A Casper woman breeds and sells rare hairless Sphynx cats that go for thousands of dollars, drawing buyers from around the country who travel hundreds or even thousands of miles for one of the wrinkly felines.
Not everyone understands the appeal.
For every person willing to spend $3,000 to $7,000 on a hairless cat, there's somebody like Beverly Jean Luce of Big Piney.
The retired school bus driver has owned cats for most of her 79 years and estimates she's shared her home with about 10 hairy cats over her lifetime, but never a Sphynx.
"I think they're ugly," she said matter-of-factly. "They look demonic."
She also voices concerns about how a naked cat would survive Wyoming's famously brutal winters.
The breed's wrinkled skin, oversized ears and lack of fur often draw puzzled looks from people more accustomed to barn cats and calico mousers.
But not everyone feels that way.
The Four-Hour Drive
Billie Studanski wanted a Sphynx cat for nearly a decade before she found one.
When a friend tagged her in a social media post about one available in Rock Springs, she climbed into her vehicle and drove more than four hours just to meet the cat.
The breeder couldn't believe it.
"You're going to drive four hours to meet her without buying her?" Studanski recalled being asked.
Yes.
Today, Studanski owns two Sphynxes and laughs at the reactions they get from strangers.
"Most people think that they're scary," she said, "But after they spend a few minutes around them they're like, 'Oh my God, they're so cool. I want one'."
Studanski describes hers as something closer to a dog than a traditional house cat.
They come when called. They walk on harnesses. And they demand attention.
"They're not lay-around, loungy cats," she said. "They're terrorists."
The devotion goes both ways.
Her cats have heated beds, heated blankets throughout the house, and a floor-to-ceiling cat tree. They even have their own room.
For people who love Sphynx cats, that's not unusual, Studanski says.
The Dark Side Of Breeding
Casper breeder Jasmine Durkey understands why the cats generate strong opinions.
She had a similar reaction herself the first time she saw one.
Then a 6-week-old kitten crawled into her lap.
"It was love at first sight," she said, explaining her head-first dive into the world of breeding.
Durkey spent years studying feline husbandry, genetics and bloodlines before purchasing breeding cats and later importing several from Moscow, Russia.
Today she maintains a small cattery with six adult cats and produces only a handful of litters each year.
Breeding cats requires genetic testing, veterinary care, annual heart scans and constant monitoring, Durkey says.
And sometimes, things still go wrong.
Durkey remembers one of her first litters producing three kittens.
One died days later.
"When you lose a kitten, it's heartbreaking," she said.
It's what she calls the "dark side" of breeding — the difficult reality hidden behind photos of adorable kittens and social media posts.
"You can put every ounce of your energy into it, and they'll still fade," she said.
The losses, expenses and countless hours of work are partly why Durkey says breeding remains more of a passion project than a path to wealth.
Chorus of Meows
People have traveled from Maryland, Texas and Nevada to get a kitten from Durkey's cattery.
Throughout an interview with Durkey, meowing was heard in the background.
One cat demanded attention. Another seemed determined to contribute its own thoughts to the conversation.
"They're very affectionate," Durkey said. "They love to be around people."
Unlike the ornery stereotype often associated with cats, the Sphynx breeder describes them as "shadows that follow people from room to room."
They burrow under blankets, seek out warm laps, and demand interaction.
People compare Sphynx cats to aliens. They joke about them being naked. Durkey said she hears it all.
What people don't see, she said, are the personalities hiding beneath the wrinkles.
Contact Kolby Fedore at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
