To own a Sphynx
Was I mentally prepared? I thought I was. Was a Sphynx what I thought it was No!!!!! Just so so so much more and better than I could have ever imagined.
I have had cats most of my life, moggies and a Siamese, I always thought that they were affectionate, in there own time and on there own terms as cats do, but a Sphynx is just not like a cat. Sounds silly but it is true, they are not like any cat that I have ever known.
When I first met Sprite to be honest I did not even expect her coming to me, cats can be wary with strangers but this little cat OMG she just blew me away with affection. She just tumbled over in the most affectionate roll a cat can do on to the floor, rubbing, rolling and purring, it was instant love for me, this little cat is just so angelic to look at and the love she just poor's out is unbelievable
.
I traveled her back on my knee just wrapped in a blanket, she was quite happy to just stay there. She traveled 3 hours back to her new home on my knee, she would just occasionally look up at me and give me a very quiet meow, then just snuggle back down on my lap.
When home she was bewildered and tried hiding under my pillow, but again with in 10 minutes she was rubbing and rolling all over my knee again, just sooooo affectionate, so loving.
She has well and truly settled in now. She is very addictive, the feel of her skin is like warm velvet, and just feels sooooo nice to touch. She is just so kissable; when you have a new born baby just want to kiss them, same with Sphynx, you do just want to cuddle and kiss them and they love it, they love been cuddled and kissed.
When she plays she is just like a naked servile cat, the height she can jump of the floor is unbelievable and she is so athletic. My family and myself will be just sat down watching a bit of TV, and then you will just see the naked cat flying across the room 'in mid air 'and when in play, oh yes, things go flying as she runs over the back of our sofa, over your shoulder and on to the floor, LOL. She has us all in uncontrollable laughter at her antics, I am sure that she does all of this to make us laugh.
She has to be the centre of attention, and is scared of nothing, and yes she does some super cat splats as she has miss judged her landing or take off on the floor then looks at me, LOL.
Sphynx have very animated faces and the expressions they pull are amazing!
The 1st time I bathed her was so scary, luckily for me she is used to been bathed and she was very good, it was me all fingers and thumbs, but she was very patient with me. On the good side it does not take long to bath her, a then she just snuggles dry in a big fluffy towel, so no time given to all-consuming grooming and I can snuggle her with out been covered in cat hair
.
Bed time; it has to be my bed, she just snuggles down under the duvet and lull's me to sleep with her purring, every now and again a stretched out paw will very gently touch the side of my face, and she is better than any hot water bottle, she is just so toasty warm.
Sphynx absolutely adore people, and want to be with you. If I go out of the room as soon as I enter again, she greets me, she runs up to me doing her little meow and starts purring and then she will just drop and roll and rub all over.
Am I glad I have my Sphynx, oh yes, yes they are expensive but they are worth every penny these cats are just amazing, so loving, mischievous, naughty, nosey and in your face, I love them.
They are more than a cat.I am well and truly smitten with the breed.................................................................................. Michell Rush
'JUMP FOR JOY'
Here is a peak at the babies ......shush !!
I do hope that other Sphynx owners (if feeling brave enough) will contribute to this page.
www.phatpaws.com
Living with a Sphynx
There are few people I entertain, when asking about girls on 'Active'....There are a few, I don't know what it is that allows me to feel 'This is right' but it happens very rarely.
I also do not feel I should monopolize some thing that's such a fantastic experience. To be close to your girl as she labors and all the joys attached to kittens, is not my pleasure alone.
So far there has been Michell and there is to be Victoria, soon :)
Michell had long awaited her Breeding girl, I had decided to allow Michell to give a home to and breed from My Phat Sprite.
Michel was how I had imagined her and we got on (thank God). I went trembling to get Sprite, I kissed her and held her so close and I did panic! What if Sprit had spun back to me, jumped into my arms and said "Don't do it." I knew someone was going to be hurting and I was now sinking.
Brave........................?
I walked in to the sitting room and sat on the floor setting Sprite down, I held my breath, and held it, and held
it........
In the meantime Sprite had jumped down, with a hop, skip and a spring, was now with Michell saying
'God I love you, do you love me? Take me home NOW, cos I love you more than I have ever loved another.'
I let my breath go, I cried. I cried with joy, I cried with the reality of now not having a reason to kiss MY Sprite
good bye.....
I am crying writing this now, oh silly me. But! It hurt to let her go but I knew it was the absolutely right thing to do. I left the room and cried in the kitchen for a bit (pretending to make tea). My daughter was at her house awaiting my call, as to wether Sprite liked Michell. I phoned her and with such relief , started my daughter 'Nikki' off crying too. She said 'You knew it was right.'
I tried to be professional and little did Michell know, I sobbed every time I left the room and made the tea twice, but never delivered the second cup of tea!!
Or the posh biscuits I had brought.
Some weeks have passed and Michell has kept in contact. There has been such reassurance in the communication for me; Michell's love and enthusiasm bubbles through and thus I asked Michell to impart her thoughts to all 'Wood be Sphynx owners', what follows is just that. Thank you Michelle.
Hugs and kisses to Sprite.
