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Peterbald

Peterbald

At a Glance

Peterbalds are an uncommon, yet highly sought after breed. Their coats come in a wide variety that ranges from completely bald to a full coat. Extremely loyal and one of the most social breeds, they are an ideal breed for families or those with a small home. Their sweet temper and curious nature has captured the hearts of cat lovers across the world. Find out if this breed is right for you and your family.

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All About Cats

Printable Breed Introduction
Breed Standard
Pet Buyer’s Guide
Peterbald-Full-Body
Temperament

Playful

Height/Weight Range

Medium-sized

Adult females

5-7 pounds

Adult males

7-10 pounds

Life Expectancy

12-15+ years

Colors

Peterbalds are available in all colors as well as pointed (pale body and relatively darker extremities, i.e. the face, ears, feet, tail and in males, scrotum).

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Opposite Breeds

About The Breed

Friendly and fun, the Peterbald breed is an excellent choice for those looking for a cat that enjoys company and attention. People often compare them to canines for their level of loyalty; Peterbalds are a very loving, social and affectionate breed. They get along well with other animals (including cats), children and even visitors, so much so that they love playing host to guests. They love to follow their favorite humans around and will even talk to their owners, as they are often vocal.

The overall impression of an ideal Peterbald is an elegant and intelligent cat. The Peterbald has a sturdy, long, lean body that contributes to its graceful movement. Breeders bred the first Peterbalds in Russia in January, 1994, from an Oriental Shorthair (Radma Vom Jagerhof) and a light-boned Oriental-looking Donskoy (Afinoguen Myth). The original litter demonstrated that the Peterbald/Donskoy gene is a dominant gene, unlike the (Canadian) Sphynx gene. Typical of the breed are various unusual coat textures ranging from hairless to full brush coat to normal coat.

View Full Breed Standard

Peterbald cats are a highly athletic, smart and active breed that tend to move quickly. They travel well and settle down quickly once they are played out. Highly intelligent, they love to be challenged and play fetch for endless amounts of time, but are equally as happy curling up on their owners lap or crawling under the covers with them when they go to bed.

TICA Regions, Clubs & Rescues

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TICA is a large resource made up of smaller regions and clubs around the world.
Click here to find a club near you and contact information for your regional director and website.

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Find a Kitten: TICA Breeders

The TICA website is the only place where you can find TICA member breeders who have signed the TICA Code of Ethics.

Find Peterbald

The Peterbald’s coat can change. The coat a Peterbald cat is born with does not represent his forever fur. His coat can change during his first two years, with hair texture either lost or gained.

Lack of fur means higher metabolism. Due to their lack of fur, Peterbalds have a higher metabolism than cats with full coats, requiring that they consume more food than their coated counterparts. That high metabolism also makes them heal faster than coated kitties (who have slower metabolisms) when it comes to scratches and other wounds.

Hairless Peterbalds are not all hypoallergenic. While Peterbald cats are sometimes bald or nearly bald, this does not necessarily mean that you will not have an allergic reaction. Allergies from cats can originate with the saliva, coat, or dander. It is best to spend a significant time around any particular breed before choosing one for your home.

Breed Information & Characteristics

The Peterbald is an elegant Russian breed with a unique coat. The cats may be totally hairless, or they may have a coat that looks and feels like a peach. Peterbalds with longer coats may feel like plush short velvet or like a man’s bristly beard.

People have described them as having a dominant gene for hairlessness, or a dominant gene for hair loss, or a dominant gene for an altered and diminished coat. All of this is true and may be found in these beautiful cats. The peterbald is a medium sized cat, with a body shape similar to the oriental shorthair, but more muscular. The lines are long and lovely. Peterbalds are as delightful to look at as they are to touch.

In approximately 1988, breeders first reported a cat with an unusual coat in Russia, found in a city called Rostov on Don. The Russians celebrated and announced the new breed as a dominant mutation for bald cats. They first called it the Don Sphynx. Breeders exported cats to Europe, and in a very short time, the first questions about the genetics arose.

