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.
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.
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.
This is what people can do with photo-editing:
No, they don’t look real to me.
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.
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.