not even know about the need to screen for the diseases let alone to educate their buyers! 

As a person who openly adores this breed I take its future very seriously and fully recognise my duty if I am to breed from my pets to ensure it is a more robust breed in the years to come.

I take equally seriously the health and well-being of my dear cats, their mates, of their kittens and of the families to which those kittens will go.  I’m always happy to discuss HCM, and open a conversation about it with all potential kitten purchasers. I will explain how & why we monitor and try to safeguard against it. And I will explain the protocols to which we must adhere wherever it is discovered. 

My plea to you: 

Please please take time to research the Sphynx cat. It’s a wonderful, characterful breed & everyone who has one says (a) one is not enough &  (b) that they will always have them from now on. They are absolutely life changing pets. But please, you must also research your breeder and the way he or she takes care of their pets & kittens. 

Cheap kittens are not a ln easy or short cut way to become a Sphynx cat owner. Wht it is sadly & all too frequently is a shortcut to unhappiness & the devastation of loss. Buying cheaply encourages poor keepers to continue breeding poor quality kittens from poor quality cats. Pay for quality & buy from a registered breeder who shows you their documentation and is eager to talk to you about the breed and its health. 

Thank you 

Testing Testing Spring 2024

Prune (right) & Plum (left) with not a care in the world! 

 It’s been a busy time here with the cats having a blood draw in January to be re-tested for FELV & FIV - both Prune & her mini-me daughter? Plum Pipsqueak receiving negative results - which is exactly what we expected - meaning they have no Feline Leukaemia Virus or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. I didn’t suspect it but we test for it regardless as they will be visiting stud cats & need a clean bill of health when any cattery is accepting them in for a short stay. 

The February job was a 400mile round trip to see the veterinary cardiologist Vicky Itonside for their heart screening looking for any sign of the disease Feline HCM (Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy) l. Both girls came away with their certification however Prune now middle aged at 6 while within normal limits had sign of a thickening of a wall in one spot which was for me an area of concern. She was offered a special blood test there and then which I had done & the results did not point to her having HCM disease, though, given that we had had a very long journey on Saturday to get there, and an overnight stay where the girls chose not to eat or drink overnight - despite food water & their favourite treat being made available over a Saturday night and into Sunday - dehydration present in Pru at the time of the jugular being blood draw may have negatively influenced the blood sample & so having discussed the results of the heart screen change & blood test result I am going to repeat the same test this time at my home vet negating any risk of dehydration or hunger being an issue  in 6/8 months time - to be certain.

Pru is still agile, running with great gusto on the wheel & eats well, showing little sign of her years other than change to the pigmentation in her skin, this will be Pru’s very last pregnancy & litter. I had initially planned to spay her in 2023 since I was not having kittens due to my waiting for a surgery however, at the bequest of a dear friend eager to have a kitten from Pru join her cattery since she is so very healthy I decided to keep her active one extra year. But this will be her last & she richly deserves a long & happy retirement as the household matriarch. I will continue to heart screen her annually as it’s so important to monitor her & to build  knowledge to positively influence the future of this amazing breed.

Meanwhile, Plum Pipsqueak did not get to practice on any 2023 siblings which is why has always happened with adolescent girls eager to help out when a cat in my home has had kittens. So she will be having her first ever pregnancy & Kittening this year & learning on the job. She is eager to get started having been in call invert short cycles already & Im currently waiting on the DNA results of a stud male I’m  interested in pairing her with. Once his result is known, if negative, I’ll be taking her along to him within the next couple of weeks I think. Fingers crossed. 

Both ladies actually have been calling - but Pru is currently on a longer cycle more suited to this time of year. Plums more rapid cycling could be due to her youth but Prune will begin to have shorter cycles as the days lengthen further and warmer temperatures prevail. Nature really does know what it’s doing. 

I’ve already got two new ‘shell’ waiting to give them toward the end  of their pregnancies which I think they’ll love. They can have their kittens all tucked in snug but I can unzip and flip the shell open to monitor or assist in labour /birth and when kittens are new. Invariably I supplement feed so with two litters for the first & last time this year, if they are pregnant at similar times I’m going to double-busy (yes Micky Flanagan, I did pinch one of your catch-phrases!)

If you are seeking a Sphynx kitten (or Sphynx Kittens) Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire Cattery is a TICA registered cattery with TICA registered pedigree Pure Sphynx Cats who are health & heart screened & whose mates are equally carefully screened so that we product top quality kittens, raising them underfoot as part of the family and we welcome your early interest. Please do join us for this truly remarkable journey & get to know your future kitten from the word GO! 

Just email me at: nakedsphynxcathants@icloud.com or use the contact us form here on the website. 

Getting ready for 2024 kittening

Well, it’s Boxing Day, and everyone has been gifted and filled with indulgent food, including the cats who are loving their new mice, especially Plum who is very vociferous about her catch.

Handsome has very much enjoyed playing chase the Scalextric much to the annoyance of the children (them ranging from 5 to 39 years old!, while Prune has been either quietly sleeping away the afternoons or telling anyone who will listen her woes - this because she has come into heat very hard being as it’s  the first one in a long while. 

To see them here in this photo you’d never believe the amount of mischief they have tried to get in between today! Front is mum Prune, then there is Handsome & little Plum Pipsqueak both born in 2022

I’m already planning with appointments booked for ditto  by the i’s and crossing the T’s. Blood testing for the two ladies is taking place in January and then their heart screening is scheduled with Vicky Ironside in mid February so that we can press GO in late February or early March with them as they come into call after all the screening is in hand. 

2024 is going to be Prunella’s last litter. I had actually planned to retire her this year since I was having no kittens during 2923 however, I had a very special request made for a kitten from her by someone who is very dear to me so I am giving her a final litter after which she will be spayed and can finally retire in peace. She is an incredible mum & has birthed some truly remarkable babies so she absolutely deserves my thanks & a rest! She has her favourite resting spots & little quirks about when she must have her cuddles and how close to my face she must be to get them! She is being mated again to Ozwald.

Meanwhile, her daughter Plum Pipsqueak is in her second year & so she will be having her first mating in 2024 for which we have picked out a fully DNA negative tested male who carries several colours. I can’t wait to see what colour kittens there union will create! I’m hoping that from that litter I can keep a female.

I look forward to sharing all of the news here as it all begins to unfold. PIf you are looking for a Sphynx kitten I hope very much that you’ll drop me a line & will be “come the lucky recipient of one of Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire 2924 kittens