DONSKOY (SPHYNX) GENETICS IN BRIEF
Donskoy are know as Don Sphynx in
Russian and the Ukraine

Originally the name "Sphynx" was attributed to hairless cats, bred on the basis of the mutation revealed in Canada,  Canadian mutation is appointed to a recessive allele - hr.  Specimens that are homozygous for this allele (hrhr) do not always display hairlessness in its' full expression: sometimes they have a thin residual coat with a corrupted texture, which is more prominent on the legs, muzzle and tail (these are called Points).

                                 

Canadian Sphynx   

     Donskoy or Don Sphynx as they are know in Russia and the Ukraine  have behaved in another way.  Hairlessness revealed itself as early as in the first generation by way of a pair (one normal and one hairless) mated cats.  The results of such a mating were quite mixed: some of the heterozygous offspring had a residual curly coat at birth, which could be extremely short ("velour") or of normal length but rare, and shafts of hair were thin.  These coat texture abnormalities often came together with a bald spot on the crown, resembling a monk tonsure.  These kittens lost their coat as they grew older.  Hair bulbs died on some regions or on all surface of skin (except for points).  The "shedding" occurs during the period from 2 months to 2 years of age.

               

Donskoy Monk  Tonsure  

Other heterozygous kittens were born covered with thick curly hair of normal length.  Most of them stayed completely "coated" for their lifetime.  Some lost it immediately and became bald.   Others retained it and Cat Specialists conditionally called this variety “brush”.


 

                                                                 

     "Brush Coat in Adult Cat"                              "Shed Cat"

Among the second generation, i.e. animals born from both "shed" parents or one - of "brush" variety and another - a "shed" cat, there was one more type of kittens - completely hairless at birth.  They could even have no whiskers and their "large" elastic skin was wrinkled.

                                        


 "Kittens Born Completely Hairless"

However it was found that the new mutation did something more to the general appearance of animals than just disrupt the coat development.  Among the offspring, especially velour-coated, there were kittens of a very specific type: those with a shortened muzzle, clearly seen cheekbones and widely set up eyes separated with a breath.  These features were tightly bond to the coat development and almost never seen displayed in “brush" type specimens.  The balder the kitten, the more vivid the mutant type features were.  Although this happened only in kitten hood - in contrast to the "velour" animals, which kept the specific mutant features into adult hood.

 

       Velour Male and Born Bald Female

(The males are notedly larger than the females) Such complex mutations as hairlessness, no doubt, have effect on physiology along with morphology.  In this sense, the most evident Donskoy feature is reduced growth (which also correlates with the coat development): hairless and sometimes "velour" animals grow noticeably slower than their "coated" siblings.  By adult hood the former are virtually the same size as the latter.

This kind of atrichosis (hairlessness) also influences the cat's behavior: it was noted that Donskoy resists emotional stress very well.