So… The Netherlands Have Banned the Sphynx Cat? What Does the Evidence Say? 

What the Dutch Government States 

From the official Dutch website: 

“From 1 January 2026, it will be prohibited to keep hairless cats and cats with folded ears as pets. These physical traits are the result of breeding and cause animal suffering. Cats with folded ears have a defect that affects the development of cartilage and causes painful joint problems. Hairless cats get sick more easily.” 

“If you currently own a cat with folded ears or a hairless cat, it must be microchipped. You may keep the cat until it dies. But you may not get another cat with folded ears or hairless cat. From 2026, you may not enter the cat in cat shows or competitions.” 

“The government is also studying the possibility of prohibiting images of animals with harmful physical traits in advertising and on social media. When people see fewer images or videos of unhealthy breeds of cats and dogs, they will be less likely to buy them.” 

This follows an earlier Decree (9 October 2025) which outlines significant welfare concerns, particularly for hairless breeds such as the Sphynx, Bambino Sphynx, Don Sphynx, and Peterbald. 

The decree explains in why hairless cats are included: 

“Crested cats suffer from the lack of functional coat and the lack of whiskers and tactile hairs… The skin of a hairless cat is not protected against sunburn and skin cancer… Furless skin is also more susceptible to yeast infections caused by Malassezia… Crested cats also have little to no hair in their ear canal… kittens have many problems regulating their body temperature… adult cats also have problems with thermoregulation… Due to the lack of whiskers and tactile hairs, the sense of security of a hairless cat is limited and the cat cannot fully satisfy the ethological needs… there is also an infringement of the integrity of the animal.” 

Why Is This Causing Such Uproar Among Sphynx Owners, Breed Admirers and Breeders? 

Many Sphynx owners and breeders feel the ban is: 

• Unfairly targeted, especially compared to breeds with widely recognised severe welfare issues (e.g., Scottish Folds with osteochondrodysplasia and brachycephalic cats) 

• Not reflective of responsible breeders, who often perform health testing and provide appropriate care 

And, as is often the case in controversial welfare discussions some deny any breed-related issues exist, others accept there are health concerns but feel these can be mitigated rather than eliminated, and some fully support the decision and thus ultimately conversations between welfare advocates, breeders and breed advocates can become emotionally charged, and constructive dialogue often breaks down. 

In this article I aim to investigate the basis of these concerns and the research available.   

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) 

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy’s (GCCF) Recommended Breeding Policy for the Sphynx includes: 

“All Sphynx breeders are required to carry out regular ultrasound screening of any Sphynx cats used for breeding.” 

“The Sphynx breeding programmes have always encouraged the use of outcrossing in order to expand the gene pool…” 

Many registered breeders screen for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and other inherited conditions, for those registered with GCCF is it a requirement.  

They state: 

 ‘All applications to register Sphynx kittens must be accompanied by a certificate of freedom from HCM for each parent… No application to register Sphynx kittens will be accepted without these certificates…In the event that a Sphynx cat develops HCM after it has already been used for breeding then breeder should make sure that they are aware of any entire offspring or descendents on the active register. The breeder should inform the owners of the situation and careful consideration should be taken about further breeding with potentially affected cats.’ 

The issue? Most breeding worldwide occurs outside of such regulated systems — which is where welfare concerns escalate and cats are products without any form of health screening.  

Hereditary Disease: Myopathy in the Sphynx 

Hereditary myopathy is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease in Sphynx cats. It is characterised by generalised muscle weakness caused by a defect in the mechanism by which signals from nerves are transmitted to the muscles. Signs of muscle weakness start to occur from 3 to 23 weeks of age, and usually progress slowly in severity until approximately 9 months of age when the condition often stabilises. However, if they experience megaoesophagus there is a risk of aspiration and sudden death. 

To reduce the prevalence of this recessive inherited disorder in the Sphynx breed, screening using DNA tests is recommended for all cats that may be bred from. 

Longevity: What the Data Shows 

VetCompass research identified the Sphynx as having the shortest life expectancy of 6.68 years at birth among studied breeds. However, when it comes to Sphynx, this outcome likely reflects a very small sample size and some very young deaths, pulling the median age down. Therefore, although a concerning statistic, more research on the mortality, health and welfare of Sphynx cats is needed. 

Skin & Health Problems 

The Decree (9 October 2025) stated that hairlessness is also said to increase risk of: 

• Dermatitis 

• Lack of coat and whiskers/tactile hairs causes welfare issues 

• Skin is unprotected from sunburn and skin cancer 

• Higher risk of Malassezia yeast infections 

• Little to no ear canal hair increases ear problems 

• Kittens thermoregulation difficulties 

• Ongoing adult thermoregulation difficulties 

• Lack of whiskers reduces a cat’s sense of security and ability to meet natural needs 

Studies with a small sample size showed high prevalence of Malassezia in Sphynx cats (81%), compared to 0% of DSH controls. 

