A warning has been issued to pet owners to not buy a new breed of cats, which have been bred to resemble an XL Bully dog.
Animal welfare experts have warned that the new hybrid breed - which has been created in the US - will have a much shorter lifespan than average cats, dying at least six years earlier.
The felines, which have been dubbed “mutant and experimental” by experts, will also have an array of other health complications.
Breeders created the new cat by mixing the hairlessness gene in sphynx cats with the gene that causes munchkin cats to have short legs.
Warning issued over mutant XL Bully cats as pet owners told 'don't buy them!'InstagramDr Grace Carroll, a specialist in animal behaviour and welfare at Queen’s University Belfast’s school of psychology, said: “Prospective pet owners need to be aware of the risks associated with owning mutant and experimental breeds.
“Consumers hold purchasing power. We can discourage breeders from prioritising aesthetics over the health and welfare of the animals by refusing to buy breeds with extreme traits.
“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.”
Like the sphynx breed, XL Bully cats do not have whiskers, which can cause poor spatial awareness, reduced communication skills, and weaker navigation ability.
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The breed’s hairlessness also makes them more vulnerable to skin cancer and sunburn.
Additionally, their short legs can pose a number of health issues. A Cats Protection spokesperson explained: “Their short legs are a genetic defect which can lead to painful arthritis and cause problems with their general mobility.”
The NatureWatch Foundation commented: “It’s shocking to see that these poor cats are starting to appear in the UK.
The charity, which campaigns on animal welfare and investigates the illegal trade in animals, added: “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 has been an offence to have an XL Bully without a lead or muzzle since February in England, Wales and Scotland (file photo)ReutersCurrently, XL Bully cats can be purchased for anywhere between £200 and £800.
The largest breeder of the pet in the UK is Bullycats UK, which has been trading since 2023.
Its director Bella Jones insisted that all its cats are “health tested and completely functional”. However, Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, begged to differ.
He said that the breeding will cause many pets to suffer, adding: “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.”
