Major warning issued by vet amid 'significant concerns' over XL ...
A MAJOR warning has been issued over a new breed of cat that is "bred to look like the XL bully dog".
The Bully cat is a breed between the Bald cat and Dwarf cat breeds and vets have expressed concern that the breed is "likely to become popular" in Ireland.
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The cats have very distinctive features, many of which are very similar to the appearance XL Bully dog.
The cats have bald and folded skin along with a very strong muscular body and bow legs.
The cats were first bred in the US but have now made their way across the water and have become popular in the UK.
Irish animal welfare experts have warned animal lovers across Ireland against buying the hybrid feline amid fears the cat will become popular here.
While the cats are usually a very gentle pet, Clare Meade, Head Vet and founder of Cork Cat Hospital said the "veterinary community have significant concerns" over the bully cats.
Speaking to RTE's Today With Claire Byrne she said: "We all have to be careful about judging things simply on their looks.
"They are not aggressive, they're gentle cats, now that said the veterinary community have significant concerns about the welfare of these cats."
As the cats are a result of extreme cat breeding, they have significant health issues and they are born without hair or whiskers.
Whiskers are essential in a cat's ability to orientate themselves and are used to help them detect prey in the wild or simply locate toys or their food bowls in domestic settings.
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The vet revealed that this lack of whiskers would actually be a "disability in terms of being a cat".
And because the cat is a mix between two breeds that already have genetic mutations, they can be laden with health issues resulting in uncomfortable lives for many of the felines.
Clare explained: "We're breeding animals with genetic abnormalities and we are then compounding those genetic abnormalities which do unfortunately result in deterioration of the quality of life of these pets.
"The first thing is that cats are supposed to have hair and one of those very important hairs is the whiskers.
Violation of welfare guidelines"These cats are born without hair and without whiskers.
"So that would be a disability in terms of being a cat. Not having whiskers is a disability."
She continued: "They're also unable to survive in the wild which, again, is a huge concern to the veterinary community because cats do go missing, they get lost and if a hairless cat gets lost they can't keep themselves warm and they also become very badly sunburned.
"And then from the point of view of ongoing health problems the dwarfism also causes joint issues into the future."
'Status symbol'These issues result in the cats not being able to "jump up high" which is a violation of the freedoms of animals outlined by the animal welfare community.
The Bully cats' "freedom to express normal behaviours" is inhibited by these ongoing health issues.
Clare said: "The very most basic animal welfare would describe freedom to express normal behaviour and of course jumping up is of course a huge part of being a cat, they love to be up high and look down on the rest of us and these little dwarf cats can't do that."
The Cat Hospital founder also issued a major plea to pet owners to stop buying pets based on portraying a certain look.
She said: "Certainly the Bully cats will grab your attention. They are designed to a great extent to be a status symbol.
"Of course in the veterinary community we would love if we moved away from that way of owning pets, cats and dogs.
"We would really really appreciate it if people enjoyed their pets for other reasons."
