The Lykoi cat is considered to be a partially hairless cat. There is no true undercoat, and parts of the body, such as the eyes, chin, nose, muzzle and behind the ears are commonly hairless. The exposed skin, ears and nose feel similar to leather, and although the skin is normally pink, it can darken with exposure to sun. Most cats will molt some or all of their coat, occasionally leaving them to appear even more naked than usual. This is normal for Lykoi cats, and not associated with a disease process.

Some Lykoi cats are more haired than others—with some animals appearing almost fully haired, while others are almost bald. Breeders are actively selecting for black cats, although in the naturally occurring mutation, the range of colors varies.

Animals with white in their coat will appear silver. This blend of white and black is often called roan in non-feline species, and it is often also used to describe these cats. However, when they show, they typically enter in the “all black” classes.

The haircoat is a combination of amelanistic (pigmentless) hair and solid black hair, which is very unique. They are born solid black, and within a few weeks, the hairlessness and roan coat color develops.

Lykoi are not particularly large cats, but the males are typically larger than the females. As is common with the feral cat, their body is lean and strong. Their tails are shorter than their body, and their legs are medium relative to the body size. Their ears are wide set, tall and pointed—contributing to the unusual facial appearance of the cat. Many people feel that this very much contributes to the “wolf look” of these animals.
The Lykoi was first discovered in a feral colony in USA, as a natural mutation, in 2010. Genetic testing and test mating’s proved the Lykoi gene to be a recessive gene, and not related to any other known hairless mutations. The Lykoi was established as a breed in 2011, when the first intentionally bred Lykoi was born to two similar looking Lykoi-type cats discovered in the feral population. Since it’s discovery, there have been reports of other such mutations in other countries, some of which were added to the gene pool to bring diversity in pedigrees.