Rise of the XL Bully CAT: Warning over hairless felines with 'exaggerated' features that are being bred in the UK despite serious health issues

Hairless 'Bullycats' with 'exaggerated' features are being bred in Britain and are gaining a 'disturbing following' on social media. 

The 'unnatural' sphynx-like breed has short bowed legs and heavily wrinkled skin - much like a bully dog - as experts warn about the 'horrifying' growing designer fad despite the felines likely to go on to suffer serious health issues. 

Cat lovers are being warned not to buy them and to boycott the breed as they will 'endure lives blighted by suffering'.

It is thought the so-called Bullycat originated in the US but it has now made its way across the Atlantic with the trend building a 'disturbing following' on social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. 

Animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation sent a clear message to those looking to buy a cat: 'If you're thinking about getting a cat, don't buy into these harmful designer fads.'

The foundation said: 'It’s shocking to see that these poor cats are starting to appear 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. 

'Bullycats are an animal welfare disaster unfolding before our eyes and this kind of breeding is just cruel.'

Dr Dan O'Neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), said it was 'heartbreaking' to see cats now going under the same suffering as dogs by humans fascinated by 'extreme body shapes'. 

'Bullycats are likely to suffer similarly shortened lives to those reported from a recent RVC VetCompass paper in Sphynx cats that lived just 6.7 years compared to an average of 11.7 years in cats overall,' he said.

'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.

'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.' 

A RSPCA spokesperson told MailOnline they were 'very concerned' about the recent trend of Bullycats saying it 'could cause them serious welfare issues'.

'These exaggerated Sphynx cats are bred with very short legs which could put a strain on their joints, and they also appear to have excess skin folds making them vulnerable to skin conditions which can cause a great deal of discomfort, the charity warned.

'Such ailments could also result in trips to the vet leaving owners with costly vet bills too.

'These Sphynx-like cats are also bred to have only a fine covering of downy hair and some may not have eyelashes or whiskers.

'This lack of fur can leave cats vulnerable to harmful ultraviolet light, cause difficulties keeping warm and means they won't be able to use their hair and possibly their whiskers to explore their environment.

'The lack of a fur coat also means they need to be regularly washed as oil can accumulate on their skin.

'There could also be further health issues associated with these cats being bred from a limited gene pool.

'We understand that their emerging presence on social media may fuel a demand for these kinds of cats but we would urge fellow cat lovers to consider adopting the many rescue cats in our care instead of buying from a breeder.

'We would also urge breeders to prioritise the health and welfare of any animal over the way they look.'