Cats that do not shed: breed name and description

True love for cats makes many of their owners put up with scraps of hair in the house and often forces them to clean up. However, today there are cat breeds called non-shedding cats. Is this possible, and are there any deviations in the pets due to this feature?

Before talking about the features of non-molting cats, you should understand what the process of molting an animal is. This is the withering away of old fur and, accordingly, its loss. It is logical that all animals with fur are subject to the molting process. In long-haired and pets with a thick undercoat, this process is more intense. Separately, it should be said about animals of the second type - the hair of the undercoat is thin, falling out, they fly literally all over the house.

In a wild environment, this process occurs twice a year - with the beginning of the spring and autumn periods, which is associated with the need to replace the fur coat with a warmer one or, conversely, a lighter one.

The advantage of non-shedding cats is, first of all, the minimum amount of fur in the house, hypoallergenicity. It is important to understand that the allergy is caused not by the wool itself, but by a specific protein in the animal's saliva. Licking its fur coat, the pet inevitably leaves this protein on the coat. It also causes allergies. Some individuals give a greater allergic reaction, others less.In addition, an allergy can occur to the secretion of the sebaceous glands of cats.

The age of the animal also affects allergies - the older it is, the more allergies it gives. At the same time, it should be understood that some short-haired individuals require special care for their skin, sweat, and can leave greasy stains on furniture and things. In addition, when it comes to "naked" cats, then it is important to take care of their thermoregulation - to make sure that the pet does not freeze or overheat.

Sphynxes are the obvious answer to the question of which cats are not subject to molting. First of all, these are the St. Petersburg, Canadian and Don varieties of the breed. When crossed with them, we also obtained breeds that do not shed fur. These include elf, Ukrainian levkoy, dwelf, bambino. The representatives of this breed do not have a thick fur coat. Only a few individual hairs, the length of which is no more than 2 mm. As a rule, even they drop out in adults (after 2 years).

There are many subspecies of sphinxes, however, they all belong to one group or another:

• Naked... Such individuals are born without fur and undercoat. They may not even have vibrissae (mustache, eyebrows). In winter, these cats often acquire sparse medium-length fur.

• Flock, velor.Such individuals have a small, pleasant to the touch undercoat. It is easy to guess from the name that it resembles velor fabric. Some individuals have fluff all over the body, while others - only on the muzzle and certain parts of the body. The lack of fur for a number of owners is an advantage, but at the same time it is associated with additional requirements for care. These animals are freezing, their skin is easily dry (especially during heating of apartments), in addition, brown sweat appears on the skin, which must be removed with soft napkins.

In addition, sphinxes can leave greasy sweat stains on furniture. For sphinxes, a specific smell is characteristic (albeit subtle). Some people do not notice him or are neutral about his appearance, for others he is intolerable.

Rexes are owners of a short and slightly wavy coat. Due to the fact that it fits snugly to the skin and does not have an undercoat, the cat does not shed. The breed has varieties, the most popular are:

• Devonian - considered hypoallergenic, almost does not smell, however, it needs frequent bathing, since the fur becomes greasy from skin secretions;

• cornish - has a rare undercoat, rather, reminiscent of fluff, they are also called alien cats for their large eyes and elongated muzzle;

• laperm, ural, german, selkirs - there are both long-haired and short-haired individuals, they are united by the fact that the fur curls and resembles sheep's wool.

Animals have a calm and kind disposition. They remain curious and playful until almost old age. Unlike sphinxes, rexes are less whimsical to care for - they do not need to be bathed and insulated so often. Cats almost do not smell, do not require combing. But it is extremely important to follow the pet's diet - if it is violated, dark discharge appears on the back and sides.

This group united pets that do not have an undercoat. Warm countries are the homeland of Siamese-oriental cats. In other words, the fact that the ancestors living in a warm climate did not need to change their fur makes them not fade. This genetic feature has also been preserved in the modern tailed beetles of this group. As a rule, these cats have a graceful elongated body, muscular and agile. Outwardly, they resemble their ancestors - wild cats. This group includes:

• siamese cats;
• abyssinian cat;
• orientals;
• Thai cat;
• Mekong Bobtail;
• Scythian Tai Don;
• burmese;
• balinese.

