Peterbald
Peterbalden en naken Siames/Oriental (kat IV ras). Rasen växer snabbt över hela världen och är ganska ny i Sverige. Peterbalden är inte släkt med Sphynxen utan har ett helt annat utseende och ursprung.
Historia:
Olga Mironova i St Petersburg hade en Don Sphynx hane som hette Afinogen Myth. Han var betydligt slankare och elegantare än idealet för rasen.1994 lät hon Afinogen Myth para en Siames hona, Radma von Jagerhov. Därmed hade Don Sphynx rasen fått en helt ny inriktning.
De ”nya” Don Sphynxarna blev snabbt populära i St Petersburgområdet men intresset var svalt i övriga Ryssland där man fortsatte att avla på den ursprungligare kraftigare typen. De slanka katterna från St Petersburg kallades inledningsvis för Peterburg Sphynx men rätt snart etablerades namnet Peterbald. Rasen blev godkänd av SFF (Rysk kattklubb) 1996 och fick en standard. TICA godkände rasen för registrering 1997 och 2006 fick Peterbalden full status. WCF godkände rasen 2003. FIFe godkänner Peterbalden med vissa begränsningar från och med 2007.
De flesta förbund tillåter fortfarande utkorsning med Siames och Orientalisk korthår för att bibehålla genetisk variation och för att förbättra typ.
Hår/hud typer:
Trots att Peterbalden räknas som en naken ras är den inte alltid helt hårlös! Genen som ger upphov till rasens nakenhet är snarare en ”hårtappargen” än en ”nakengen” och är dominant. De kattungar som föds med päls men bär anlaget för nakenhet kan tappa pälsen. Det sker i varierade grad och hastighet fram tills katten är ca 2 år. En kattunge som föds Brush kan alltså bli exempelvis Flock som vuxen.
Man brukar tala om följande grader av nakenhet/hårighet även om gränserna mellan de olika varianterna inte är strikta:
Rubber, katten är helt naken. Det är som att klappa gummi och kan nästan kännas lite kladdigt. Dessa katter föds alltid nakna och saknar helt behåring, men kan ibland ha morrhår.
Flock, katten ser naken ut på håll men har en mycket lätt behåring som syns först om man tittar riktigt nära. Dessa katter är sammetsmjuka att klappa. Ibland är dunet lite tätare på öron, nosrygg, tassar och svans.
Velour, dunet är lite längre och katten ser lite luden ut även på håll. Pälsväxten är ofta något kraftigare på nosrygg, öron, tassar och svans. Det är fortfarande en mjuk och len känsla att klappa katten.
Brush, Katten har en sträv och krusig päls som känns ungefär som pälsen på en strävhårig hund. Hur tjock pälsen är varierar mycket och därför talar man ibland om light brush och heavy brush. Light brush är som velour men med glesa grova strån över kroppen och dessa katter ser nästan lite ”loppätna” ut. Hevy brush har kraftiga, sträva hår på hela kroppen och ser verkligen inte ut som en naken katt!
Straight coat, Dessa katter har en vanlig slät päls och bär inte på anlaget för nakenhet.
Personlighet:
Det är alltid svårt att beskriva en ras personlighet, för varje katt är ju individuell, men generellt kan man säga att Peterbalden är en aktiv katt som gillar att leka. Den vill ha mycket uppmärksamhet och talar om för dig om det är något den saknar! Peterbalden är pratig även om den inte är fullt så högljudd som Siamesen. Den gosar gärna och tvingar sig upp i ditt knä kurrandes och buffandes med huvudet om du inte uppmärksammat den. Rasen är intresserad av sin omgivning och är utåtriktad, den hälsar gärna på allt och alla. Ringer det på dörren så är din Peterbald där först för att hälsa dina gäster välkomna. Den går väldigt bra ihop med andra djur och uppskattar oftast en kompis. Den älskar extra värme och ligger gärna under ditt täcke på natten. På dagen sitter Peterbalden gärna i ett soligt fönster, om inte ditt varma knä är tillgängligt. Annars duger en varm filt eller en elementetsäng att mysa i.
Peterbalden är inte en ras för den som vill ha en ”prydnadskatt” som är tyst och snäll, det är rasen för den som vill märka att det finns en katt i huset!
Utseende:
Elegans är det ord som beskriver Peterbalden bäst. Från nos till svanstipp ger den ett intryck av klass. Huvudet är långt och kilformat, öronen är stora, lågt ansatta med bred bas. Profilen ska vara konvex, ögonen mandelformade och lätt snedställda. Kroppen är medelstor, lång och graciös, med långa ben och en lång piskliknande svans. Peterbalden förekommer i alla färger som finns på Siames och Orientalisk korthår.
