hairless
Kohana
Origin: United States (Hawaii)
Reputedly the rarest cat in the world — a 'Hawaiian Hairless' with taut, rubbery, wrinkled skin and no down whatsoever, so bald it feels like warm suede. Almost certainly an extreme expression of a hairless gene rather than a truly separate breed, but a genuinely arresting and intensely affectionate companion.
- Origin
- United States (Hawaii)
- Category
- hairless
- Lifespan
- 12–15 yrs
- Size
- Small to medium
- Weight
- 3–5 kg
- Coat
- Completely hairless, with taut, rubbery, often wrinkled skin and no visible down at all
- Colours
- Any underlying skin colour and pattern, from pink through grey to near-black, showing directly through the bare skin
😺 Temperament
🏡 Best suited to
📊 Personality ratings
📜 History & origin
The Kohana emerged in Hawaii in the early 2000s, when a hairless kitten appeared and its owner set out to establish it as a new native breed, giving it the Hawaiian name 'Kohana', often translated as 'little cat'. It was originally promoted as a distinct hairless cat whose bareness came from a unique recessive gene, but as breeders investigated, DNA and pedigree work pointed instead to the Kohana being an especially extreme form of the Sphynx — in effect a Sphynx carrying a double dose of the hairless gene, which strips away even the fine peach-fuzz that most Sphynx retain. Only a tiny handful were ever produced, and the line all but vanished, leaving the Kohana one of the most obscure and disputed 'breeds' in the cat world.
🧼 Care & grooming
A totally hairless cat is a high-maintenance pet in the most literal sense. With no coat to absorb the natural skin oils a cat produces, those oils build up on the skin, so a Kohana needs regular gentle bathing to stay clean and to prevent a greasy, sticky feel, along with careful drying of the skin folds. The bare skin sunburns easily and loses heat fast, so this is strictly an indoor cat that needs a warm home, cosy bedding and often a jumper in cold weather. Ears and the corners of the eyes, lacking protective hair, need routine wiping too. In return the Kohana is a devoted, heat-seeking companion that will burrow under blankets and press itself against its favourite person for warmth.
🩺 Health notes
As a hairless cat, the Kohana's main health considerations revolve around its skin and its extreme rarity. The exposed skin is vulnerable to sunburn, scratches, cold and fungal or bacterial problems if hygiene lapses, and hairless cats in general can be prone to greasy skin and blocked ear canals. Because so few Kohana were ever bred and the line drew on Sphynx stock, prospective owners should look for breeders who screen for the conditions seen in hairless and related cats, such as the heart disease hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Kept warm, clean and indoors, these cats can live a normal feline lifespan.