History of the Sphynx Breed

Despite its name, the Sphynx is not an ancient Egyptian breed. The modern Sphynx developed from naturally occurring hairless cats discovered in North America during the twentieth century, followed by breeding programmes in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Its history is more complex than the commonly repeated story of a single foundation cat. Several independently occurring hairless cats contributed to the development of the breed, while historical outcrosses — including the Devon Rex — also played an important role in establishing the early gene pool.

Modern genetic research has since helped explain some of those early breeding results, including the relationship between the Sphynx and Devon Rex variants of the KRT71 gene.

For a detailed, referenced history of the breed — including its Canadian origins, European development, the first Sphynx in the UK, the historic use of Devon Rex and the sources behind these accounts — visit our independent Sphynx health and education resource at Sphynx Cats.