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The craze for hairless \u201cbully\u201d cat kittens is leading unlicensed breeders to illegally use Instagram and Facebook to sell the animals for thousands of pounds each, an investigation has uncovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBully\u201d cats, which have soared in popularity on social media, are born to suffer, according to critics. Bred to be short-legged and hairless, the animals are at high risk of health problems and die younger than other cats, welfare experts say.<\/p>\n
But a network of breeders and \u201cmiddlemen\u201d is cashing in on the fashion for the pets with wrinkly skin, selling each for as much as \u00a36,000 \u2013 so a litter of six would fetch their owner \u00a336,000.<\/p>\n
The Independent has seen numerous posts on Instagram and Facebook by users advertising newborns or young kittens, asking would-be buyers to privately message them.<\/p>\n
These kittens were taken to a house for a \u2018middle\u2019 agent to sell ( )Under \u201cLucy\u2019s Law\u201d, introduced five years ago, only licensed breeders may sell pets under six months old. Anyone selling puppies or kittens without a licence could receive an unlimited fine or be jailed for up to six months.<\/p>\n
Licensed breeders would typically provide their full name, registered premises and licence number.<\/p>\n
But some sellers are offering kittens imported from abroad as young as four months. The Independent has seen an exchange of messages in which one breeder offered to send a white hairless kitten to the UK from Russia for \u00a36,000.<\/p>\n
Several Facebook groups dedicated to \u201cbully\u201d cats have thousands of devoted members, often asking where they can get one.<\/p>\n
One user admitted selling underage kittens ( )As well as being illegal in the UK, the trade is in breach of the policies of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n
The breed was created by crossing hairless sphynx cats with munchkin cats, which have short legs. They are called \u201cbully\u201d cats because of a supposed resemblance to bully dogs, bred to look aggressive with a\u00a0solid build and wide body.<\/p>\n
The RSPCA says the animals\u2019 short legs may strain their joints, causing pain, and limit their mobility, and \u201cexcessive\u201d skin folds leave them vulnerable to skin infections.\u00a0The cats have no whiskers with which to explore their environment, as other cats do.<\/p>\n
The lack of fur can lead to sunburn and skin cancer, and vets say they are likely to suffer shortened lives.<\/p>\n
Health problems can cause the animals great discomfort and leave owners with frequent, high vets\u2019 bills.<\/p>\n
They are called \u2018bully\u2019 cats because they were bred to resemble bully dogs (AGBtv\/YouTube)A coalition including the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Battersea, Cats Protection, the PDSA, International Cat Care and the RSPCA has branded breeding for extreme characteristics unethical and urged owners to stop breeding them.<\/p>\n
As well as the risk to the kittens\u2019 health, buyers are risking large sums of money because \u201cthe sales come with no guarantees and the process is opaque\u201d, according to one investigator.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiddlemen\u201d buy pets to sell on for a profit, usually in a different location from where the animals were born, so the animals are untraceable.<\/p>\n
The investigator who spotted \u201cbully\u201d cat kittens advertised on Instagram posed as a customer. In private messages, the seller said the 10-week-old kittens would cost \u00a35,000 each.<\/p>\n
This pair were advertised for sale on Facebook (Facebook)\u201cWe arranged to visit to see the kittens and their mum before choosing one,\u201d the investigator said.\u00a0\u201cThe address was a semi-detached property, clean and well-kept, in what seemed a decent neighbourhood. We later found out it wasn\u2019t the cats\u2019 home \u2013 they were brought in specifically for the sales visit. So we had no idea where the kittens were actually from or whose house we had been to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seller was friendly but not very forthcoming about herself or the cats, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave only her first name and was vague about the kittens\u2019 parents. She said she hadn\u2019t had the mother long and \u2018got her shipped over from abroad\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe seller claimed the mother was \u2018registered\u2019 and this was her second litter, but didn\u2019t know any more detail. She stated the father was \u2018just a stud\u2019\u00a0and didn\u2019t provide any information about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
A reputable breeder would usually be keen to demonstrate a pedigree kitten\u2019s lineage, and this seller admitted being a \u201chobby breeder\u201d \u2013 without a licence.<\/p>\n
A video of these newborns was seen in one Facebook group (Facebook)She wanted a cash deposit of \u00a31,000, becoming \u201cvery impatient\u201d to confirm a sale, arguing she had initially wanted \u00a36,000 for each but saying she had dropped the price.<\/p>\n
Four other kittens from the litter had sold already.<\/p>\n
The investigator said the seller wanted to know \u201cwhether she could take the kittens back to their home if we weren\u2019t going to buy that day\u201d \u2013 proving she was selling illegally as a third party.<\/p>\n
Pedigree paperwork for the kittens revealed the owner was not the seller.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt became clear this was not a reputable breeder, but someone selling untraceable and potentially unhealthy kittens via social media.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some social media users dress their \u2018bully\u2019 kittens up (Facebook)Another seller offered to help the investigator to find a partner to continue breeding \u201cbully\u201d cats.<\/p>\n
Cats Protection is campaigning for a ban on \u201cbully\u201d cats and others bred with extreme traits, such as the Scottish Fold.<\/p>\n
Alison Richards, of the charity, said: \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly concerned about the breeding of cats with extreme body types and have seen some sellers advertising \u2018Bully\u2019 cats on online selling sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur veterinary assessments of the photos and videos we have seen of these cats have raised serious welfare concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Animal-welfare charities repeatedly urge would-be pet owners to adopt a rescue cat instead of buying from a breeder.<\/p>\n
Welfare experts say cats without whiskers struggle to navigate their way around (Facebook)Last year analysis of hundreds of Facebook and Instagram posts found rogue puppy dealers were widely using the platforms to sell underage\u00a0pets\u00a0bred in cruel conditions and\u00a0dogs with exaggerated features.<\/p>\n
Sellers evaded the\u00a0social media\u00a0giants\u2019 guidelines by using code words, and emojis and hashtags with secret meanings, a report found.<\/p>\n
Last February, breeding or owning an\u00a0XL bully\u00a0dog in England and Wales without an exemption was outlawed, but there is no specific legislation on breeding \u201cbully\u201d cats.<\/p>\n
The NatureWatch Foundation has warned against the \u201cdisturbing\u201d trend to show off \u201cbully\u201d cats on Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>\n
The Independent has asked Meta to comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emails I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our\u00a0privacy policy The craze for hairless \u201cbully\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n