Donskoy (cat)

The discovery of the Donskoy goes back to 1987 when a teacher recovered a kitten in her city of Rostov-on-Don. As it grew up, the kitten lost all its hair, despite veterinary treatment attempts. Elena Kovalena named the kitten Varvana. This cat is at the origin of the breed. A few years later, Varvana gave birth to her first litter. There were both hairless kittens and kittens with hair. Those born with fur began to lose it like their mother had. The new owners of these kittens thought they were in poor health and did not want to keep them. It was then that a breeder recovered one of the kittens and, totally charmed, decided to make it a breed. The gene responsible for the lack of hair being dominant, it was not difficult to establish the breed by crossing it with Europeans, Persians or Siberians. The Donskoy was also crossed with Orientals, taking advantage of its dominant gene to create a variety of hairless Orientals. The breed was first recognized by the WCF in 1997; the LOOF, the FIFé and the TICA only recognize it at a preliminary stage, meaning that Donskoys cannot participate in exhibitions. The Donskoy remains very rare. In France, 57 pedigrees were issued between 2003 and 2014. 34 LOOF pedigrees were issued in 2019.

The Donskoy is described as a very active, affectionate and intelligent cat. They are very sociable with both humans and animals. Their lack of aggression exposes them to attacks by cats or dogs from outside, as they cannot defend themselves. Lively and playful, it is very attached to its owner and follows him constantly, like a small dog.