My hairless cat smells like potatoes

This is my cat, Oliver Star. He was named after our favorite cow. True story. No, no — don’t adjust your screens. He’s a hairless kitty! He’s just like regular kitties, except he ain’t got no hairz! Oliver’s good looks usually garner one of two responses – either “awwww, look at de bebe!!” or “OH MY GOD!!! WHAT IS THAT?!?!?! SEND IT BACK TO HELL!!!!!”

Poor guy. He has feelings, too!

My love of Sphynx cats sprouted from my awesome cousin Dana, who got her first Sphynx about ten years ago. She so cleverly named him Fluffy. I am allergic to cats, so a Sphynx was such a rad way to get all the fun of a feline without all the sneezing and runny eyes, or furballs.

Oliver, like his cousins and compadres, requires a little bit of extra attention, which is just more fun for me! Their temperature runs a few degrees higher than other cats, as a way for their bodies to counteract the lack of fur and keep them warm. (Read: his lil body warmth feels really good when he lays behind your back!).

But, hairless cats still need an extra layer to keep them extra warm in these brrrrr-freezing months. So that means I get to play dress-up with him! Most cats would scratch your damn eyes out, but he is pretty amenable. He was well-bred, and his breeder (CitizenKat Sphynx, Philadelphia) did such a great job at handling him as a wee one.

So this means all the funny cat sweaters and clever feline t-shirts my heart desires! (Squeee!) He pretends like he hates it, giving me the stink eye as he adjusts to a new skull and cross-bones sweater… but I know he really loves it.

Hairless cats also require regular baths, because they don’t have the fur to absorb the skin’s natural oils. He is a superstar, so he doesn’t go all cartoon-cat-crazy when I try to dip him. He looks especially cute soaking in the tub with a soapsud mohawk. Seriously.

Oliver is pretty vocal, so as he stalks the house, he roars his little baby dinosaur roar, which sounds like a child calling out “Mooom! Mooooom!!”

Other fun facts? He smells like a potato and his skin feels like that of a warm peach. So when you hit the farmer’s market this season, pick up a peach and rub it all over your face. Don’t let the farmer’s funny looks get to you. This is research: you need to understand what it feels like to nuzzle this guy, because ERMERGARD, Oliver is snuggle-able. It is so fun to hold him like a baby and burrow your face in his, and kiss his neck like an overzealous grandmother.

So that’s Oliver. My mini-panda. My 3am wake-up call. My Jordan Cat-alano. My superstar.