Skötsel:
Nakna katter behöver badas. Då nakenheten varierar är det svårt att ge generella rekommendationer men som regel behöver de riktigt nakna katterna badas oftare än de som har lite mer hår. Öronen måste torkas ur då nakna katter ofta har en ökad produktion av öronvax. Man bör också vara noga med att klippa klor och torka rent klofalsar regelbundet. I övrigt sköter du din Peterbald som vilken katt som helst.
Peterbalden är en innekatt, då ingen päls skyddar mot sol, vind, kyla och busksnår. Man kan naturligtvis ta med sig sin katt ut under uppsikt men bör då tänka på att skydda den mot solen så att den inte bränner sig. Ska man ut i kyligare väder uppskattar den en tröja.
Av Cindy Brorsson och Lina Lindström " Bara katter"
The Petersburg Sphinx, or the Peterbald, is the result of the introduction of the dominant gene of hairlessness Hrbd borrowed from the Don sphinxes into the population of the Siamese-Oriental cats.
The breed was given its second name Peterbald – Peter the Bald – in the memory of the founder of Petersburg. This name appeared because of the impression made by the sculpture of Peter the Great by the brilliant and unpredictable Michail Shemiakin in the Petropavlovsk Fortress on the author of the breed Olga Mironova (“Russian cats of the local origin”, O.S. Mironova).
At present more and more representatives of the Oriental group are displayed in shows. The breed of the Petersburg Sphinx is included in this group. Despite the fact that, according to the genetic feature of hairlessness, the Don Sphinxes and Peterbalds have been derived from the same ancestors (in 1987 semi-hairless cats Varvara were found in the street of the city of Rostov-on-Don) these breeds differ from one another quite significantly in the structure of their skeleton, the shape of their scull and the position of their ears. Also, they have different standards approved by the associations of felinologists, and in shows they are subject to examination in different groups of the breed (the Don Sphinxes belong to the group of short-haired cats, whereas the Petersburg Sphinxes are valued in the oriental group).
The breed of Peterbalds emerged at the end of 1994. In breeding the first subtle Oriental-type sphinxes the Don Sphinx Afinogen- Myth was carefully interbred with the Oriental turtle cat, the world champion Radmy von Jagerhof.
Afinoge n–Myth was chosen as the male parent because it was of a somewhat lighter type of build than it is common to the Don Sphinxes, had long extremities and a long tail. Though its head did not distinguish itself for a particular length, its cheekbones were flat, and the profile was smoothed. There was no clear passage from the bridge of the nose towards the part of the scull. In its turn, its partner was an excellent expression of the oriental subtlety.
The basis for the breed was laid by the kittens born as a result of the above-mentioned inbreeding: Mandarin and Muscat, as well as Nocturne and Neženka (the nursery “Cats from Murino”). All the kittens of the first generation were not only hairless but they were also of a clearly expressed oriental type. It was the structure of the coat characteristic of the cats of the Oriental group that determined a better structure of hairlessness in the Peterbalds, which, contrary to the Don Sphinxes, can produce “well undressed” hybrids of the first generation. In the opinion of O. Mironova, one of the ancestors of all the currently existing pedigree Peterbalds – the progenitor of the family – must without fail be derived from the first two experimental leads.
The very first Peterbalds (Muscat and Mandarin) had short millimetre-long hair, which practically disappeared when the individuals reached the age of 1.5 – 2 years (however, it remained on the paws, the face and the tail). This type of cover was later called a “flock” because the coat that remained on the body resembled upholstery. Heterozygous samples have a very different cover of hair – beginning with the lightest one that is similar to the skin of a peach and ending with cotton velvet of various densities. It is difficult to guess to what extent the velvet cats will “undress themselves” upon reaching the age of two years. Their body may become absolutely bald, however, some hair may remain on the paws, the face and the tail.
Absolutely hairless kittens (homozygous according to the dominant gene), that is, those who have no gene of the normal coat in their genotype, started appearing among the posterity of the heterozygous parents of different degree of hairiness (carrying the gene of the normal coat). When stroking, the skin did not become velvet, it stretched as if it was made of rubber. Immunity of such kittens was obviously greatly reduced. Since their development was slowed down during the first weeks of their life, they needed maximum care on the part of a human being. They felt best when fed naturally and additionally fed from the very early age.