Mitigations

Owners often manage these risks through indoor-only lifestyles, bathing, hygiene and temperature-controlled environments — which itself is a separate and complex debate; indoor cat living is a controversial subject in itself.  

While some suggest indoor only: 

• Protects against a decimating wildlife population, not helped by pet cats hunting 

• Reduces risk of road traffic accidents, trauma, theft, fighting and some disease risks  

Others believe indoor only cannot: 

• Provide adequate physical and mental stimulation  

• Meet all of a cat’s welfare needs 

Reviews regarding the welfare impacts and suitability of indoor-only lifestyles for cats note that it is not limited to any specific breed or to purebred cats more generally, any owner can choose to keep their cat indoor for a myriad of reasons. 

The difference being, in theory, is that sphynx cats need to be kept in for reasons relating to their appearance to protect them from further harm above the usual harms of outdoor access. For example, it has been said that ‘cat conformations that carry a requirement for human grooming to maintain skin and hair health could be considered an extreme conformation whereby if the human husbandry input is inadequate, then these animals will not have their welfare needs met’. This same philosophy could be transferable to animals whose welfare could be compromised when leading an outdoor lifestyle that leads them more susceptible to certain harms and the fact that they require increased levels of human input to maintain healthy skin.  

So Why Ban Them? 

The Dutch stance appears based on the principle that: 

• Breeding animals intentionally lacking essential anatomical structures (coat, whiskers, cartilage integrity) inevitably creates avoidable suffering. 

• Health testing can reduce, but not eliminate, the inherent problems caused by the traits themselves. 

• Prevention at population level requires limiting the traits, not just improving husbandry. 

I have to wonder if this ‘hard line’ policy is aimed at closing the loopholes that have long plagued the animal welfare world. Even in the UK there is legislation that states ‘no dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, phenotype or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring.’ However, despite this, it is unenforceable. There has, to my knowledge, never been a conviction under this legislation, despite many people trying. Animals are persistently bred with genotype, phenotype and state of health that is detrimental, and yet they continue to breed, with no consequence. 

Furthermore, I wonder if this line has been taken because much of the breeding occurring of these cats does fall outside of those people (breeders) who are valiantly attempting to improve their cats health and welfare – from breeding conscientiously, expanding the gene pools, engaging in outcrossing programmes, having veterinary involvement, health testing and monitoring the outcomes of their litters to ensure that no long term issues are arising. 

The PDSA reported that in 2024 only 8% of owners got their cats from a ‘breeder’, however does not delve into if that ‘breeder’ was actually a registered breeder or registered with organisations like the GCCF. This 8% is slightly lower than the percentage reported in 2025 by Cats Protection who said that 15% of cats were bought from a specialist breeder in the UK; the increase may be linked with the increase in popularity of pedigree cats.  This report also stated the significant growth in the popularity of pedigree cats continues, for the first time, for cats acquired in the last 12 months, over half are pedigrees (51%). They go on to say that 7% of cats acquired in the last 12 months are breeds which can have characteristics that could be described as extreme and cause health and welfare issues, including Scottish Fold, Persian, Munchkin, Bully cat and Sphynx. 

These statistics show that the majority of these cats are bred outside any framework or organisation that do aim to set improved ‘standards’ especially when it comes to health testing. This is an ongoing issue in the pet world, where people continue to purchase from sources that are low welfare. Until the consumer habits change, I wonder if this legislation aims to put a stop to the ‘backyard breeding’ for want of a better term, and although this will impact those breed admirers who go above and beyond, is this legislation aiming to work towards the ‘greater good’ of animal welfare and banning the breed entirely is a way to ‘dry up’ the majority percentage of poor breeding?  

Where Do We Go From Here? 

The Sphynx controversy highlights a wider question: 

The conversation must be: 

• Evidence-based 

• Compassionate 

• Focused on welfare, not blame 

Acknowledging both sides of the argument here is important, as many people will feel deeply impacted from this. Many of the studies cited into these breeds do come from smaller sample sizes and therefore cannot always give us the full picture or robust conclusions. As the legislation begins, we may not see the wider positive implications on the health and welfare of the cat population for many years to come, when larger studies collate data for hundreds and thousands of cats and monitor their outcomes. 

In the meantime, the Government acknowledges that this will affect cat lovers stating ‘A keeping ban is a measure that affects lovers of these cats. The basic pleasure of people should not outweigh the permanent suffering of the concerning pets, which is contrary to the intrinsic value of the animal’.