Weird Cat Breed: The Donskoy

The Donskoy (also known as the Don Sphinx) is a mostly hairless Russian cat breed. This breed started in 1987 with the discovery of a hairless kitten being harmed by kids in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don by cat breeder Elena Kovaleva. It is not related to the famous hairless breed of cat, the Sphynx, whose characteristic baldness is caused by a recessive gene, whereas the Donskoy's hairlessness is caused by a dominant gene.

These medium-sized, muscular cats have little hair or nothing at all and wrinkled skin. Their feet are oval-shaped with long, slim, webbed toes. Their heads are wedge-shaped with long, large ears and almond-shaped eyes. The eyes can be of various colors.

Donskoy cats usually have 4 coat types in various colors:

Rubber bald: Being born bald and staying bald.
Flocked: Appearing hairless and feels like a chamois. The cat may become bald.
Velour: Born with a bald spot on the head; the hair slowly disappears but may remain on the face, legs and tail.
Brush: More hair but bald spots on body may occur. The hair can either be soft or wiry.

The coat is similar to human skin. Additionally, Donskoy cats can grow a winter coat (usually on the chest and tail) that they shed during warm weather months..

A professional breeder, Irina Nemikina, rescued one of the kittens of Elena Kovaleva's cat and started a breeding program. The hairless coats continued with subsequent litters, and speculation changed to a gene necessary for producing the coats.

Nemikina’s efforts created the new Russian cat breed, which she named Don Sphynx — Don for the Don River nearby and Sphynx for the lack of hair.

The World Cat Federation recognized the breed in 1987, and the International Cat Association added the breed in 2005.

Donskoy cats are friendly and intelligent, which makes them easy to train. They are also curiouse, affectionate and social cats who like being around people and other pets.

Donskoys don't like to be left alone for a long time. They demand lots of attention and interaction, so they’re not recommended for anyone getting a cat for the first time or for people who are not at home for long periods. These cats are very loyal like dogs.