The Cat Breed That Looks Like A Bat

Specific bat-like cat breed aside, there is one rare medical condition known to make a cat look something more like a bat — hydrocephalus, or the production of excess spinal fluid in the brain. In 2020, as People reported, a case of hydrocephalus made one nude Sphynx cat named Lucy (pictured)— a typically hairless breed — take on an even more bat-life appearance with big ears, a misshapen skull, bulging eyes, and a hairless face. 

Lucy's owners took the unusual look of their house pet and turned it into an opportunity to share pictures of their cat with a face-only-a-mother-could love on Instagram. That Instagram feed quickly attracted thousands of followers, proving more people may look for a bat-like look in their feline companion than might be expected. 

Speaking with meowAF, Lucy's owner, Zilla Bergamini, said, "Some people just see [Lucy's] strangely shaped skull and weird eyes and think she is too ugly to be a pet. One of her biggest admirers confessed to me that she had very negative thoughts about her the first time she saw her." If @lucythebatcat's following is any measure, that person and thousands of others were converted to Lucy's Count Dracula-meets-Nosferatu appearance.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9mG5sbm1fqbWmecKaq2aaopqypXnToZitZZykvKy%2FjKWgpJ1dlnqjrdNo