'She's bald!': Mother of two tabby cats has a healthy litter of kittens, but quickly realizes that one of her healthy babies is not like the others

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Feb 14, 2026 12:00 PM EST

It's not nice to call a beautiful young lady "bald", even if she is!

We're not going to sit here and pretend like we're expurrt geneticists, but we do know a thing or two about cats, so that's where we're going with this story. Cats can get pregnant multiple times per year, and the kittens in the litter can even have different fathers, which makes how the kittens turn out purrfectly interesting. After one of her two cats had a litter of healthy kittens, this cat mom was caught off guard when she went to inspect them. One of her kitty's kittens was bald! Completely hairless. Now, the cats might have had some Sphynx in their DNA, it could be a random mutation, or that momma cat got busy with a Sphynx, but we highly doubt that one. Despite being hairless, she's still as cute as ever, and purrfectly healthy.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

Advertisement
  • 01
    Newborn kittens, a few days old
    via jvstinexx

    Newborn kittens, a few days old

  • 02
    my cat (both parents are tabbies) gave birth to 3 kittens. one's brown, one's gray, & one's just-bald. she doesn't act any different than the other two kittens. could this be a medical issue? they turned 3 days old today!
    via jvstinexx
  • 03
    Newborn kittens, sleeping on their mother's fur
    via jvstinexx

    Newborn kittens, sleeping on their mother's fur

  • 04
    New_Alternative8711 Look up the kitten lady on instagram. She is dealing witht hos exact situation right now.
    via New_Alternative8711
  • 05
    mndsm79 Free sphynx!
    via mndsm79

  • We're not really fans of Sphynx cats. And that's okay, that means there's more of them for the people that actually want them. You have to bathe them frequently because they don't have hair to absorb necessary oils and dirt. And have you ever seen (specifically heard) them fight? It sounds like two people slapping each other. It's wild.

  • 06
    Negative_Chipmunk952 Aww, lil baldy! If you can, would love to see how everyone grows up together. May the algorithim gods bring me back to you if you do decide to provide updates.
    via Negative_Chipmunk952
  • 07
    flayingbook You don't call a young lady bald
    via flayingbook
  • 08
    Numerous_Star7382 Don't put a sweater on a kitten this young- it can be dangerous for them. As others have said- get a heating pad and make it real toasty, weigh the kitten regularly to ensure it's gaining weight, and watch the Kitten Lady's multiple videos of Hippo.
    via Numerous_Star7382
  • 09
    Outrageous-Buffalo33 Domestic shorthairless
    via Outrageous-Buffalo33
  • 10
    24Karet-Gold_King The kitten likely has alopecia, or there was sphinx at some point in your cat's lineage and it came out again in this kitten. Either way it would just be cosmetic. If you're still worried, take them to the vet.
    via 24Karet-Gold_King
  • 11
    falteringfish Ok even stranger than the bald kitten actually is that "brownish" tabby kitten. I'm a cat genetics nerd and I've never seen a cat in this color, it looks almost cinnamon? Can you please show more photos of the coloring? I can
    via falteringfish
  • 12
    see that one is a blue tabby but the other one is such a peculiar color. I'm wondering if your cats have breeds in their ancestry (99% of cats are breedless) which is really unusual and interesting.
    via falteringfish

  • Why, once, we unknowingly adopted a black cat years ago that turned out to be pregnant, and her kittens were all orange except for one that was a tortoiseshell. None of them looked like her at all, and it doesn't make sense to have two completely different breeds of cats born to one black cat momma. Our only conclusion could have been that she met with multiple tomcats during her pregnancy and she had both of their litters. Luckily, we were able to find all of them homes without much trouble, and we took her to get fixed as soon as it was safe for her to do so. Get your cats fixed, people!

  • 13
    ultradespairthot 8 00
    via ultradespairthot
  • 14
    powderpants29 As everyone else has pointed out: Kitten Lady's videos on Hippo along with visits to the vet would be the best starting point. But I cannot emphasize enough that you need to find a way to keep this baby warm because without fur they struggle to regulate temperature when they're this fresh. Good luck and congrats on your cute new additions!
    via powderpants29
  • 15
    Legitimate-Log-6542 Smeagle!!
    via Legitimate-Log-6542
  • 16
    AnnualDragonfruit588 you have to go to turkey
    via AnnualDragonfruit588
  • 17
    Boring-Question4748 I would suggest going to the vet, then you can have the kittens checked out and spay your cat so she doesn't have to go through birth again.
    via Boring-Question4748
  • 18
    el_moosemann That kitten will make a great cyclist some day- the lack of hair will give her an aerodynamic edge!
    via el_moosemann
  • 19
    Smart-Story-2142 This can happen if both parents carry the sphinx gene. You need to be watching this baby very closely as they will need more warmth than a normal kitten. I recently saw a video on Facebook
    via Smart-Story-2142
  • 20
    where this happened with her cats and the baby needed extra support to get them in a place that is stable. I really do suggest a vet appointment sooner for this baby than later as they can help you figure out the best way to help this sweet baby. Congratulations.
    via Smart-Story-2142

  • If you're ever having doubts, it's never a wrong decision to get in touch with your vet. That's what they're there for! They can give you all the information you need without all the hysteria of the internet. 

  • 21
    shmi93 Mama has some 'splaining to do
    via shmi93
  • 22
    Ambitious_Variety_95 This might just be a new random mutation This is how most furless breeds of cats were started A random mutation that was selectively bred into a specific breed
    via Ambitious_Variety_95
  • 23
    LuciferinThread Guy is Rufus from Kim Possible or an anomaly sphinx. "I'm hypoallergenic!"
    via LuciferinThread
  • 24
    Western-Interaction9 Could be a sphinx, Peterbald or just a naked cat but someone will pay big bucks for a hairless cat.
    via Western-Interaction9
  • 25
    Atheris Congratulations on your sphinx! That's literally how the breed was formed. A Canadian found a hairless cat and liked it and bred for that trait.
    via Atheris
  • 26
    They do require a bit more care though. They can need more heat provided and need more grooming when they get older. They don't have hair to absorb skin oil and need weekly baths to prevent issues.
    via Atheris
  • 27
    Western-Yam552 She's bald!
    via Western-Yam552

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

tabby baby animals bald mother litter box Cats cute kittens animals
Scroll Down For The Next Article