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Comment by helsinki | Hacker News Reader

Those are two of the ugliest cats I have ever seen, no offense.

I've never really understood the attraction to hairless cats. They look like someone's scrotum instead of a cute ball of fluff that I expect from a cat

They are Sphynx cats[1]. I'm not a fan of selective breeding in cats. Dogs, which have been much more selectively bred, have a huge number of inherited health issues as a result. E.g. pugs and other dogs with short noses tend to have a lot of health problems[2,3]. Cats have largely not been selectively bred, but selective breeding is becoming increasingly common and has negative impacts on the animals' health.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphynx_cat

[2]: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/health-wellbeing/at-...

[3]: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/small-animal/documents/q...

Always surprised when people buy (as opposed to rescue) one of those health issue ridden pups which are constantly hobbling around and panting from just walking. Some people find it cute but it really is sad to see the little gremlin have a painful life trying to do normal dog things.

I had an old classmate buy a French bulldog as a puppy, and found out two days later it needed major surgery. She posted this to Facebook as a “poor me” post. Infuriating. Bring the dog back and get something healthy instead of encouraging that awful practice.

2/3 dogs I’ve had in my life have been mutts and they’ve been incredibly healthy, smart, and loving.

I don't understand the purpose of your digression into selective breeding in dogs?

> the Sphynx was developed through selective breeding of these animals, starting in the 1960s

Dogs have a longer history of selective breeding and so provide evidence of where we can expect cats to end up if selective breeding of cats continues. (Also a little bit of education for people who might not be aware of these issues.)

Until now I've found cat hair to be an annoying substance. After the surprise of that page; well, maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one

They are adorable little scrotum aliens! They are hideously cute :)

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