Cat breed
Sphynx care calendar
- Adult weight
- 6-12 lb (2.7-5.5 kg)
- Typical lifespan
- 9-15 years
- Coat
- Effectively hairless — a suede-like down over most of the body
- Shedding
- low
A hairless cat is not a low-maintenance cat; it has traded brushing for bathing. Skin oils that a coat would wick away and distribute instead build up on the skin and in every fold, so a Sphynx needs a proper bath most weeks, ears cleaned far more often than a normal cat's, and the folds around the claws wiped out — a dark waxy build-up there is characteristic of the breed and easily missed. Skip it for a few weeks and the cat becomes greasy to the touch and leaves marks on furniture, and the skin itself gets sore.
Temperature is the second thing to plan for. With no coat, a Sphynx loses heat quickly and burns easily, so a warm house, sweaters in winter, beds off cold floors and no unfiltered sun through a window are husbandry rather than indulgence — and this breed should live indoors. The third is the heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is well documented in Sphynx cats, often appearing young, and an echocardiogram is the test that finds it; ask your vet at the annual exam what screening interval makes sense rather than waiting for a murmur, which may never come.
Year-round routine
What a Sphynx needs on a repeating cadence, whatever the month.
- GroomingBathWeekly, or every 10-14 days if the skin stays clean
A mild cat-safe shampoo, warm water, and a thorough dry in a warm room. Over-bathing dries the skin and drives more oil production, so let how greasy the cat feels set the interval rather than the calendar.
- GroomingWipe skin foldsEvery 2-3 days between baths
A damp unscented cloth into the armpits, the groin, the neck folds and under the tail, then dry. Redness, spots or a sour smell needs a vet rather than more washing.
- GroomingClean earsWeekly
Sphynx ears produce a lot of dark wax and have no hair to hold it back. Use only a cleaner your vet has supplied and only the visible part of the ear — never a cotton bud down the canal.
- GroomingClean the claw foldsWeekly, with the nail trim
The skin fold at the base of each claw collects a dark waxy debris in this breed. Wipe it gently with a damp cloth; leaving it leads to sore, inflamed nail beds.
- GroomingNail trimEvery 2 weeks
Tip only, and check every nail bed while you are there.
- ParasitesFlea preventiveMonthly, year-round
Fleas are easy to see on bare skin but no less likely to arrive. Cat-specific products only; permethrin in some dog spot-ons is lethal to cats. Ask your vet which formulation suits a cat that is bathed weekly, since bathing can affect some topical products.
- ParasitesHeartworm preventiveMonthly, year-round
No approved treatment exists to kill adult heartworms in a cat, so the American Heartworm Society advises year-round prevention for indoor cats as well.
- DentalBrush teethDaily
Pet toothpaste only. Sphynx cats are prone to gingivitis and periodontal disease early, so daily rather than three times a week is the right target here.
- DentalLook along the gum lineEvery two weeks
Red margins, breath that has changed, a cat eating gingerly or on one side. Worth an appointment rather than a watch in this breed.
- DentalProfessional dental assessmentAt the annual exam, from the first year
Grade the mouth every year and expect dental X-rays and scaling under anaesthetic sooner than in an average cat.
- WellnessHeart screening conversationAt the annual exam
HCM is well documented in the breed and can appear in young cats. Ask your vet about echocardiogram screening and how often to repeat it; a normal heart today does not rule out disease later.
- WellnessWeigh and body-condition scoreMonthly at home
A high-metabolism, food-motivated cat that is easy to assess visually — you can see the body condition rather than guess through fur. Use that, and weigh anyway.
- WellnessAnnual wellness examYearly, twice yearly from about age eight
Same month each year. Bring up any skin change: bumps, crusts or persistent redness in this breed are visible early and worth showing rather than washing.
- WellnessScoop the litter tray and note what is in itDaily
A male cat straining and passing nothing is a same-hour emergency.
Month by month
The dates that move. Shedding, parasite season and the annual checks worth booking in a particular month.
January
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
February
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
March
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
April
- Faecal test for intestinal parasitesYearly
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
May
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
June
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
July
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
August
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
September
- Protect from sunDaily, April to September
October
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
November
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
December
- Keep the cat warmOngoing, and closely October to March
What to watch for
The signs an owner can actually notice for each of the 5 conditions the Sphynx is over-represented for.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
Faster or laboured breathing at rest, reduced activity, sudden hind-limb weakness or pain. Well documented in the breed, sometimes in young cats.
