Arden Gatlin-Andrews

In 1986, when I was living in New York City, I happened to go to a cat show at Madison Square Garden.  As I was viewing all the beautiful cats on display I noticed these odd looking creatures that looked more like pink Chihuahuas than cats.  That was the first time I laid eyes on a Sphynx.  As I was still young and barely making enough to pay for the apartment I shared with two other roommates I surely couldn't afford a Sphynx, but I never forgot that day and carried the image of those wonderful creatures with me from then on, hoping that some day I would be lucky enough to own one.

That day came for me in 1994, when my soon to be husband asked me what I wanted for a wedding present.  Well that wasn't a hard one at all!   A SPHYNX!!  My poor husband didn't know what he was getting into at the time.   Of course I immediately gathered all the material I had acquired over the years to show him.  He didn't even know that such a creature existed.

I'll remember the day I got my first Sphynx, Alopecia Areata (Allie) forever.  That little precious bundle peeked out from her carrier and it was love at first site.  I've never looked back since.

We began to show Allie soon after she was old enough.   During a TICA show in Texas we were privileged to meet Carol & Walt Richards, owners of Britanya cattery.   Through their graciousness we were introduced to other dedicated Sphynx breeders and owners.  Soon afterward we bred Allie to Indigo (their beautiful Blue Supreme Grand Champion).  She had four lovely kittens.  Now that sphynx are accepted into Championship Status with CFA we are also showing there as well.

That's how it starts.  You keep one or two, then add on and/or retire the adults into a pet home as soon as possible.

Champions, Grand Champions, Supreme Grand Champions, Distinguished Merits, International Winners, Regional Winners and most importantly, many beloved pets later our love affair with the Sphynx continues.

Ryan Myracle

When I was in high school, I saw a sphynx on TV and fell instantly in love.  The internet was still a new resource where I lived and as a result I was limited to the information that I could gather about the breed.  Furthermore, I lived in a family of dog lovers and could tell that a hairless cat was much less desirable to the rest of the family.  After college, I moved out on my own and adopted an older Himalayan from the local shelter.  Soon after, 4 Siamese came to live with me.  All of that changed when a close friend of mine developed allergies to my cats. The himmy had previously passed and the meezers were all placed in wonderful forever homes. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to explore the possibility of a cat that someone with allergies could possibly be around. 

I began combing the internet for all types of information on sphynx that I could use to plead my case.  Fortunately, I started with the most reputable breeder I could find that was geographically closest to me.  Arden was that person and a godsend from the very beginning.  When I visited for the first time, I was greeted immediately at the door by the most demanding little calico van ever!  It was love at first sight!  I had never seen a sphynx in person, let alone touched one.  And, my friend was able to be around sphynx without having a severe reaction!  A few weeks later after her spay, that little 11 month old calico, Angelfire's Enough is Enough a.k.a. "Diva" became the newest member of the family.

 Arden encouraged me to take Diva to a couple of shows.  She did very well and became a Grand Premier in CFA rather quickly and even became 2nd Best Sphynx in Region 7 only after 4 months of showing.  Since then, I have been so blessed to have Arden as a friend and a mentor.  Diva was joined by her niece, Angelfire's Material Girl, a beautiful natural mink patched tabby and white.  She has also been well received in the show halls and will hopefully make a noted contribution to Angelfire as one of our future queens.  Diva and Mattie share the house with Sushi and Sabi the Chinese crested dogs.  I refer to them as my "naked gang".