The question is asking if Sphynx cats come from Egypt because the Great Sphinx of Giza is on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The names ‘Sphynx’ and ‘Sphinx’ are similar and the Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a human.
There is therefore a connection of sorts between the hairless purebred cat called the Sphynx and the huge limestone construction called the Sphinx.
However, there is no connection whatsoever between the two in terms of the origin in this cat breed except perhaps for the name. To recap: the Sphynx does not come from Egypt. The Eyptian Mau does however.
The question that I have is whether the origin of the name ‘Sphynx’ is the Sphinx in Egypt. It seems it might be but I can’t verify it at this time. The breed was originally called a Sphinx but later changed to Sphynx. This indicates that the inspiration for the name is indeed the famous statue.
I suppose there is a fleeting similarity in appearance. But the likely reason for the choice of name is probably because it is exotic and mysterious. Breeders like to create a bit of mystery and intrigue about a cat breed to make it more interesting and marketable.
The breed hails from Canada, about as far from dusty and hot Egypt as one can be. On 31st January 1966 a black-and-white pet cat called Elizabeth belonging to Mrs Micalwaith of Toronto gave birth to a mutant hairless male kitten who was named Prune. Mrs Yania Brown acquired the cat and his mother. They mated one with the other to produce more hairless cats and thus was started the breed.