Skin disease — oily build-up, spots, urticaria pigmentosa
Crusty raised spots along the back and neck, persistent redness, a sour smell, scratching.
Cold stress
Constant heat-seeking, sitting hunched with feet tucked, shivering, sleeping under covers all day.
Sunburn
Pink, warm or flaking skin on the back, ears and nose after time in the sun.
Periodontal disease
Red gums, changed breath, eating on one side, dropping food.
What a Sphynx year comes to
The Sphynx calendar carries 17 tasks in total — six wellness, five grooming, three parasites and three dental. 14 of them run on a cadence rather than in a named month, and three are pinned to particular months, which is what the grid above is for. A calendar that repeated every year-round task in all twelve cells would bury the two or three entries that make a given month different.
April is the busiest month of a Sphynx year, with two dated tasks falling in it. No month is entirely clear.
Five tasks recur weekly or more often on this breed and three monthly, so the honest cost of a Sphynx is measured in short repeated jobs rather than in occasional big ones. The grooming block alone is five entries: bath, wipe skin folds, clean ears, clean the claw folds and nail trim.
The Sphynx against the rest
At 6-12 lb (2.7-5.5 kg) the Sphynx is the 9th heaviest of the ten cat breeds on this site, and the 10th longest-lived, at 9-15 years. Size and lifespan are what set the wellness cadence more than anything else: the year an animal moves from an annual exam to a twice-yearly one is a function of both.
It has an effectively hairless — a suede-like down over most of the body, and it sheds at the low level — six of the other cat breeds here shed more, and Abyssinian, Bengal and Siamese sit at the same level. That is the number that decides how much of the grooming block is brushing and how much is everything else.
What the health list actually says
Five conditions are listed for the Sphynx: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hcm), skin disease — oily build-up, spots, urticaria pigmentosa, cold stress, sunburn and periodontal disease. These are the ones the breed is over-represented for, described by what an owner can actually notice rather than by what a diagnosis looks like. None of it is a diagnosis — it is what to raise at the next appointment, or sooner where the entry says so.
Skin disease — oily build-up, spots, urticaria pigmentosa, cold stress and sunburn appear on no other breed page on this site, which is the part of the list worth reading twice — the rest of it is the ordinary risk of being a cat. Two of the five are shared, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hcm) with Bengal, British Shorthair and Maine Coon; periodontal disease with Pomeranian and Yorkshire Terrier.
The calendar above describes what is typical for a Sphynx. Parasite risk varies enormously by region and season, and an individual animal's schedule is set by its own health and history — your veterinary practice is the authority on both, and this page is what you take to them rather than instead of them.
Breeds with a similar routine
Closest first by coat and size, because an owner comparing the Sphynx is usually comparing it with something.
- Abyssinian6-10 lb (2.7-4.5 kg) · low shedding · 12-15 years
- Siamese8-12 lb (3.5-5.5 kg) · low shedding · 12-16 years
- Bengal8-15 lb (3.5-7 kg) · low shedding · 12-16 years
- Russian Blue7-12 lb (3-5.5 kg) · moderate shedding · 15-20 years
- Scottish Fold6-13 lb (2.7-6 kg) · moderate shedding · 11-15 years
- Ragdoll10-20 lb (4.5-9 kg), toms larger · moderate shedding · 12-15 years
Forms to take with you
- Daily Feeding LogA printable seven-day feeding log: meals, amounts, treats, water and stool quality in one place, for a diet trial, a weight plan or a shared household.
- Foster Pet Intake FormA printable intake form for a foster or rescue placement: animal details, where it came from, medical history, behavior around people and other animals, and feeding.
- Pet Medication & Supplement TrackerA printable weekly grid for every medication and supplement your pet takes: what was given, when, and by whom, so a shared household stops double-dosing.
- Vet Visit Prep SheetA printable one-page form for the appointment you are about to have: symptoms with dates, questions you will forget to ask, current medications, and a weight log.
Done with the Sphynx? Go back to all 21 breeds, browse the 5 families of printable forms, or check the pet holidays and awareness calendar for the month you are in.