Peterbald

THE PETERBALD, SOUTH AFRICA'S NEWEST CITIZEN

Written by Mariette Burger - LaMaska Siamese, Oriental & Peterbald

The Peterbald, a MUST have

Your life is about to change: Is it a dog? Is it a monkey? Is it a bat? No… It’s a very special breed of cat. Perhaps even the rarest pedigreed cat breed in the World: The Peterbald. Only one word can describe the Peterbald and that word is not ‘naked’ or ‘hairless’, that word is LOVE. This intense feeling of tender affection and enthusiasm so aptly describes the Peterbald.

These fantastical little creatures will steal your heart when they dart to your side, hold your face in their slender front paws and give you a headbutt and non-stop purrs. The Peterbald is the ultimate attention-seeker. They crave cuddles and kisses and will not stop until they have your undivided attention and affection. Mischievous and comical, the Peterbald are forever faithful to their owners.

So very like the Oriental and Siamese breeds, the Peterbald forms strong bonds with its humans. Their own somewhat “human” personalities will draw you in and offer you endless hours of amusement and affection. Rivaling the temperament of the ever-popular Siamese, once you have an encounter with one of these wonderful creatures, you will never want to be owned by anything else! A relationship with a Peterbald is one of epic romance. They will adore you and you will find them simply irresistible. They will want to dine with you, sleep in your neck and even hear your thoughts. They will be loyal and devoted, while at the same time make you giggle at their antics and their unwavering enthusiasm for life.

You will never be lonely with a Peterbald at your side, on your shoulder, in your dinner plate or in your hair. This whimsical breed, the purrfect companion, is now a South African Citizen.

History of the Peterbald

A Breed Apart

Russian breeder, Elena Kovaleva brought home a homeless, bald female cat. She thought that it was sick and tried to cure it from the supposed disease that caused the puzzling hairloss. But it was soon discovered that the absence/loss of hair was not from a disease, but was in fact a natural mutation. The female cat was named Varvara (Varya) and she later gave birth to hairless kittens.

Varya was soon to become the foundation cat of a new and wonderful breed. The first thought, of course, was that this mutation was the same gene that caused the hairlessness in the Sphynx. For that reason, you will see the name Don Sphynx used in some descriptions and on some pedigrees. This proved to be untrue and it was soon discovered that these were two totally different breeds. The Sphynx gene is a recessive gene and after breeding the Don Sphynx, the gene was found to be dominant.

Varya went on to be the foundation cat for two wonderful, but different breeds. Some of Varya’s kittens were bred to European and Domestic Shorthairs. This produced a very stocky built cat that became known as the Don Hairless or, what is now known as the Donskoy. In 1993 a very oriental-looking brown mackerel tabby Don Hairless male, Afinguen Myth, was mated to a tortie Oriental female, Radma Von Jagerhof. These oriental-type hairless cats were called Peterbald. They were unpopular in Moscow, but became very popular amongst St. Petersburg breeders.

In January of 1994, the new, more refined look of the Don Hairless, became known as the Russian Peterbald. Breeders from the United States became increasingly interested in the Peterbald. Several Peterbald were shipped from Russia to the States to be used in breeding programs. Acceptance of the Peterbald by the Cat Fancy World-Wide In 1996, the Peterbald was accepted by the Russian Selectional Feline Federation (SFF) and given a standard and an abbreviation for registration purposes, i.e. PBD. In 1997, the Peterbald was accepted by The International Cat Association (TICA) with the abbreviation PB. In 2003, the World Cat Federation (WCF) accepted the Peterbald, with the abbreviation PBD. Other used handles of the breed are PBD, PTB, PD and PSX. Breeders in the United States have succeeded in obtaining full Championship status of this breed in 2007, with the abbreviation PD. Lean and elegant, but at the same time muscled, finely featured, big-eared, long-legged and whippy tailed, this cat has a totally different look from that of the Sphynx.

However, although these graceful cats have the elegant, oriental-type body, they have a unique look, coat and personality, distinctly their own. A Peterbald may have different coat types; from thick and silky (straight), or wiry (brush), flocked (velour) or suede (chamois), naked or sticky (completely bald) and everything in between until their ‘coat’ settles in at 2 years of age. One of the most notable features of this elegant cat is the new and unique coat called a brush coat: It has a similar texture to the coat of a wirehair, but is very short, definitely not curly and not dense, more sort of brushy. One might compare its texture to a worn tennis ball or a soft pot scourer. It is simply UNIQUE and really special.

The South African Link

The South African Cat Council (SACC) had accepted the Peterbald for Championship Status as early as November 2001, with the abbreviation PET.  

In October 2008, the brand new Standard of Points for the Peterbald was accepted by the Southern Africa Cat Council.  The new SOP will assist South African Peterbald breeders in breeding cats that conform to international standards. This acceptance of the new SOP once again proves the forward-thinking of the SACC judges in South Africa.  We would like to thank our Judges for their favourable consideration of the proposal and hope that they enjoy judging this wonderful breed and learning with us as we venture into this new chapter!

Are you ready to be owned by a Peterbald?

Peterbald require undivided attention and they can be naughty and very stubborn. Extremely intelligent, Peterbald, amongst themselves have decided that manners are ‘oh so boring’, and this is what makes them LOADS OF FUN! With no consideration for the very important things human’s ‘have to get done’, you might find yourself trying to process your tax return with a Peterbald sitting on your head, pawing at your cursor, or trying to sabotage any plans you have to try and be ‘serious’.

Peterbald cannot be left on their own for long periods, they NEED their human entertainers. They are ideal companions and get along famously with each other and with other cat AND dog breeds. We believe that the Peterbald “speaks dog”. They will walk on a leash without any training to do so and they will come running when you call them by name. These little gems also play fetch and love games of hide-and-seek. The Peterbald have “batwings”, and when jumping into the air to “catch”, they have a moment of air-borne suspension which is truly awesome to behold.

It is not ideal that a Peterbald goes to a home where it will be the only pet or left alone for long periods of time. This is because, together Peterbald can keep each other company and concoct plans together to take over the world, but alone... they have much too much time on their paws to think about their next conquest and may become bored, destructive or noisy, especially after their slave gets home. Despite their tough demeanour, these are really very sensitive little creatures who were born to love and be loved. If you intend to adopt a Peterbald, and you have no other pets, please make sure he has enough toys and goodies to keep him occupied during the day and that you are up for some energetic play sessions when you return from work in the evenings.

The Peterbald “coat” is easy to maintain depending on the type of coat and colour and neutered cats might only require a monthly bath. Some owners prefer to bath them more frequently. Peterbald love their bath and will wait patiently, standing upright without a fight while you exfoliate, wash and rinse their skin/coat. Males and neuters require a daily wipe-down with a cleansing wipe (Johnson’s Facial Wipes or such) of their tail to prevent excess build-up of oil that might result in blackheads at the base of the tail. The nail beds and ear shells will also require a weekly wipe-down. They love to wear little jackets and jerseys and their main aim in life, if not to make it more interesting for us humans, is to find HEAT.

The Peterbald should never be exposed to long periods of strong sunlight; their skin will sunburn like human skin, resulting in painful skin conditions and severe sun damage. For this reason, the Peterbald is an INDOOR cat.

At present there are only two breeders in South Africa that are working together towards developing the ‘cookie mould’ for this wonderful breed: LaMaska (Pretoria, Gauteng) and Kioko (Durban, KwaZulu Natal).