Do Sphynx Cats Groom Themselves? How To Help

Have you noticed your sphynx cat is getting so smelly these days? You might be wondering if they are properly grooming themselves or if you are caring for them properly. You do not have much to worry as you are asking the right questions, so you can properly remedy your stinky cat problem.

With that said, do sphynx cats groom themselves? Yes, they can groom themselves just like other cats. However, they cannot properly clean themselves as they have a lot of folds. Also, their skin is oilier than other cats so grooming themselves is not enough. You still need to give them a bath, clean their ears, and maintain their dental hygiene.

In this article, we are going to talk about the grooming behavior of sphynx cats. More than that, we will also give you some tips on how to groom your sphynx cat to make sure that they can always bask in their naked glory whilst being clean.

Grooming Behavior Of Sphynx Cats

If you have time to observe your sphynx cat as he attempts to completely groom himself, we assure you that it is going to be such a precious and interesting moment. The reason is that they really try so hard to keep their body clean, only to end up asking or even begging you for help.

Just like other cats, they prefer to lie in a place where there is ample light as they groom themselves. Is it because they can see better? Or is the heat an element in grooming? We also do not know, as scientists still have not figured that out.

So your sphynx will lie in front of a window and start licking himself. You will notice that he takes a long time since, as we will discuss later on, he surely has a lot to clean. It is also part of the Sphynx cat’s grooming behavior to lick his paws and use them to rub away the dirt.

If you are there while he is grooming himself, you will be surprised that after some time, he will go to you and lick your fingers. He will then try to put your palm on his body as if asking you to groom him.

This is such a unique behavior coming from a sphynx cat because they are aware that they cannot completely clean themselves. There are also other sphynx cat owners who noticed that instead of grooming themselves, their cats will simply alert them to give them a bath.

Is It Hard To Groom A Sphynx Cat?

When it comes to the grooming aspect of the sphynx cat, it is extremely high maintenance. Even though you do not have to worry about fur shedding around your home, it is offset by the fact that excess oil from your sphynx cat will stick to your furniture.

The fact that they do not have much fur makes their bodies excrete more oil. Therefore, if there is oil buildup, pretty much anything will stick to your cat.

What is worse is that they have many folds, so dirt and grime can embed themselves in the crevices of their bodies like their paws, neck, etc.

Moreover, not only should you worry about cleaning their bodies, but you also have to clean their ears. You can also blame the excess oil for this, but sphynx cats accumulate a lot of ear wax in just a matter of days. Lastly, you should also trim their nails.

For their nails, it is not that high maintenance because they stay filed for a long time as Sphynx cats are active. Since they use their paws a lot, their nails get “filed” unintentionally.

How To Properly Groom Your Sphynx Cat

Let us now go over some of the steps that you can take in order to help your sphynx cat groom themselves properly. Warning: it is a looong list of steps. Do not worry, we are sure that you can manage, plus your sphynx cat will give you lots of love for keeping him fresh and clean.

Give Them A Bath

Of course, the first answer for keeping your sphynx cat clean is to give him a bath. A lot of sphynx cat owners say that you should give them a bath at least once a week in order to prevent the buildup of oil and sweat. Here are some tips when bathing them:

• It is best to use a gentle scrubbing cloth. The sphynx cat has a lot of folds and you want to be sure that you are scrubbing every last bit of grime.
• Use a bar of soap or shampoo that will not cause an allergic reaction. Some owners recommend using a dove soap or baby shampoo, but it is still best to ask your vet first.
• Make sure that you are not stripping the natural oils on your Sphynx cat’s body. Remember, not all oils are bad, there should still be enough oil left to moisturize the skin.
• Rinse thoroughly. You should make sure that there is no residue of soap or shampoo. If that residue dries, it may irritate the skin of your cat.
• Even though the benchmark of the frequency of bathing is once a week, you should still observe how oily, sweaty, and smelly your sphynx cat gets. Based on your observation, you can adjust the bathing time accordingly.

Have A Skin Care Routine

It is a given that all Sphynx cats have oily skin, therefore you should pair that with an oily skin care routine. This is definitely a special step as most cats do not need an established skincare routine, but since we are dealing with your naked friend here, this should be done.

The bad thing about them having oily skin is that they are prone to blackheads and even whiteheads. For blackheads, they tend to usually appear on their chin and paws. As for whiteheads, they can be seen on the chest and back. Check out the following tips:

• You can apply warm water on blackheads to loosen them and scrub lightly to remove them.
• A mild antibacterial soap (which should be recommended by your vet) can be used in order to prevent the formation of blackheads and whiteheads.
• Witch hazel can also be used to treat those pesky bumps. You just have to make sure that you completely rinse it off with cool water. You should do this as your sphynx cat might lick witch hazel and this can make him sick.
• In severe cases, your vet may recommend benzoyl peroxide pads. It is better to use pads instead of creams since your cat might lick the cream.

Cleaning Their Ears

Since Sphynx cats also do not have a lot of hair in their ears and they also excrete too much oil there, it is easy for their wax to build up. It should never reach this point as the build-up will eventually block the ear canal. When this happens, medical attention is definitely needed.

So, just like bathing, you should also clean the ears of your Sphynx cat, at least one or twice a week. Again, you should always adjust the ear cleaning times based on the current situation.

• It is best to clean their ears after a bath so that the wax is softened.
• You should use a soft cloth or a wet wipe.
• Being gentle is key. You do not want to scratch the inside of the ear of your sphynx cat.
• Use an ear cleaner for cats in order to unclog trapped wax. Just get a recommendation from your vet.

Trim Their Nails

As mentioned earlier, you do not have to cut their nails as often as you need to bathe and clean their ears. However, it is best to always check the paws of your Sphynx cat every night before you go to bed.

The reason behind this is that they also do not have much hair on their legs. Therefore, they are susceptible to things that might get stuck under their nails or in between their paws.

As for trimming their nails, you can do it once every two weeks. They are such active cats that they claw their way pretty much through anything so that alone takes care of “naturally buffing” their nails.

Special Tip: Monitor Their Toilet Behavior

Your sphynx cat’s fart can totally make you run out a room. What is worse is the fact that his farts are usually “wet farts” which means that there might be something caught up with the fart.

So no matter how much your eyes are tearing up due to the stench, get a wet wipe and wipe the butt of your sphynx. You can do this!

Another thing to be on the lookout for is if your Sphynx cat covers his poop in the kitty litter. More often than not, he will not. Sphynx cats might have taken an oath not to cover their poop because pretty much all of them do not cover their poop.

Moreover, there are also instances where they step on their poop. Then, immediately after, they will run to you while you are sitting on your couch and the next thing you know, voila! Your sofa and clothes are covered in cat poop.

In order to avoid this, try to monitor when he goes to relieve himself. In this way, you can train him to not step on his poop, or better yet cover his poop.

Doing this type of training can be a hassle as you will always be near the kitty litter, but that is a small price to pay as opposed to cleaning your house covered in poop.

Related Questions

Do Sphynx cats smell? Yes, they are actually smellier than other cats. There is just something in their genes that made them this way and also their bodies produce more oil. Therefore, a lot of things can easily attach to their bodies which contribute to the smell.

Are Sphynx cats high maintenance? Yes, they are. Not only for grooming them, but also in feeding them. They need an extensive grooming routine and they should always be fed with a balanced diet more often than other cats. Further, they also need a lot of attention.