Because we Sphynx are so smart and trainable, we make purrfect animal actors! Perhaps the most iconic Sphynx of all time is Mr. Bigglesworth, Dr. Evil’s trusted companion from the Austin Powers movies. Mr. Bigglesworth, who was played by a champion purebred Sphynx named Ted Nude-Gent, is the parody version of the famous white Persian cat in the original James Bond movies. Of course, we Sphynx are much smarter and funnier than Persians, so it’s no surprise that they chose one of us as the fan-favorite feline in the parody movies. Yeah, baby!

Even though we share a name (if not a spelling) with the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, we Sphynx cats are originally from Canada. We’re a pretty new breed, and while some might say we were an accident, we think we are a miracle of nature! In Toronto, Ontario, in 1966, a hairless kitten named Prune was born to Domestic Shorthair parents. Hairless cats occur naturally (although rarely) as a result of a genetic mutation, but my breed (originally called the Canadian Hairless) came about as a result of selective breeding. Prune was bred with his mother to produce another hairless kitten, and the earliest Sphynx cats were born! There were a few bumps in the road for us, though. The Cat Fanciers’ Association originally recognized us in 1970, but they took it back because my ancestors who were related to Prune were having some health problems and the gene pool was not big enough. Luckily, another proto-Sphynx soon popped up on a farm in Minnesota. In 1975, a hairless kitten named Epidermis was born, and the year after that, another hairless kitten named Dermis came along. The humans who owned the farm, Milt and Ethelyn Pearson, sold these kittens to an Oregon breeder named Kim Mueske, who started a breeding program. In addition to the Minnesota line, there is another line from Toronto essential to the development of our breed as it is today. In 1978, a Siamese cat breeder named Shirley Smith found three abandoned hairless kittens – Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma. Along with the Epidermis/Dermis Minnesota line, the Bambi/Punkie/Paloma Toronto line are the foundation of today’s Sphynx cats. Now a healthy and happy breed, we were officially recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association in 1998, and today we are the CFA’s 8th most popular breed!