He is described as the World’s Scariest Cat but it is just a label. He is cute and nice in real life. He’s playful with a great temperament. It is a good promo label, though. His name is Xherdan. A good name which matches his appearance. He is a Sphynx cat from Switzerland. His human companion and caretaker is Sandra Filippi according the Guardian newspaper.
Here is another picture:
Look… most Sphynx cats can looks scary or weird when you get in close with the camera to highlight all those cavernous wrinkles and the lumpy muzzle because there should be whiskers growing out of those lumps but there aren’t any. If you saw his paws you’d see plenty of webbing between the toes. And the glowering eyes are pretty impressive too. His canine teeth look more prominent because the face is almost devoid of fur.
You can see a bit of fuzz on the nose and between the eyes. Sphynx are not entirely hairless. They do have a fuzz. Sphynx cats are the best subjects for photographers. They are visually very interesting and it doesn’t matter if you like or dislike them. It is a visual thing.
The Sphynx is an American breed but the Russians have their own variant called the Don Sphynx which looks very similar. The Sphynx is said to behave like a monkey and they are also claimed to be the most intelligent cat breed.
People who breed and care for hairless cats say they need to be wiped down regularly. This is task which is unique to the hairless breeds. I think the necessity arises because the oil, sebum, produced in the skin by the sebaceous glands which are designed to keep the fur in good condition by waterproofing the hairs has nowhere to go. It rests on the skin where it is unpleasant. I think the skin picks up dirt because it is oily. Sebum is meant to be on the skin but the skin is not meant to be felt by peple and the skin is not meant to be totally exposed.
MORE HAIRLESS WONDERS….
