Donskoy Sphynx: How a stray cat formed a new breed (PHOTOS)

The Donskoy Sphynx is a well-known and internationally recognized breed of hairless cat. Despite its "alien" appearance, large ears and lack of fur, it gets along well with people and is characterized by good health.

The history of this sweetest breed began in February 1986 in Rostov-on-Don. Local resident Elena Kovaleva, returning home one day, saved a kitten that was being tormented by a gang of boys. She named her Varvara.

As Varvara grew up, she began to lose her fur. No medication helped, but the cat felt quite well and lived a long life. She gave birth to kittens after mating with a European Shorthair cat, which became the first ‘Don Sphynxes’. Don felinologist Irina Nemykina, an acquaintance of Elena, to whom she gave one of Varvara's kittens, then started breeding them.

Their first kittens were born with hair and only began going bald a few months later, but the subsequent generations were already bald from birth.

Its main difference from the Canadian Sphynx is that hairlessness is a dominant gene, not recessive. Also, the Don cat also has practically no whiskers.