Editing Sphynx cat (section)

=== Toronto ===
The Canadian Sphynx breed was started in 1966 in Toronto, Ontario, when a hairless male kitten named Prune was born to a black and white [[Domestic short-haired cat|domestic shorthair]] queen (Elizabeth).<ref name=":5" />

After purchasing these cats in 1966 and initially referring to them as "Moonstones" and "Canadian Hairless", Ridyadh Bawa, a science graduate of the [[University of Toronto]], combined efforts with his mother Yania, a longtime [[Siamese cat|Siamese]] breeder,<ref name= ":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cat-world.com.au/sphynx-cat-breed-profile.html|title=Sphynx Cat Breed Profile|author=Julia Wilson|website=Cat-World|date=5 July 2017|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> and Keese and Rita Tenhoves to develop a breed of cats which was subsequently renamed as ''Sphynx''. The Bawas and the Tenhoves were the first individuals able to determine the autosomal recessive nature of the Sphynx gene for hairlessness while also being successful in transforming this knowledge into a successful breeding program with kittens which were eventually capable of reproducing.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://torontoist.com/2013/03/toronto-invents-the-sphynx-cat/| work= [[Torontoist]] |title= Toronto Invents: The Sphynx Cat|author= Jamie Bradburn|date=20 March 2013| access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref> The Tenhoves were initially able to obtain for the new breed provisional showing status through the [[Cat Fanciers' Association]] (CFA) but ultimately had the status revoked in 1971, when it was felt by the CFA Board that the breed had concerns over fertility.<ref name=":2" />

The first breeders had rather vague ideas about Sphynx [[genetics]] and faced a number of problems. The [[gene pool|genetic pool]] was very limited and many kittens died. There was also a problem with many of the females suffering [[convulsion]]s. In 1978, cat breeder Shirley Smith found three hairless kittens on the streets of her neighborhood. In 1983, she sent two of them to Dr. Hugo Hernandez in the Netherlands to breed the two kittens, named Punkie and Paloma, to a white [[Devon Rex]] named Curare van Jetrophin.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news| url= https://www.petfinder.com/cat-breeds/sphynx|title=Sphynx / Hairless Cat |work= Petfinder|access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref> The resulting litter produced five kittens: two males from this litter (Q. Ramses and Q. Ra) were used, along with Punkie's half-sister, Paloma.<ref name=":2" />