Cat Breeds 101: Peterbald – Image To Repin / Share
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The Peterbald is an elegant Russian cat breed. These cats may be totally hairless or they may have a fuzzy coat that looks and feels like a peach. They have been described of a having a dominant gene for hairlessness, or a dominant gene for hair loss, or a dominant gene for an altered and diminished coat. A Peterbald is a medium-sized cat with a body shape similar to the Oriental Shorthair but more muscular. [1]
The breed was created during the latter half of 1994 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the result of an experimental mating of a Don Hairless (also known as Don Sphynx or Donskoy) male named Afinogen and an Oriental Shorthair female, a World Champion named Radma von Jagerhov by Russian breeder Olga S. Mironova.
The first two litters produced four Peterbald kittens, named; Mandarin iz Murino, Muscat iz Murino, Nezhenka iz Murino and Nocturne iz Murino (these are pretty rad names for cats if you ask me!) These four Peterbalds were the founders of the breed. The International Cat Association accepted the Peterbald into championship competition in 2005. To this day, the cats remain a very rare and desired breed. [2]
The Peterbald has five main coat types: [3]
1. Bald – These are cats born completely without hair and are somewhat sticky to touch.
2. Flock – These cats are 90% hairless and feel like a smooth chamois leather to touch with no stickiness.
3. Velour – These cats are 70% hairless and will have a coat of up to 1 mm in length.
4. Brush coat – These cats have a short coat with wiry hair up to 5 mm long. The coat feels like felt to touch.
5. Straight coat – These cats have a short coat with normal whiskers.
These cats are highly intelligent, affectionate and will entertain their owners with their playful antics. They are active, athletic, friendly and curious. They will meet visitors at the door and exist in harmony with other pets.
Many of them are highly vocal and are known to ‘talk back’. It said that once you have lived with a Peterbald, life will never be the same without them. [1]
References:
[1] https://tica.org/nl/find-a-breeder/item/250-peterbald-introduction
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterbald
[3] https://www.peterbaldcattery.com/