Representatives of all these breeds, with the exception of the Siamese, are distinguished by an inquisitive and friendly character and activity. Siamese cats cannot be called angry or aggressive, however, due to the anatomical features of the skeleton ("defects" of the spine and tail), the pet can often be irritable and vindictive. The guard hairs fall out imperceptibly, and due to the lack of undercoat, the fur needs minimal care. He does not roll into tangles.

This cat breed is one of the most demanded. And all thanks to the fantastic appearance and incredible character. The animal has a natural origin, unusual color and is distinguished by devotion to the owner, kindness, and paternal attitude towards the younger members of the family. Despite the presence of a dense undercoat, the Russian Blue is not subject to molting. Besides, the animal cleanly and independently copes with the task of caring for its fur coat.

A cat's coat is considered hypoallergenic. Due to the structure of the hair, it is not subject to destruction, and bacteria do not settle on it. Due to the reduced hair fragility, the cat sheds throughout the year, but imperceptibly. Longer hairs fall out, the undercoat remains practically unchanged.

A rare breed of cats for our country. Outwardly, it is similar to the Russian blue, but is not shorthaired. The Nibelung has a semi-long fur, otherwise the structure of the hair is no different from the structure of blue. Knowing this, it is understandable why the Nibelung also refers to non-shedding cats.

A cat amazing in beauty, intelligence and dexterity. And this is not surprising, because the progenitor of the Bengals is the Asian leopard cats. Bengals are the result of crossing a domestic cat and a wild cat. A feature of Bengals is that a week after birth, phasing begins. This process involves increasing the length of the undercoat hair. The undercoat becomes longer than the guard hair, so the bright spotted color seems to be covered with a darker veil.

In nature, Asian cats practically merge with nature, and phasing is necessary so that defenseless cubs are safe and do not fall prey to predators. In domestic Bengals, the phasing process may not be so pronounced, their fur usually simply becomes unattractive (excessively fluffy, dense, the "corporate" color is lost). The kitten grows, becomes more and more independent, strong, fearless.

During this period (usually at 4–9 months) the Bengal's undercoat falls out, it becomes smooth, shiny, and an exquisite pattern appears. The pet does not grow any more undercoat, and from now on it can be considered a non-shedding cat.

It is difficult to single out some general principles of grooming, since each breed has specific requirements. For example, rex and sphinxes have large ears that need to be cleaned regularly. Many short-haired animals and naked sphinxes spend a lot of energy on heating, so they especially need a balanced diet. Moreover, cats do not have a sense of satiety, they can beg for tidbits for a long time already after the end of the meal.

With regular overeating, pets face obesity, heart and liver problems. Naked sphinxes freeze even at a temperature of + 22-23 C. In this case, they need to purchase special clothing.The sunbed should also be insulated. Cats of this breed love to bask in the sun, this is good for the animal - the only thing that the owner needs to watch out for is that the pet does not get heatstroke.

Rex need combing, but not often. On average, once every one and a half - two weeks. A soft natural brush is suitable for these purposes. Special wet wipes are also available. You cannot use the usual ones, since the animal will begin to lick itself and get poisoned. During moulting, the number of brushes should be increased - once a week is sufficient. Rex is bathed every two months, while it is important to choose a delicate shampoo, since the skin of animals is prone to irritation.

Experienced breeders suggest using hairless shampoos. You should not dry your pet with a hairdryer after bathing - this is fraught with excessive dryness of the skin and its further irritation.

Rexes have small paws, so excessively long claws give them a lot of inconvenience. Sometimes they don't even completely hide in the pillow, so as the claws grow, you need to cut them with a special claw cutter. An important point - you only need to cut off the transparent part of the claw, so as not to damage the blood vessels and nerve endings passing through it. It is possible to reduce the amount of hair loss during shedding if a month before the start of this process, give the cat a drink of B vitamins and fatty acids.

It is important that the cat's diet is balanced, the required amount of animal protein is present.... It is useful to grow oats or special grass for the cat. Greens will help maintain the required amount of trace elements in the pet's body.

For information on how to properly care for cats that do not shed, see the next video.