TICA Breed Standard

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, although it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois. It may be covered with very fine down which is almost imperceptible to both the eye and the touch. On the ears, muzzle, tail, feet and scrotum, short, soft, fine hair is allowed. Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. A lion tail (puff of hair on the tip of the tail) is acceptable. The skin is very wrinkled in kittens. Adults should retain as many wrinkles as possible, especially on the head, although wrinkling should not be so pronounced that it affects the cat's normal functions.

The head is slightly longer than it is wide with prominent cheekbones and a distinct whisker break. The profile has a slight to moderate stop at the bridge of the nose. The eyes are a large, rounded lemon in shape slanting to the outer corner of the ear. There is slightly more than the width of an eye between the eyes. The ears are very large, broad at the base and open, with no interior hair. They are upright, neither low set nor on top of the head. The neck is medium, well-muscled and rounded, arching from the shoulders to the base of the skull. The neck is powerful, especially in males.

The chest is broad, and may tend toward being barrel-chested. The body is medium to medium long, well-rounded, thick through the abdomen, having the appearance of having eaten a large meal, but not fat. The Sphynx is very hard and muscular, having medium bone structure; it is not a delicate cat. The tail is whippy, tapering from the body to the tip (rat tailed). The tail length is to be in proportion to the body.