There are many different opinions as to what constitutes best nutrition in Sphynx cats. In fact, this is a hot topic of debate for all species and breeds in veterinary medicine. Arguments can be made for raw versus prepared diets (including freeze dried, frozen, canned, kibbles), grain-free versus all inclusive recipes, home-made versus commercially manufactured, etc. And while our veterinarian has her own beliefs and opinions, there really is no completely wrong or completely right answer – as long as the diet is appropriately balanced for the species being fed.

Here, at nearly nekkid, we have chosen Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Diet. We find that this causes the least GI upset in our cats, which means less gas and more solid stools. When first introducing solid food to our kittens, we use Mama and Baby Cat, starting with the mousse (canned) food and then adding in the tiny kibbles as the kittens get older. At about 8 weeks, we switch onto the Gastrointestinal Kitten formulation in both canned and dry. Once our cats reach 10 months, they are transitioned onto the adult formulation. Our kittens are sent home with a small supply of both the canned and dry GI kitten food to enable new owners to transition onto the diet of their choice.

We do feed both canned and dry food every day. We also have multiple water fountains throughout the house since it has been shown that cats prefer running to still water. Our cats occasionally get treats as part of their play, but this is a very small part of their diet. They also do their best to steal food from the humans – they seem particularly fond of baked goods.

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding nutrition is “how much do I feed my cat”. This will vary, based on the diet being fed, but here is a rough guideline –

The bottom line is that Sphynx cats eat A LOT. More than you would think for their respective size. This is partially due to their high activity nature, and partially because they have no fur and thus must burn more energy to stay warm. Of course, more food means more waste…. which brings up another topic – litterboxes. Read about our experience with various litterboxes in this post –