Michelle has kindly once more let us in to her Sphynx-World, once more. The birth of her babies and all that owning a Sphynx brings :0
Sprite's and my first kittens
After being highly honored to receive a Phat Paws queen, 'My Phat Sprite and I were eagerly awaiting kittens, this would be my first litter, both very exciting but also very scary.
We were not sure if she was in kitten or not, but time would soon tell, I watched her constantly looking for any sign that she was pregnant, but did not want to get my hopes up just in case she was not.
Sprite had a lot to cope with, although I must say, she did take it all in her stride, the move from Roz's, to my home, from every thing that she had known and was familiar to her, to this big new, scary home; she soon settled.
The first sign that she was pregnant were her nipples darkening, and at that point I thought ..................'Yes she is'.......... Phat Hobbit was to be Daddy and this was Sprites first litter as well as mine, very exciting and very scary at the same time.
Sprite did not gain much weight in the beginning, it was in the the last 3 weeks she put the weight on, she ate and ate, bless her (she had hollow legs), I was amazed how a little cat could eat soooo much. She was always content and purred, ate purred, ate and snuggled. She is and was especially clingy, and sooo loving.
I started watching cat births on the Internet, and researched the Internet as well as poor Roz, who got question, after question and she was a star, so so helpful.
The day was getting close, I could feel the kittens moving, I could feel a kick, a head, a bum absolutely amazing to feel them, they got stronger and stronger as they grew.
I eagerly awaited with anticipation, as I just could not wait for them to arrive. I had towels, flannels, incontinence pads and dental floss all at the ready. It was now the hard bit 'waiting', and waiting, just looking for any sign that she was about to start, I daren't leave the house in case she started. I was sleeping downstairs 'just in case' she were to labour through the night. I was so scared of missing the arrival of them, not being there for her.
Well a day would come, then go, then another day and another, it felt as though they was never going to come, a long wait, just constantly watching her and looking for any anything that would indicate she was about to start. We got to the last week, I new she would have to have them this week, but as nature would have it, I did not know which day.
Monday then came and went, Sprite still ate, was absolutely fine in herself, Tuesday came and went, so did Wednesday but Thursday morning there was something different, Sprite ate as normal, but come mid morning she was digging under the throw on my sofa, she had been purring but she purrs all the time any way, I thought today could be the day, although I still was not certain, 10.30am I noticed some clear jelly on Sprites back leg, quite high up, then I knew we were' on our way'. I picked up my phone to send Roz a text I was shaking, all this time I had been waiting and I felt prepared but I could hardly text for shaking. I sent the text, got every thing in place, put Sprite in her little house that had heat pad and blankets, well she was having none of that, she would not settle down. I put the incontinence pads on the sofa and towels too, went and got myself a coffee. I returned and just sat with her on my sofa (every thing at my side), at 12.00 her waters went, it was just a squirt, Sprite moved around and she new some thing was happening.
The contractions was getting stronger and closer, she would reach out to me when she was having a contraction, she wanted me there, with her. I could see the bubble of the first kitten, sprite cried, I felt so helpless. I talked to her, to comfort her and stayed with her, she had a job to do and she new it. She instinctively new what to do and got on with it, I cried when the first kitten came out, it was a little red girl, Sprite was cleaning her, I could see her breathing but she was not moving or crying, I was just saying to myself breath just breath, you have made it this far you have got to breath and she did. Such a huge sigh of relief.........................."YES", we have a kitten!!!! .......and ..........there were more to come, she never cried with any of the other kittens, she would clean the kittens that were born, purring like mad. When she was ready to have another kitten, she would start cleaning them like mad and then she would start contracting again one after another she had 6 healthy babies, but I could still feel a lump!? I felt sick 'what if this lump is another kitten', why is it not coming out? I waited and waited, the 6 kittens were all well and lively, I had seen them latching on, but I was still worried that there was another baby inside. I then just had to go on the Internet and scared myself half to death, could sprite have a retained kitten, I spoke to Roz she put me at ease, I stayed up Friday just watching Sprite just in case she passed what I thought could be kitten number 7.
Sprite seemed fine she was eating and drinking, kittens all seemed fine too but I was still niggled about the lump, I then saw the lump move, this was Friday, 'what do I do'? I also looked at Sprites nipples: there was no milk, well I was really starting to panic.
I was just sooo scared so I rang Roz again, Roz reassured me and Nick reassured me Sprite is fine and if there is another kitten it will come down, and don't worry the kittens will be feeding on colostrum. Phew !!!!! Just to hear those words, made all the difference, I was back calm and collected again LOL
Roz was right, there was no 'kitten number 7', it was Sprites organs all moving back into place, and some Spritish wind..
Sprite and her babies are all doing well, babies and are now 13 days old and coming on in leaps and bounds. Sprite is so proud of her babies and she is such a good mum, I, in turn, am so proud of Sprite, It is an amazing experience.
I feel so close to Sprite and to her babies, each one a miracle of life, to see them and to hear there little purrrrrs, they are perfect !!!!!!
A big thank you Roz and Nicki for all your support, I could not have done it with out you. Roz you gave the opportunity to experience one of the best experiences in life, the miracle of life itself !!!!!!