Kittens were being born that were not bald but that did not have ordinary cat coats. Some of these kittens developed the bald coat, but many did not. The breeders decided that perhaps the gene was a dominant trait for hair loss. Many questions arose (and remain unanswered!) as to whether it was one gene or many genes; which genes caused hairlessness or hair loss; or whether the trait perhaps coded for an altered and diminished coat, with two copies causing total baldness from birth and one copy granting only a changed and unusual coat. Meanwhile, these issues remain undecided; however, genetic studies are currently underway, and there may be an answer soon.

While all these developments were taking place, breeders took the new breed to St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1993, breeders bred a fine oriental shorthair, Radma Von Jagerhof, to a Don Sphynx named Afinguen Myth. They registered the kittens as “experimental,” and one of them, Nocturne Iz Murino, became the foundation stud of the peterbald breed and appears in every peterbald pedigree. The International Cat Association accepted the peterbald into championship competition in 2005. Peterbalds remain a very rare and desired breed.

The highly intelligent, aggressively affectionate Peterbald will entertain you with its playful antics. They are active and athletic, friendly and curious. They will meet visitors at the door, exist in harmony with other cats and with dogs, and they will be the light of your life. The deeply affectionate peterbald cat will be in your lap as many hours as you will allow it. They will sit by you as you drink your morning coffee, sit by your chair during meals, crawl under the covers when you go to bed – there won’t be a minute in the day your cat won’t want to spend with you. Many of them are highly vocal and will “talk back” to you. They will follow you to the door when you leave the house and meet you in the same place when you come home. Once you have lived with a peterbald, life will never be the same.

Traits: Coat Types

The Peterbald cat may have any of the following coats: 1) it may be totally hairless or have only very fine short hair on the face and extremities, 2) it may have a coat like a peach or a piece of suede leather, 3) it may have a coat of varying lengths that is made entirely of downy soft hair without waves or curling or gloss, 4) it may have a coat of varying lengths that is made entirely of wiry, kinky guard hair, or 5) it may lack the peterbald trait and have an ordinary cat coat. People call cats without the altered coat “straight coats,” and while breeders may register and breed them as peterbalds, they may not compete for championship titles.

In peterbalds born with hair, the coat may change over time. Additionally, in rare bicolored peterbalds, the white part of the coat will be the soft downy hair and the darker part of the coat will be wiry guard hair with sharp demarcation between the two types. The breed’s whiskers are frequently altered too, appearing as curled, crinkled or vestigial.

Traits: Body and Build

The peterbald is a medium sized cat, smaller than the domestic shorthair but heavier than an oriental shorthair. The body is long and tubular, with a tight, muscular abdomen. The head is a triangular wedge with very large, oversized ears that extend below the line of the jaw’s angle. The muzzle is blunt. The chin is well developed. The eyes are almost almond-shaped, large and beautiful. The neck is long and slender.

The legs are long and straight, dropping off the chest directly under the barrel, ending in small oval feet with long agile toes. The standing cat should almost completely conceal the foot pad. Hips and shoulders should be the same width. In the sparsely coated or hairless peterbald, muscles are clearly defined, well developed, and supple. The tail is long and whippy. The overall impression is that of a breathtakingly lovely cat.

To date, no one has reported any health issues, so no one has made screening suggestions. However, it is important to follow nutrition and grooming suggestions to prolong the health and safety of a Peterbald.

While grooming practices for a Peterbald vary depending on the coat type, none require a lot of grooming.

Bathe hairless varieties every other week. Be careful not to wash too often, as it could produce oil and become counterproductive. Owners of hairless varieties should keep in mind that these cats are more sensitive to the weather and may need an extra layer in the winter and sunscreen in the summer.

Brush all other coat types once a week with a fine-toothed comb to remove dead hair.

Keep their nails trimmed, ears cleaned and teeth brushed regularly with a vet-approved pet toothpaste, and provide a nice tall scratching post to help their natural scratching instinct.

The Peterbald should maintain a slim but muscular body shape in adulthood, so feeding them a well-balanced diet works best. Access to food at all times is ideal, as they tend to graze.

As with all cats, it is important to give your cat fresh, clean water daily, so cats don’t hesitate to drink. Place the water bowl at least three feet away from any food. Cats’ noses are sensitive and an overwhelming smell of food may cause them to drink less.

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Peterbald Breed Committee (3)

Name Email
Chair: Susanna Shon[email protected]
Adolfo Gonzalez Marques[email protected]
Audrey Marquis[email protected]

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