When 21-year-old Lucy Jones started sharing pictures of her pets online, she didn’t expect to find herself at the centre of an animal welfare storm making headlines around the world.
But then, Lucy’s five ‘bambino’ cats aren’t like most other cats.
Instead of soft fur, they have oily bare skin that feels like a slimy rubber glove. Their faces are wrinkly like a British bulldog, their legs short and fiercely muscular. And with torsos up to 17 inches long, they resemble an articulated bus when in motion.
It’s no wonder then, that the ‘bambino’ – a cross between a Sphynx and a Munchkin, first bred in the US – has been labelled an ‘XL Bully Cat’ after the dangerous dogs they so closely resemble.
The ‘Bully Cat’ label is a catch-all for breeds which, like the bambino, share the stocky, wrinkly appearance of the Bully Dog – banned in the UK earlier this year following a spate of fatal attacks on humans.
Along with her 23-year-old boyfriend, Kaine Horridge (pictured), Lucy runs the Instagram account ‘Bully Cats UK’
The ‘Bully Cat’ label is a catch-all for breeds which, like the bambino, share the stocky, wrinkly appearance of the Bully Dog
Instead of soft fur, they have oily bare skin that feels like a slimy rubber glove
But while Bully Cats have – unlike their canine counterparts – yet to be accused of being predisposed toward violence, there have been calls to have them banned on the grounds that they are engineered by breeders for a life of suffering.
Animal welfare experts warn that these ‘mutant’ hybrid animals face a raft of horrific health issues, from limited mobility and agonising joint pain to a shortened life expectancy and even potential mental health problems.
But with loving owners like Lucy now fighting back, the question is: are Bully Cats merely an acquired taste – or mutants for whom every waking moment is hell?
Along with her 23-year-old boyfriend, Kaine Horridge, Lucy runs the Instagram account ‘Bully Cats UK’, hoping to change to change perceptions of the breed.
‘It’s the title, ‘bully cats’, that’s sparked such curiosity,’ Lucy tells me at her home in Rochdale while the felines purr around our ankles.
‘People started calling them bully cats because of their resemblance to bully dogs. But the comparison has been blown out of all proportion.’
‘We’ve even had hate mail,’ Kaine tells me. ‘It’s people misunderstanding them, accusing us of breeding deformed animals.’
Indeed, the couple’s social media accounts reveal a shocking roll call of hate: ‘You should be ashamed,’ wrote one user. ‘It’s disgraceful,’ said another. ‘Revolting and unnatural,’ wrote a third.
‘People think the cats can’t walk and that they have sad lives, but it’s not true,’ Kaine continued.
The couple share an anxious glance. They’ve been through hell in recent weeks.
Lucy and Kaine’s love affair with bambinos began last December when they saw a video of one cat online.
A couple of weeks later the couple paid a whooping £3,500 for their own Bully Cat from a breeder in Russia.
‘I’m actually allergic to cats,’ laughs Lucy. ‘But we saw the bambino breed and thought it was so cool.’
heir faces are wrinkly like a British bulldog, their legs short and fiercely muscular
With torsos up to 17 inches long, they resemble an articulated bus when in motion
There have been calls to have them banned on the grounds that they are engineered by breeders for a life of suffering
Three-year-old Wasabi – named after the couple’s love of sushi – was shipped over from Russia late last year and has seemingly settled well into his new home.
The heavy folds in his skin make it difficult to identify his features, or whether his eyelids are truly open or shut. He’s docile to the point of grumpiness, stubbornly refusing to come out from under the sofa where he’s settled in a nest of blankets.
But perhaps Wasabi’s temperament is to be expected. He is after all a new father to two ten-week-old female kittens: Shelley (snuggled in a sock, with holes cut out for her legs)and Larry.
An older female, Nigiri, is tucked up inside a carrier in the corner of the room and hisses violently when the other cats come near.
‘Our cats do shiver when they aren’t wearing their coats,’ Lucy says, trying to coax Wasabi out from under the sofa for a photo call.
So, do they ever wander outside? ‘No,’ says Kaine definitively. ‘It’d be like you taking all your clothes off, going in your boxer shorts and just sitting outside.’
But there is one upside to feeling the chill. Bambino cats are more affectionate than their furry counterparts.
‘Soon as you get in bed,’ laughs Lucy, ‘Wasabi jumps up, scratching for us to lift the duvet cover so he can get in.’
‘They’re like little hot water bottles,’ adds Kaine, fondly.
‘Or like little dogs,’ adds Lucy with a smile.
One thing that is clear is that Kaine and Lucy look after their cats well.
Each of the pets receives a warm bath every week. Their doting owners clean their eyes, ears and faces every day to prevent dirt building up under their copious rolls of excess skin.