In case one out of five kittens on average is born with hair, two are born heterozygous and are “flock” ones, and two are born hairless, most often one of the hairless kittens has little chances to survive, unless the breeder takes twenty-four hour care of it. This can be accounted for by the fact that the kittens, which are born hairless, are much smaller than their “dressed” brothers, and it is not always that they can independently push their way to their mother’s teats. Therefore a highly developed breeder must timely perform the functions of the second mother. It is also dangerous for such kittens to become cold because due to an increased heat and energy metabolism in their infancy, their skin cannot protect them from the fluctuations of the external temperature. However, the hairless kittens, having successfully reached the age of 3-4 months, acquire sufficient firmness and by their development catch up with their “haired” brothers. Unlike the hairless kittens, the “velvet” and “flock” kittens distinguish themselves by high resistance and adaptively from their very first days.
The gene of hairlessness does not only effect the coat but also the whiskers and eyebrows. They are highly curly in heterozygous individuals, whereas homozygous individuals either do not have them at all or they are very thin and chipped.
The Peterbald kittens are born with an absolutely different type of coat.
Hairless kittens. They are absolutely hairless, their skin is sticky. They have no whiskers. They are born with their eyes open. It should be noted that it is only hairless sphinxes that cause no negative reaction in people suffering from allergy.
Flock (velvet) kittens. The skin is velvet to the touch, they are born with short hair or with hairy wool and a bald forehead. With the passing of time the kittens “undress”. Their whiskers are curly, the eyes open on the second-third day. These kittens are really beautiful and pleasant to the touch. During the cold season some places of the entire body may become covered with fluff.
Brush kittens. Their entire body is covered with rough curly hair. These animals do not suit to be displayed at shows, however, they can be used for breeding.
Straight-haired kittens. These kittens are born with an ordinary coat. They are not sphinxes, they are rejected and are not used for breeding.
Since the year 2000 mating of the Don Sphinxes and the Peterbalds has been forbidden. It should be noted that the introduction of blood of the new oriental breeds into the population of the Peterbalds en mass has undoubtedly improved their type, however, at the same time the number of “undressing” individuals has increased considerably. It was noticed that from one and the same hairless male parent, when mating it with different representatives of the oriental group, the leads, which differ greatly in the degree of hairiness among them, could be born. It is most likely that the groups of the Siamese and Oriental cats have different bloodlines with different gene modifiers, which have an effect on the appearance of the gene of hairlessness.
In breeding the Peterbalds, quite a large group of animals of an intermediate type appeared – something between the Don Sphinxes and the Peterbalds. When interbreeding the angora, Siberian, Russian blue and other cats with the Don Sphinxes, a large number of “brushy” cats appeared. This group of animals does require any further selective ennoblement.
Since the breed develops in the direction of its extreme type (that is, towards clearly expressed features of its breed; a long face, ears placed apart towards the sides, flat cheekbones, an elegant body on long legs) it is allowed and recommended to mate the Peterbalds with the representatives of the oriental groups: the Orientals, Siameses, as well as with their semi-long-haired variations: the Balinese and Javanese (also called the Mandarins).
At the present time this is the youngest and rarest breed in the world. In 1996 this breed was registered with the Selection Federation of Felinologists and the breed was assigned the abbreviation PBD, and in 1997 it was registered with the International Cat Association (TICA) (the abbreviation PD). In 2003 the breed was registered with the World Cats Federation (the abbreviation PBD). At the present time the breed is becoming ever more popular in Europe.
Abbreviations of the Peterbalds:
WCF – PBD
TICA – PD
FIFe – PBD
MFA – PTB
They differ from two other hairless breeds in a more graceful and elegant body. The paws of the Peterbalds are longer and thinner, their heads are prolonged, the ears are large and placed apart towards the sides.
The Peterbalds are peaceful, clever, moderately brazen, energetic and very sociable. “This is both a cat, a puppy, a monkey and a child in one small hot body”. These cats are devoted to their masters like dogs. The definition “the cat that walked by itself’ does not suit them.
They like warmth, therefore they can often be found on the heating devices and equipment or on a television set (a computer). The sphinxes like sleeping under a blanket and preferably with their masters.
Keeping sphinxes causes no special problems, however, some peculiarities of this breed should be taken into consideration. Their energy metabolism is very high therefore the body temperature is 0.5-1 degree higher than that of ordinary cats. Seeking to maintain it, the sphinx must eat a lot (on average twice as much as an ordinary cat). It should not surprise you. You have to observe the cat’s weight – overweight is bad for the cat’s health. Practically they eat almost everything. The food should contain vitamins and minerals though in case of their excess, fluff might suddenly appear on the cat’s paws and tail.
