Uhmm, we had painted cats. We have lion cuts. Now we have something between the two: fancy feline haircuts. My first thought was: are these genuine? Are they another example of clever Photoshop editing? Years ago, for a while, people were fooled into believing that “painted cats” were actually painted cats! There were not but there was an outcry about it. People were also fascinated by painted cats.
I am sure there will be complaints about this too, if they are real.
They look real enough. There is at least one thing that is odd about these pictures and why I lean towards the thought that they might be fake and Photoshopped images.
Cats (and one dog) looking this extraordinary would have been photographed by a single photographer in one place because the haircuts would have been done by one person. It would take a lot of skill to do these. However, these cats are ordinary pictures of cats in ordinary but different situations. They could therefore be photographs of ordinary cats with ordinary fur that were edited on a computer.
Also fur does not stand up on end so well that it can be cut like this – does it? Or, perhaps if it is genuine some sort of gel was applied to the fur.
What do you think?
- Are they real?
- Are they an abuse (real or not real)?
My thanks to Sarah Hartwell for telling me about this.
Oh for crying out loud it’s a haircut lol, nothing cruel about it. I have cut my cats hair and he is just fine with it.
And no, the pics are not photoshopped. How do I know? Because I do CG work and photo-manipulation for a living.
It is “only a haircut” but it is all for the delectation of the owner. It is turning a cat or dog into a canvas. That alone makes me dislike it and it disrespects the cat. Then it may confuse the cat. Cats are very sensitive about their coats. It must feel odd for a cat. Also the coat is like it is for a reason. If large chunks of it are cut off that leaves bare skin. This means keeping the cat inside under certain climatic conditions. All-in-all it is humans amusing themselves at the expense of the cat. It is human arrogance.
Most cat shaved downs are due to neglectful owners who let the cat become matted to the skin, at that point the mats must be shaved. My own cat is very comfortable shaved down & it helps avoid hairballs. Don’t judge before you know the facts. It also helps keep them clean. For elderly people that can’t brush there cats out regularly a lion cut or shave down will help maintain the cat so it won’t become matted. Some people may not agree with it but believe it or not in most cases it is for the benefit of the pet.
Hi Jenn. I agree that for health reasons shaving a cat is OK if it is required (vet’s advice for instance). But this is not for health reasons is it? This is for human entertainment. That is quite different and for me it is wrong. Thanks for commenting.
Sorry, but I don’t agree with shaving any animal.
It’s unnatural.
Animals have a way of coping with climate on their own.
Maybe I don’t understand how an animal can be more comfortable (like here in Florida) with more skin exposed to the scalding sun instead of fur shielding it.
In some hot climates, cats are routinely clipped or part shaved for their own comfort. It strikes me that stego-cattus is simply sporting an alternative to the more common lion cut (face, mane, boots and tail tuft unclipped/unshaved) or line cut (clipped/shaved to about halfway up the body) during hot weather. The ridged pattern might also be aimed at keeping cool.
I agree that some cuts are simple and there are some medical benefits (some vets do them) but the ones featured just seem to be for the amusement of the owner.
I too hope it’s photoshopping because it’s too horrible to think about people putting animals through this just for showing off.
I still have in my mind the cat who was tattooed:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/tattooing-cats.html
I HATE people who do these things and I HATE the caretakers of the animals who ask them to.
Animals deserve respect not to be messed about.
Sometimes I HATE photoshopping too when they are animals photos showing abuse.
I really hope these pics are photoshopped because if not they’re awful, cruel and more evidence of the stupidity of some people. It’s too hard to tell, the dog looks as though it could be real but just don’t know, also if it is real it would have needed the animals to be anaesthetised to do it. I agree with Dee it’s sick.
I think this was motivated by the painted cats idea. In which case it is Photoshopping. I’ll dig around the internet and see what I can find out.
I’d be concerned with the noise. Our dog Cujo is kept shaved in the summer and the cats don’t like the sound of the groomer. It’s electric and makes an annoying buzzing. Cujo is used to it but I wouldn’t. Want to get it close to any of the cats. They’d be terrified.
I hope none of these photos are real.
It’ sick, sick, sick..
Do they look real to you Dee?
No, they don’t look real to me.
This is what people can do with photo-editing: