Peterbald Cats

Peterbald cats are a hairless cat breed that originated in Russia in the late 1980’s. The first Peterbald cat was thought to have a fungal infection interfering with hair growth, but it was discovered that the hairlessness was genetic. The cat breed was called Don Sphynx until the new hairless cat breed was differentiated from the Sphynx. Unlike the Sphynx cats, the hairless gene for a Peterbald cat is dominant. Therefore, if a Peterbald cat mates with a cat with a regular coat, the resulting kittens will be hairless.

The Don Sphynx became known as Don Hairless cats. A Don Hairless cat with oriental features like a Siamese cat was mated with a Siamese cat. The fine-boned, elongated, hairless kittens became the foundation for the Peterbald cat breed.

Peterbald kittens may be born hairless or with soft, downy hair. Some Peterbald kittens have fine hair on some parts of their bodies, such as the muzzle, ears, tail, feet, and lower legs. A Peterbald kitten that is born with hair is likely to lose a majority of its hair starting from the nape of the neck. The hair loss generally progresses to the tail.

Mature Peterbald cats may appear hairless, but have fine hair that resembles the fuzzy skin of a peach. Some Peterbald cats are truly hairless. Peterbalds are considered hairless if they have no hair or have fine, downy hair and appear hairless. Peterbald cats may have a brush coat instead of being hairless. A brush coat is a wiry coat that may be fine and sparse, allowing the cat’s skin to be seen. Brush coats can be more dense with short wiry, wavy, or kinky hair.

Peterbald cats have elastic, but loose skin which folds into wrinkles. Peterbalds are medium-sized cats with medium-fine bone structure. They are active and muscular. The tails of Peterbalds are long and whippy. Peterbalds have very large ears with pointed tips.

The eyes of Peterbald cats are almond shaped. Unlike many cat breeds, the eye color of Peterbalds varies independently of coat color. Peterbald cats are usually quieter and calmer than their Siamese ancestors. Peterbald cats are considered graceful and intelligent.