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, a.
