Cats are loved and known for being fluffy, but there are also breeds of cat that are not much known except for their hairless nature. Even though the hairless breeds of cat may not conform to the common image of a furry cat, they are just as great for cuddling—some would say even more so since they will not shed and cover your clothes and furniture with cat hair.
Elf Cat: The Elf cat is a result of crossing the Sphynx cat and the American Curl. They have inherited the hairlessness of the Sphynx and the curled ears of the American Curl. Though it is a new breed, the Elf cat is starting to be accepted by cat associations.
Ukrainian Levkoy Cat: The Levkoy has a very distinct appearance, and its hairless figure is made even more striking by its forwardly folded ears. This is a breed not recognized by any major international cat fancier and breeder organizations.
Bambino Cat: Another breed that has used the Sphynx as a starting point, claims its other half of genes from the Munchkin cat. The name ‘Bambino’ (Italian ‘baby’) was selected in regards to the kitten like appearance of the cat.
Peterbald Cat: A relatively recent cat breed, the Peterbald (pictured) hails from Russia and is a mix of the Donskoy and Oriental Shorthair. The breed was developed in St Petersburg in 1994.
Donskoy Cat: Another hairless cat hailing from Russia, the Donskoy was first developed in 1987, and was based on the discovery of a hairless cat in the city of Rostov-on-Don, so it is not related to any other known hairless cat breeds.
Sphynx Cat: The most well-known of the hairless cat breeds, the Sphynx (Canadian Hairless) originated in Canada, and was developed through selective breeding starting in the early 1960s.
The hairless cat breeds are relatively new, and newly developed breeds crop up now and then, but the adoption of the new breeds by organizations has been slow. It is important to note that hairlessness cat appear at random within any cat breed through recessive genes; but there are only a handful of hairless breeds which regularly produce hairless offspring.
