XL Bully dogs made headlines earlier this year after the British government banned the muscular canines following a series of vicious attacks.
Now there’s a new XL Bully on the rise in Britain – and this time it’s a cat.
The XL Bully Cat originated in the US but has slowly made its way to Britain, where social media accounts have emerged promoting the ‘mutant breed’.
Mutant breeding involves deliberately combining genetic mutations to create cats with a specific appearance.
In this case, XL Bully Cats are a mix between a munchkin cat and a sphynx cat, meaning they are both hairless and have short legs.
While this gives them an intimidating appearance, it can actually leave them at a disadvantage during a fight, according to Dr. Grace Carroll, a lecturer in animal behavior and welfare at Queen’s University.
“Short legs limit their ability to jump, can put cats at a disadvantage during fights and can lead to painful health problems,” she explained in an article for The conversation.
XL Bully dogs made headlines earlier this year after the British government banned the muscular canines following a series of vicious attacks. Now there’s a new XL Bully on the rise in Britain – and this time it’s a cat
XL Bully Cats are at high risk for a number of health problems related to their lack of fur.
‘Kittens already have a limited ability to regulate their body temperature and this is made even more difficult by hairlessness and makes them more susceptible to respiratory infections,’ explains Dr Carroll.
‘A lack of fur can also lead to sunburn and skin cancer in hairless cats.’
Like the Sphynx, XL Bully Cats do not have whiskers.
This can lead to problems with communication, navigation and measuring the spatial dimension.
Meanwhile, their short legs are also linked to a range of health problems.
‘Their short legs are a genetic defect that can lead to painful arthritis and cause problems with their general mobility,’ explains Cats Protection.
While the average cat in Britain lives for 12 years, the average sphinx unfortunately lives only 6.7 years.
Like the Sphynx, XL Bully Cats do not have whiskers. This can lead to problems with communication, navigation and measuring the spatial dimension
‘Bullying cats, which are both hairless and short-legged, can face twice as many challenges as sphynx and munchkin breeds,’ said Dr Carroll.
Many XL Bully Cat breeders claim that their pets are healthy and screened regularly.
For example, Bella Jones, who runs breeding business BullyCats UK, insists her animals are ‘health tested and fully functional’.
In response to the comments earlier this year, Ms Jones posted on Facebook: ‘All our cats are happy, health tested and fully functional.
‘Our cats live in our family home and other family homes in the UK, jumping, playing, running and acting exactly as an average cat would.
“We’re going to be releasing lots of videos and providing positive feedback on these claims and educating many more people about this concept and the breed as a whole, especially how functional and happy our babies are.”
While regular screening can help prevent health problems, Dr. Carroll argues that broader health and welfare issues with mutant breeding cannot be ignored.
“People normally find features such as round eyes and short nose length particularly cute,” the expert explains.
The ‘unnatural’ sphynx-like breed has short, curved legs and heavily wrinkled skin
‘(But) breeding for hairlessness and shorter legs is more in line with the concept of breeding for curiosity.
‘In this case, the similarity between bully cats and dogs has more to do with human-powered design, which prioritizes appearance.
‘The bully cat appears to have been deliberately bred to resemble the bully dog, perhaps because of their perception among young men as some sort of status symbol.’
In many breeds, crossbreeding programs can help alleviate health problems.
Dr. However, Carroll warns that this probably wouldn’t work for the XL Bully Cat.
“For mutant breeds like the bully cat – where hairlessness and short legs are defining traits – this is not a realistic solution,” she said.
Instead, the expert urges potential buyers not to consider purchasing XL Bully Cats.
“We can stop breeders from prioritizing aesthetics over the health and welfare of the animals by refusing to purchase breeds with extreme characteristics,” she concluded.
‘A method of ethical breeding could ensure that future cats are healthier, happier and free to enjoy natural cat behaviors such as climbing, jumping and lazing in the sun.
‘We have to let cats be cats.’
Cats Protection reiterated Dr. Carroll and said he “would not recommend” purchasing an XL Bully Cat.
“When looking at specific breeds, choose one without exaggerated features,” it advises on its website.
‘It is important to remember that cats with extreme breed conformations are bred primarily for appearance.
‘Therefore, we must be aware of supporting breeding trends that lead to much lower welfare for cats, which serves no other purpose than to make them look more “pleasant” to us humans.
‘Many other purebred cats are prone to health problems such as heart disease, eye problems, skin problems and other painful conditions.
“Make sure you do your research before choosing a specific breed.”