People have once again been urged not to buy a popular new hairless ‘bullycat’ breed due to serious health concerns.
The cats were first bred in the US and quickly gained a big following on social media, before coming to the UK.
The breed has no fur and short bowed legs similar to the now-banned XL bullydog, which experts say makes the cats vulnerable to various health and quality of life issues.
These includes skin sensitivity to the sun and respiratory and mobility problems, leading to shorter lifespan.
Among those to voice their concern over the breedare animal welfare charities Naturewatch Foundation and the RSPCA.
Now Dr Grace Carroll, an animal behavior specialist at Queen’s University Belfast, has spoken out, asking people to carefully consider the implications of buying ‘bullycats’.
‘Consumers hold purchasing power,’ she wrote in a piece for The Conversation. ‘By refusing to buy breeds with extreme traits, we can discourage breeders from prioritising aesthetics over the health and welfare of the animals.’.
How are ‘bullycats’ bred?
‘Bullycats’ were bred using genes from a hairless sphinx cat and a munchkin cat, which has short legs.
What are the main health and quality of life issues ‘bullycats’ face?
Bullycat breeders have insisted the cats are healthy and happy. However, Marjan van Hagen and Jeffrey de Gier, animal welfare and reproduction experts at Utrecht University in The Netherlands have researched the breed, writes Dr Carrol, and found a series of potential health issues.
Respiratory
Kittens already have a limited ability to regulate their body temperature – this is made even more difficult if they have no hair, making them susceptible to respiratory infections.
Skin sensitivity
Most cats love basking in the sun, but the breed’s bare skin is very vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer.
Communication and navigation
‘Bullycats’ don’t have on whiskers, which felines use for navigating their environment and working out spacial dimensions.
Mobility
Cats like to jump and climb, something ‘bullycats’ might find difficult because of their short legs. Not only could this limit their ability to enjoy life to its fullest, it may also lead to painful health conditions.
With ‘bullycats’ being a new breed, their average lifespan is not yet known, however, the average for a sphinx is just 6.7, compared to 12 for other cats.
With their short legs, ‘bullycats’ may live for even fewer years, said Dr Carroll.
A spokesperson for Naturewatch Foundation said in August it was ‘shocking to see that these poor cats are starting to emerge in the UK.
‘We’ve seen increasingly extreme breeding practices in the dog world in recent years, and it appears unscrupulous people are now turning their attention to exploiting cats in the same way, all in the pursuit of greed and social media likes. It’s an animal welfare disaster and this kind of breeding is just cruel.’
Dr Carroll said she hoped ethical, and not extreme breeding would become fashionable
She added: ‘A fashion toward ethical breeding could ensure future cats are healthier, happier and free to enjoy natural feline behaviour like climbing, jumping and lounging in the sun. We should let cats be cats.’
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