Welcome to Smith's Paws!

So the question comes up all the time… “How Did You get Into Breeding Sphynx”? So here is my story.

Growing up I had severe allergies to cats and dogs. I always LOVED cats… yes even my first word was cat! But, I had cats anyway. I grew up with a domestic shorthair named Whiskers (how original) who lived well up until she was 18. I also had a main coon named Zima and Big Leo another domestic shorthair. I remember going to school with eyes bulging out of my head itchy and red from sleeping with the cats even though I knew the end result. I loved all animals,  and I was always the first to bring home any animal that was sick, abandon, or hurt and nurse them back to health. Just a passion that was always there:-D

So when I finally moved out on my own I brought my maine coon with me. I felt bad while I was at work her being all alone but could not imagine bringing another hairy cat into my home as even as years passed my allergies never got any better. So after researching “hypoallergenic” breeds I stumbled on the sphynx. OMG I had to have one!!! After never really purchasing a cat from a breeder I had no idea what to look for so I just grabbed the first one I was able to get immediately! She was a blue and white bicolor and I had her name already picked out “Chloey”. She had to be shipped to me as the breeder lived on the West Coast… I was sooooo excited counting down the 7 days I had to wait for her arrival! 2 days before Chloey was to be shipped I got a call from the breeder and the woman explained my kitties mom was diagnosed with a horrible disease HCM. OMG what is HCM??? She said I could have the kitten or she would return my money as she couldnt guarantee the health of this baby as it is sometimes a genetic issue. I could not imagine giving up a kid because he/she may develop a disease so I took the girl anyways. I did my research and decided to have my kittens heart scanned for this HCM. I never imagined she would have it as she was a CRAZY playful kitty!! So we went to see the cardiologist as soon as she turned 8 months and to my surprise she was diagnosed with HCM. It felt like my world was falling apart:-( How can my baby have this?? Why wasnt she the lucky 50% of the litter?? So we put her on medication for her heart that the Doc prescribed and I took her home. Well that was 8 yrs ago and luckily my Chloey is still with us today. If you have a sphynx then you know sphynx are addictive. So I went online and decided to purchase a little boy. He was a beautiful blue and white sphynx. Chloey needed a naked friend (well that was my excuse to get another). So Jakes arrival was finally here YIPEE!!! He came with a cute little sweater and had the sweetest expressions on his face. OMG we bonded immediately! Chloey and Jake also became friends immediately! After about a week I noticed Jake was not eating much and laying around quite a bit. I went to pick him up and I felt his heart beating out of his chest  and I knew something was wrong. I called my vet immediately and ran him right over. My vet said he had a level 4 heart murmur (most likely from a birth defect) and there was not much they can do for a kitten so young with such a high level, and he would most likely die:-( I burst into tears and held Jake tightly praying this not to be true. I brought him home and never left his side. Jake came to work with me everyday, he went grocery shopping, to the bank, to the movies, and he even came in the bathroom with me (Oh yes NEVER left my side). I called the breeder and she said heart murmurs were normal in kittens..even a level 4. Ok I am no expert but this cannot be true! As the days passed he became very skinny and I had to syringe feed him morning, afternoon, and night. Oh please dont leave me Jake… be strong we can beat this. He slept right next to me every night under the covers and on a peepee pad as he lost all control of his bladder. But, I didnt care:-( I took him to University Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital to run some tests as I would do anything… just dont let this baby die. I was told the same…”There is nothing to do for him”. My world was falling apart again but this time no meds or love could help this poor baby. Unfortunately Jake’s body had enough and he crossed the rainbow at the age of 5 months. And to this day I will never forget that poor little guy. Why did he have to go so soon?  But in the time he was here with me he learned what it was to be loved and he is now in a place where he can be a happy healthy kitten forever.

So a few months after Jakes passing I decided it was time to get poor Chloey a friend again. My Maine Coon was old and didnt want to be bothered. But, am I setting myself up for heartbreak again? Well after a ton of thought I decided to get Jasmine. She was a beautiful solid black little sphyxn girl. So the day came to pick her up from the airport. I couldnt wait for the airlines to hand her over to me!!! I finally get the carrier and run out to my car with her to let her stretch a bit from the long flight. I open the kennel and I smell this awful smell… what the heck is that I ask myself? So I pull her out and her poor eyes were glued shut with pus and the tips of her ears looked scabbed. She also had scars all over her body….and OMG the sweater on her was filthy along with the blanket she was laying on. I rush her home and get her cleaned up as best as possible and run her to the vet. She is VERY sick and had to be put on eye drops and antibiotics. I bring her home and do everything the vet says but she is still so sick. Oh please not again…I give up. What is wrong with this breed??? Or is it my bad luck? Well after $4000 in vet bills and 24/7 care 8 months later my Jasmine finally got better. And Jasmine is still here with us today healthy and happy!

Well after my horrible experiences one would ask “Why the heck would you breed”. Well I wanted to be better than the breeders that sold me those cats and make this breed better. I wanted to learn everything I could about sphynx, and unlike the many breeders I contacted and asked questions to with no reply when I was so desperate for help… I want to answer everyones questions… even the questions asked by people who didnt even purchase a kitten from me. If someone has a question about their cat I will give the best advise I can. I do not care whether their cat came from me or not.  I want to give back to the breed I fell so in love with and the breed who gives me so much happiness. I researched everything about sphynx down to their toenails. Oh yes I was crazy, I read entire veterinary textbooks from cover to cover. I was determine to do this right and produce the healthiest cats I could. Well things were uphill from there….I found an amazing breeder in Europe that agreed to import a sphynx female here to use in my breeding program. When I got my girl she was big and healthy and had the biggest blue eyes you ever seen. That is my Vanessa. I then imported another female here to the US and named her China. Another beautiful healthy girl. I was so excited and grateful to finally find breeders who actually did right for our breed!! Well it was time for my stud…. and Jax came along not long after. He was a big muscular blue mink male. I love them all and everyone was healthy and happy.  I continued to do my research and text book reading for the next few months and now it was time for my China to be bred. OMG I am so excited and scared at the same time. Well China gave birth 64 days after she was bred and I welcomed 7 healthy beautiful kittens in the world as the first smiths kitty generation:-)

So this is my story. Everyone starts their breeding programs for one reason or another. Mine was to make better of our amazing breed we call sphynx for Chloey, Jake, and Jasmine. Though I know I cannot play God (even though I try my hardest) I am 100% devoted to the sphynx and have a passion that drives me to produce the best sphynx kittens I can!

NoCoatKitty does NOT CAGE our cats or kittens. We dont even own a cage. We use extra bedrooms in the home as nurseries. Our adult cats sleep with us every night and have full run of the house.. They are not locked away and used as breeding machines. 

We also give every cat and kitten in our care the best chance for survival. Breeding now for 20 years I found a lot of breeders have the mentality that if a kitten or cat is not 100% then its best to let nature take its course. I do not believe in this mentality. We will do whatever is possible for any of our animals no matter their age, and no matter what value people think they may have. We do not look at our pets or our kittens as dollar signs.