The Peterbalds have some features characteristic of this breed. For example, as the representatives that are worth their ancestors, they have a rather strong voice, which they willingly use because they want to communicate with their masters and “make a sound recording” of their actions very much. The cats “speak” especially loudly during the time of mating, and the males – during the time of their sexual maturity and during their “marriage” games. Of course, there are pleasant exceptions, however, they are quite rare.
The skin of the hairless cats has the features similar to those of the human skin: when it is hot it sweats and in summer, under the effect of the sunrays, it becomes tanned. The skin of the “rubber’ sphinxes is especially sensitive to radiation, dryness, mechanical impact, therefore it is necessary to protect it. If we are taking a cat to the country in summer, its skin should be rubbed with baby oil or baby sunscreen. However, one should not become too keen on creams and lotions because the latter might poison the cat! The tan disappears in winter, only the changing “winter spots” and birthmarks remain. Pigmentation becomes more pronounced during pregnancy and the lactation period.
A distinguishing feature of the sphinxes is secretion of the co-called skin ointment (wax-like reddish-brown sticky substance) and its concentration around the nails and the helix. This is an additional protection of the organism against the impact of the surrounding environment. Therefore sphinxes should be bathed more often than ordinary cats, it is advisable to do that once per month (in a bathtub), and they can be rubbed with a wet towel in between baths. As a rule, adult animals, which preserved their remaining hairiness, have no such abundant skin secretions and the master can limit himself to periodical cleaning of the helixes and nails.
Standard of the Breed
The definition of the breed by the author of the breed O. Mironova is as follows:
“The Peterbald is a fully-fledged representative of the group of the Siamese and Oriental cats, only it is devoid of hair or has a very small amount of it: seeking to obtain the titles, it must not exceed 1-2 mm on the body and 3-4 mm on the extremities”.
General characteristic: hairless, hot to the touch, soft, however, strong and elegant cats with a long body, long extremities and a long tail, with strong bones that are characteristic of the representatives of the group of oriental cats.
Type: dry, strong.
Head: narrow, wedge-shaped with flat cheekbones and the forehead, the face is strong, not sharp, a slight pinch is allowable. The length of the scull is almost equal to the length of the face. Vertical wrinkles parting horizontally above the eyes run across the forehead. Whiskers are curly, in adult individuals they may be chipped or they may be absent altogether. The chin is well developed, it is on the same line as the tip of the nose. The line of the profile is straight.
Eyes: small, deeply “set”, almond-shaped, diagonal, of a green or blue colour.
Ears: large, wide at the base, spread sideways a little, placed so that when looking at the front, together with the face it forms the letter V. A low positioning of the ears is preferable.
Body: long, strong, and muscular, with strong bones. The groin line is deep.
Tail: long, straight, sharp, narrowing at the end. The last third of the tail might have hair.
Skin cover: elastic, plentiful, going into wrinkles. Hair may remain in the openings at the base of the ears, on the face, on the paws and on the lower parts of the extremities, and on the tail. Seasonal increase in hair on the body might be observed. It is desirable that there should be no hair at all.
Whiskers: curly, may be chipped in adult cats or they may be absent altogether.
Shades: various shades are allowable.
Notes: the individuals that have retained obvious hairy coat after they are over one year old, are attributed to the interbreeding category of the “brush” breed. The animals, which retain the remaining hair only on distant (separate parts of the body – the tail, the extremities, the face, the base of the ears, form the so-called category of the “brushpoints”. According to the HRbd gene, both categories are heterozygous. The totally hairless category of heterozygous Petersburg Sphinxes retains hardly noticeable hairiness, resembling “yesterday’s shaving”. Homozygous Peterbalds resemble rubber toys with elastic and easily stretching skin – the so-called “Gummy cats”. Kittens are born with a curly coat and a bald forehead. Whiskers are always curly – this is the main feature of belonging to the “sphinxes” at birth. Eyes open early – on the first-fifth day of life.
Drawbacks: a short, round head, small or straight ears, round or bulging eyes, a short body, a short or incorrectly ending tail, complete hairiness of the body, a weak chin, malocclusion up to 2 mm (a complete bite at the canines).
Defects: drop of eyelids, malocclusion over 2 mm, absence of the bite at the canines, hooks or fractures in the tail.
Mating with other breeds: oriental cats (the Siameses, the Orientals, the Bali and Mandarins – Javanese). Repeated mating with the Don Sphinxes is not recommended