London, UK - After the American XL Bully dog was banned in the UK, its cat counterpart – so-called "bullycats" – is now being targeted by animal rights activists!

Since February, XL Bullies are no longer allowed to be kept in England and Wales after several violent attacks by the hybrid dog breed.

Bullycats, however, are still permitted.

After all, the cat breed poses no danger to humans, but keeping them is anything but uncontroversial, as the animals are bred to look as similar as possible to the XL Bully – and this can sometimes be a torture for the Sphinx-like cats.

Cats "Cutie pie" cat picks the silliest place for her new bed in hysterical TikTok video

At least, that's what the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) believes.

According to The Independent, animal welfare campaigners said that bullycats are likely to suffer serious health problems.

"We understand that their emerging presence on social media may fuel a demand for these kinds of cats but we would urge fellow cat lovers to consider adopting the many rescue cats in our care instead of buying from a breeder," said an RSPCA spokesperson.

"We would also urge breeders to prioritise the health and welfare of any animal over the way they look."

Associate Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) Dr. Dan O'Neill similarly slammed the "enormous suffering that humans have imposed on dogs" that is now being done to cats.

He further noted that bullycats, like other Sphynx cats, were likely to live much shorter lives than other breeds.

"The advice to anyone thinking of acquiring a cat or a dog is to always put the welfare of the animal first and to stop and think before acquiring an animal with an extreme and unnatural body shape that does not exist commonly in nature," he said.