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PITTSBURG —
With their hairless bodies and huge ears and eyes, Demi, Pharoah and their six children may look like space aliens, but they are not.
They are Sphynx cats, mutants descended from about five hairless cats born in the 1970s, and they make their home with Leigh and Adam Niegsch, Pittsburg.
Niegsch is a lifelong cat lover raised in a family of cat lovers and always had cats at home. His wife loves cats but is allergic to them.
“A lot of people would like a cat, but can’t have one because of allergies,” he said. “This is an option.”
The couple purchased Demi when she was 12 weeks old from a breeder in Kansas City, and Mrs. Niegsch said she did not get an allergic reaction to her.
“I can react when she’s washing her kittens,” she said.
Demi will be 2 in December. Her mate, Pharoah, is 6.
“When we lived in Wichita, the breeder flew Pharoah in from Utah for a date with Demi,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “We were only going to keep him for three weeks, but at the end of three weeks we just couldn’t send him back.”
The breeder agreed to sell Pharoah, and he became a member of the Niegsch family.
Demi’s first pregnancy was not successful.
“She had one kitten, and he only survived about 24 hours,” Niegsch said.
The second time around, she had seven. One tiny baby died, but the remaining six are thriving and were nine weeks old on Thursday.
“They got their first shots and were very good about it,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
They are also incredibly active.
“Sphynxes have a lot more energy than other cats,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
They burn up a little energy zipping up and down the cat tower that Niegsch built for them.
“They also go after Demi’s tail quite frequently,” he added.
The couple has been posting photos of the babies on midwestsphynx.com and on Facebook so others can enjoy seeing them.
Niegsch and his wife agree that Demi has been an outstanding mother.
“Demi’s belly was just bloody from their little kitten claws,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
The babies still occasionally nurse, but are now crunching down solid food.
“Everything the book said that kittens should do, they’re doing,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
That includes learning to use the litter pan by observing their parents.
“Pinky is the leader of the pack,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “She was the first to eat solid food and the first to poop.”
With their hairless bodies and huge ears and eyes, Demi, Pharoah and their six children may look like space aliens, but they are not.
They are Sphynx cats, mutants descended from about five hairless cats born in the 1970s, and they make their home with Leigh and Adam Niegsch, Pittsburg.
Niegsch is a lifelong cat lover raised in a family of cat lovers and always had cats at home. His wife loves cats but is allergic to them.
“A lot of people would like a cat, but can’t have one because of allergies,” he said. “This is an option.”
The couple purchased Demi when she was 12 weeks old from a breeder in Kansas City, and Mrs. Niegsch said she did not get an allergic reaction to her.
“I can react when she’s washing her kittens,” she said.
Demi will be 2 in December. Her mate, Pharoah, is 6.
“When we lived in Wichita, the breeder flew Pharoah in from Utah for a date with Demi,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “We were only going to keep him for three weeks, but at the end of three weeks we just couldn’t send him back.”
The breeder agreed to sell Pharoah, and he became a member of the Niegsch family.
Demi’s first pregnancy was not successful.
“She had one kitten, and he only survived about 24 hours,” Niegsch said.
The second time around, she had seven. One tiny baby died, but the remaining six are thriving and were nine weeks old on Thursday.
“They got their first shots and were very good about it,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
They are also incredibly active.
“Sphynxes have a lot more energy than other cats,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
They burn up a little energy zipping up and down the cat tower that Niegsch built for them.
“They also go after Demi’s tail quite frequently,” he added.
The couple has been posting photos of the babies on midwestsphynx.com and on Facebook so others can enjoy seeing them.
Niegsch and his wife agree that Demi has been an outstanding mother.
“Demi’s belly was just bloody from their little kitten claws,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
The babies still occasionally nurse, but are now crunching down solid food.
“Everything the book said that kittens should do, they’re doing,” Mrs. Niegsch said.
That includes learning to use the litter pan by observing their parents.
“Pinky is the leader of the pack,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “She was the first to eat solid food and the first to poop.”
Pinky is the spitting image of her father. Both have pink hairless skin with no markings. Demi and the other kittens are showing markings. This is normal, since all the usual cat markings, such as tabby stripes, can be found on Sphynx skin.
“I didn’t know this at first,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “Demi was pink when we got her, and when she started getting markings I thought I had played too hard with her and bruised her.”
She and her husband have also learned what’s involved in caring for the Sphynx.
“There’s more upkeep with them, but you don’t have to deal with hairballs,” Niegsch said.
However, because they have no coats, they must kept warm.
“It just takes a 20-minute chill,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “We constantly have a heating pad in their nest, and an electric blanket.”
Demi likes being outside, and has a harness and leash so she can spend a little time outdoors when weather permits.
“When we lived in Wichita, Demi escaped for 24 hours,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “We were walking around looking for her. Adam’s dad, John, drove up and he was the one who found her.”
Demi has been healthy, but Pharoah has spent a lot of time at the veterinarian, including once with a bout of pneumonia. He also developed a terrible red rash on his bottom because of a sensitivity to scented cat litter.
He gets weekly baths with baby shampoo because of his sensitive skin.
“Dawn dishwashing liquid is what most Sphynx owners use because it breaks up the grease,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “Oil can also build up in their ears, so they must be kept clean.”
These cats also have delicate digestive systems, and Mrs. Niegsch said they will have to eat kitten food their entire lives.
“We feed them a food that is free of grain and corn,” she said. “It’s mostly the corn that bothers them and some Sphynx owners do use foods with grain.”
The couple plans on keeping one of the kittens, but will eventually sell the rest.
“We’re not doing this for the money, but to promote the breed,” Mrs. Niegsch said. “Sometimes I cry just thinking about the babies going to new homes. Some people have killed their Sphynxes by not knowing how to take care of them.”
Those who take the trouble to learn what the cats need will be rewarded with an intelligent and loving companion, according to Niegsch.
“This is such a wonderful breed,” he said.
