Lykoi cat care: coat, oily skin and sun protection

A Lykoi's coat is sparse because its hair follicles are abnormal, and most of its care follows from that. The skin can turn oily, exposed skin is vulnerable to sun, and a cat with no undercoat loses heat easily. The breed is also young. The first cats were found in Virginia in 2010, so there is little long-term health data, and some advice written about it is guesswork.

Where the coat comes from

According to the Cat Fanciers' Association, cats with the same look turned up in Tennessee a year after the Virginia find. Test matings showed the trait was recessive, and the first deliberately bred Lykoi kitten was born in 2011. Breeders then outcrossed widely to keep the gene pool from narrowing. The CFA accepted the breed for registration in 2018 and gave it championship status in 2023.

The genetics have since been worked out. A 2020 study traced the coat to loss-of-function variants in the hairless (HR) gene, with several different variants found in founder cats from the US, Canada and France. Under the microscope the skin had fewer follicles per follicle group than a domestic shorthair's, and many follicles were small, dilated or malformed, with inflammation around most of the follicle groups examined.

What an owner sees:

• Roaning. Colored and white guard hairs mixed together. Kittens look normally coated at birth and the roan pattern shows within a week or two.
• A bare mask and legs. The face, legs and feet carry the least hair, and there is no undercoat at all.
• Coat cycles. An adult can range from almost hairless to almost fully coated, and most will molt most of the coat at least once.

Skin care

The CFA notes that a Lykoi's skin can become oily enough to need bathing, and singles out the ears and toes. With so little hair on the face and feet, grease and dirt stay on the skin where they are easy to see and feel.

Bathing and wiping

Bathe when the skin needs it rather than on a fixed schedule. Useful signs are skin that feels greasy or waxy, brown marks on bedding, and dirt building up in the ear folds or between the toes. Some cats need a bath every few weeks, others rarely.

• Use a mild shampoo made for cats, never a human one, and rinse thoroughly, since residue irritates exposed skin.
• Dry the cat fully in a warm room. With little coat it chills quickly when wet.
• Between baths, wipe the face, chin, ears and toes with a soft damp cloth or unscented pet wipes.
• Clean only the visible part of the ear. Heavy wax, head shaking or a smell from the ear is a reason to see a vet, not to clean deeper.

Blackheads and bumps

Small black comedones on the chin are common in cats of every breed. In the Lykoi they can be a sign of something more. A 2026 study of Lykoi with papules and comedones found cysts in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and in half of the cats in the sweat glands too, and in six of the ten affected cats the lesions covered much of the body. The researchers proposed a new name for it, cutaneous adnexal polycystic syndrome, and found that the cats' HR genotype did not fully explain how severe it was.

So widespread blackheads or bumps are worth a vet visit rather than harder scrubbing. Squeezing them risks infection. Red, crusted or pus-filled spots also need a vet, since bacterial infection and ringworm both look like this, and ringworm can spread to other pets and people.

Sun protection

Ultraviolet light damages thinly haired, lightly pigmented skin. In cats this can lead to squamous cell carcinoma, which VCA Animal Hospitals says typically arises on the eyelids, the top of the nose, the lips and the ears. White and light-colored cats are most at risk. A Lykoi's bare face and thin coat make the same precautions sensible.

• Limit long sunbathing sessions, especially around midday in summer, and give the cat warm spots out of direct sun.
• Cover favorite windowsills with a blind or UV-filtering film. Ordinary window glass stops most UVB but lets much of the UVA through.
• For a cat that goes outdoors or into a catio, ask the vet for a sunscreen safe for cats. Cats lick off what goes on their skin, so human sunscreen is not a substitute.
• Have the vet look at any sore, scab or reddened patch on the ears, nose or eyelids that does not heal within a couple of weeks.

Feeding a sparsely coated cat

Nobody has measured energy needs in Lykoi. A cat with no undercoat does lose heat more readily, and the CFA advises keeping these cats in a warm environment, so a Lykoi in a cool house may need somewhat more than a coated cat of the same weight. Body condition, not an assumed percentage, should decide by how much.

A starting point comes from the Merck Veterinary Manual. The resting energy requirement is 70 times body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75. That figure is multiplied by 1.4 for an intact adult cat, 1.2 for a neutered one and 1.0 for a cat prone to weight gain. Kittens get 2.5 times the resting figure, or food on free choice.

Merck adds that individual cats can need up to 30% more or less than the formula gives. Weigh monthly, feel for the ribs, and change portions by about a tenth at a time. On a sparse coat, weight gain or loss is easier to see than on most cats, which helps.

Beyond calories, a food labeled complete and balanced for the cat's life stage covers the nutrients skin and hair need. Fish oil, biotin or zinc supplements are sometimes suggested for skin, but there is no evidence specific to the Lykoi, and zinc is harmful in excess, so add them only on a vet's advice. Wet food raises water intake, though evidence that it changes the skin is limited.

Health checks

The CFA's breed page says no breed-specific health problems have been noted so far, though the 2026 skin study shows that careful observation is still turning things up. For now, a Lykoi needs what any cat needs, with extra attention to the skin:

• A yearly examination, including listening to the heart.
• A skin and ear check at the same visit, and in between whenever bumps, crusts or new hair loss appear.
• Dental checks, weight and body condition recorded each year so changes show up early.

Temperament and enrichment

The CFA describes the Lykoi as active and curious, a cat that would generally rather hunt than cuddle but insists on human attention. It stalks toys, and people, before a sudden pounce. Many are reserved in new situations at first and warm up quickly. They chirp and trill but are not especially loud unless they feel neglected.

• Play that imitates hunting. Wand toys moved like prey, with a catch at the end, suit the stalk-and-pounce style. Several short sessions work better than one long one.
• Food puzzles. Puzzle feeders and hidden portions of the daily ration give a curious cat something to solve without adding calories.
• Warm resting places. A heated pad or a bed in a draft-free spot matters more for a cat without an undercoat, and a cold cat is a less active one.
• Company. Once settled, Lykoi form strong bonds with their people and with other pets in the house.

Sources

1. Lykoi. The Cat Fanciers' Association.
2. Werewolf, there wolf: variants in Hairless associated with hypotrichia and roaning in the Lykoi cat breed. Genes, 2020.
3. Clinical, histopathological and genetic features of a cutaneous adnexal polycystic syndrome in Lykoi cats: a prospective study of 10 cases. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2026.
4. Squamous cell carcinomas in cats. VCA Animal Hospitals.
5. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.