When Xherdan's hooman, Sandra Filippi, 47, saw the 12-week-old, pink, wrinkly creature, it was love at first sight. Now a six-and-a-half years old, the Canadian sphynx from Rüti in Switzerland is stealing hearts on the internet.
"His wrinkled pink skin as fine as a peach, his turquoise eyes as blue as the ocean… I was in love!" Filippi told Bored Panda about her first encounter with her unusual cat friend. Filippi says that most people are intimidated by Xherdan in the beginning, but then they quickly fall in love after realizing what a sweet boy the unique animal actually is.
Filippi is a mom of two more Don sphynx cats of Russian origin, who, compared to Xherdan, are thinner, less wrinkly, and have different eyes. "Sphynxes should always be kept in close contact with other sphynx cats, otherwise they will wither away," said Filippi. But the company Xherdan enjoys the most is his hoomans—he's by their side at all times asking for attention and cuddles. "He is like a child and his personality is very lovely," Filippi shared. Some of his favorite activities besides eating and napping include bird-watching and talking in all sorts of different pitches.
Sphynx cats are literally naked, and despite being a dream for people who hate fur everywhere or are allergic cat-lovers, the lack of hair makes them actually pretty high-maintenance. Xherdan needs regular baths and basic grooming such as nail clipping, as well as eye and ear cleaning. Even though caring for a sphynx can be demanding work, his unconditional love and playfulness make up for this.
“He makes me and other people laugh all the time and that’s the most beautiful thing there is. I am so incredibly proud. He is just so unique," said Filippi.
Since Xherdan started sharing his "nudes" on Instagram and gained 31.2k followers, people have been comparing him to various objects, unusual animals, and body parts, such as the brain, a dumpling, a grandma, a pig, or an alien—the creativity goes far and beyond. But the bullying has to stop, because despite the common perception of sphynx as odd and eerie, animals, just like people, are all unique and worthy of love, and this oddly cute cat is here to prove it.