However, there is no shying away from the fact that animal welfare charities have been unequivocal in their condemnation of breeders like Lucy and Kaine.
Earlier this week, the Mail met Nicky Trevorrow, a cat behavioural expert with the charity Cats Protection, who explained the myriad health problems associated with Bully Cats.
‘One of the main problems is that these cats don’t have fur,’ Nicky told me. ‘And any cat without fur is automatically suffering.’
‘They need fur for warmth, protection and to distribute natural oils across the skin. Any hairless cat, like these so-called Bully Cats, is prone to sunburn and heatstroke in the summer, as well as frostbite when it gets really cold.’
Which is why Lucy and Kaine keep their cats indoors.
Animal welfare experts warn that these ‘mutant’ hybrid animals face a raft of horrific health issues
The couple’s social media accounts reveal a shocking roll call of hate: ‘You should be ashamed,’ wrote one user. ‘It’s disgraceful,’ said another. ‘Revolting and unnatural,’ wrote a third.
Nicky adds: ‘Cats need to go outside for their wellbeing. What sort of a life is it for a cat if it can’t explore and enjoy all the sensory experiences of the outdoors?’
It’s a sobering point. But the lack of fur – a trait inherited from the sphynx cat – is only one of many health issues.
Their shortened legs mean they are unable to do many of the things normal cats would, such as run, jump and climb.
‘It’s a form of dwarfism,’ Nicky explains. ‘The cat’s appearance and capabilities have changed, but their instincts and desires have not. It must be a cause of enormous frustration to the animals.’
Bully Cats can also suffer from debilitating spinal problems as well as early-onset arthritis. The fact they don’t have whiskers also makes it difficult for them to navigate, whiskers are key to spatial awareness, and communicate, possibly even causing a form of ‘dizziness’.
And to further the problem, it is difficult for vets to operate on these breeds due to their sensitivity to the cold.
‘Bully Cats have to be surrounded by a so-called ‘Bair hugger’ when under the knife. It’s essentially a big pillow pumping out warm air. It makes the whole procedure more complicated.’
It’s perhaps no surprise therefore that the average life expectancy of a Bully Cat is just six years, when most felines live to at least 12.
Jeff Knott, Advocacy Director at Cats Protection, explains these health complications are often a financial and emotional burden for the owners.
‘It’s not just the initial cost,’ he explained. ‘You’re signing up to a lifetime of expensive vet bills. And most owners just don’t appreciate that. And, sadly, buying these breeds only encourages the breeders to carry on.’
The average cost of a reputably bred Bully Cat is between £2,000-£4,000. However, cowboy breeders are known to sell them online for as little as a few hundred pounds.
At the other end of the spectrum, Lucy and Kaine have seen adverts from European sellers advertising cats for as much as £20,000. Whichever way you look at it, Bully Cats are big business.
With loving owners like Lucy now fighting back, the question is: are Bully Cats merely an acquired taste – or mutants for whom every waking moment is hell?
One thing seems sure: when it comes to mutant felines, the cat is now most certainly out of the bag
‘These cats are bred with serious deformities and the motivation is pure profit,’ Jeff continued.
There is currently no legislation against the breeding of hybrid, mutant cats in the UK. Meaning it’s something of a Wild West for twisted Frankenstein wannabes looking to create the next lucrative pet fad.
This is why Cats Protection is now running a campaign to lobby the government into action, demanding a ban on the breeding of cats with ‘extreme characteristics’.
‘If we don’t nip it in the bud,’ warns Jeff, ‘this could become an epidemic.’
Bully Cats aren’t the first cat with unnatural physical features to raise alarm in animal welfare circles.
Last year, Scottish Fold cats were all the rage due to the ‘cuteness’ of their oddly folded ears and their seemingly laid-back demeanour. However, welfare experts warned this was docile nature likely due to being in severe pain when moving from a degenerative cartilage issue.
Just before leaving Lucy and Kaine’s Rochdale home, she tells me it’s bath time and scoops up Nigiri – the 2-year-old female Bully Cat – and drops her into a tub.
A moment later and the friendly feline is encased in a bright orange towel enjoying a raft of kisses from her loving owner.
It’s difficult to reconcile a heartwarming scene like this with the alleged cruelties of Bully Cat breeding.
The question now is what comes next in the race to produce evermore ludicrous, expensive and sought-after cat breeds? Some, such as Jeff Knott, fear a wild cat hybrid could now be on the horizon.
The consequences could be catastrophic due to the violent tendencies of undomesticated wild cats.
Could you really mate a leopard with an old tabby?
One thing seems sure: when it comes to mutant felines, the cat is now most certainly out of the bag.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk