Animal lovers and animal rights activists the world over are asking for a boycott of the Bully Cat, a hairless breed becoming increasingly popular among people fascinated by extreme body shapes.
The bully cat is a relatively new feline breed that takes the characteristics of the hairless sphynx to a whole new level while adding other problematic features. This particular hairless breed has stubby short legs and heavily wrinkled skin that animal experts claim is prone to horrifying health problems. Believed to have originated in the United States only a few years ago, the bully cat quickly became popular overseas as well, particularly in the UK where animal welfare organizations recently began sounding the alarm about what they are calling a designer fad with painful consequences for the animals being exploited by unscrupulous breeders.
Photo: X (Gingerbreadgirl_74)
“Deliberately selecting for disease mutations, such as hairlessness that leads to sunburn, dwarfism that leads to mobility issues and joint pain, and folded skin that leads to lifetimes of skin infections means that many Bullycats will endure lives blighted by suffering,” Dr Dan O’Neill of the Royal Veterinary College told Mail Online. “The advice to anyone thinking of acquiring a cat or a dog is to always put the welfare of the animal first and to stop and think before acquiring an animal with an extreme and unnatural body shape that does not exist commonly in nature.”
Described as “exaggerated Sphynx cats,” these hairless felines have very short legs, which puts a huge strain on their joints, and their excessive skin folds leave them vulnerable to skin infections and irritation. And that’s not to mention the defects of regular Sphynx cats, such as the risk of skin cancer due to direct sunlight exposure, a limited ability to conserve body heat when cold, and an inability to explore their surroundings due to lack of proper whiskers.
However, the above list of potential problems bully cat owners may have to face has had little effect on the popularity of the breed. The unnatural, downright strange look of these animals is apparently appealing to a growing number of people, and the demand is fueling irresponsible breeding.
“The people responsible for breeding these cats, and the people who pay money and therefore encourage the breeding are complicit in animal abuse,” one person commented.
“Anyone who buys these Frankenstein breeds of cats and dogs is not an animal lover. They are quite obviously unhealthy. Absolutely tragic,” someone else wrote.
Although the origins of the bully cat remain a mystery, Facebook user @Jungleboyz claims to be its creator alongside their partner @westcoastbullycats.
