Due to his rare condition, this terrifying hairless cat has become an internet sensation

Not all animals have to be cute and cuddly to be popular. This Sphynx cat names Jasper has attracted thousands of followers to his social media due to his rare, and rather spooky looking, medical condition.

Due to his rare condition, this terrifying hairless cat has become an internet sensation
© Instagram/jazzy.purrs
Due to his rare condition, this terrifying hairless cat has become an internet sensation

Jasper, or Jazzypurrs as he is known on social media, looks like the kind of cat to come straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Not only is the cat hairless but due to a rare medical condition, he is also sporting a heavy lack of eyes. However, the spooky look has caused the unique cat to gain over 77,000 followers on Instagram.

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The 12-year-old cat is famous on social media and despite his old age and lack of sight, he's still just as enthusiastic and playful as a little kitten. Jasper's owners regularly dish on his Instagram by providing updates and detailing Jasper's harrowing medical condition that caused him to lose his sight. They stated:

For those who don't know Jazzy's story, he was adopted at two years old seemingly healthy. After a couple of years he was diagnosed with FHV (feline herpes virus), but at the time all that meant was he was a sniffly boy. Then in November 2013, he got a corneal ulcer in his right eye. It was so bad that removal was the only option.
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WARNING: Medical scare talk. After a very long and very scary night, it looks like I can finally take a breath and be optimistic. Jazzy had to have another tooth pulled and this time he was having some serious clotting issues. His favorite blanket now looks like a crime scene. We honestly weren’t sure if he was going to make it through the night or if he was going to have a big scary underlying issue. But the vitamin K helped and he stopped bleeding (we’re thinking vitamin K deficiency as the cause right now), and now he’s getting some TLC at the vet to deal with getting his strength back from an exhausting night. We can’t say for sure he’s out of the woods but we’re very optimistic that he’ll bounce back and make a full recovery, my little warrior that he is. He’s so very unfortunate to have these things that happen to him, but also so very fortunate to never let it slow him down. As long as he’s able to be happy and recover, I’ll keep fighting for him. You guys feel like a family to us so I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop now that I have an idea of what’s going on. I’m not gonna lie, I thought last night was going to be my goodbye to Jasper and I am so emotionally and physically exhausted from staying up all night holding him and watching him and crying, so I don’t know if I’ll be in the comments of this post much. But as soon as I know more you all will too ❤️ I appreciate all of the love and support.

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The owners continued to detail that Jazzy fell victim to a second infection which took his remaining eye:

He went on being a happy, healthy, now one eyed kitty. Until September 2018 when he ended up with a corneal ulcer in his remaining eye. Again so bad that removal was the only option.
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Mama took some pictures of me while I was exploring a few weeks ago. ————————————————————————For those who don’t know Jazzy’s story, he was adopted at 2 years old seemingly healthy. After a couple of years he was diagnosed with FHV (feline herpes virus), but at the time all that meant was he was a sniffly boy. Then in November 2013 he got a corneal ulcer in his right eye. It was so bad that removal was the only option. He went on being a happy, healthy, now one eyed kitty. Until September 2018 when he ended up with a corneal ulcer in his remaining eye. Again so bad that removal was the only option. As scary as the news was that Jasper would now be totally blind, he adapted super well. Finally in April 2019 he had a mild stroke. He’s a very happy kitty, who is otherwise extremely healthy. He’s 11 years old, but the vet says there’s no reason to think he won’t live another 10 years. #jazzypurr #blindcat #sphynx #sphynxcat #nakedkitty #sphynxlair #catsofinstagram #catstagram #instacat #cat #kitty #sphynxofinstagram #sphynxstagram #thedailynude #sphynxoftheday #hairlesscat #catsdaily #oddkitty

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But, Jasper's health journey doesn't stop there, not even a full year after his eye removal the poor cat had suffered from a stroke. The cause was unknown but luckily the kitty seems to be doing just fine now:

As scary as the news was that Jasper would now be totally blind, he adapted super well. Finally in April 2019 he had a mild stroke. It was a terrifying experience trying to figure out what was going on, why he woke me up spinning in circles, but the diagnoses was a relief.

Jasper's owners believe the not so furry-feline is currently in great health and if he keeps going this way he may even have another ten years left. Not to mention the support and well-wishes from his 77,000 followers probably help the cat to see the brighter side of life.

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Mama coming home from work is the best time because A) Food B) FREEDOM and C) Snuggles. in order of importance. Food is always the most important. ————————————————————————For those who don’t know Jazzy’s story, he was adopted at 2 years old seemingly healthy. After a couple of years he was diagnosed with FHV (feline herpes virus), but at the time all that meant was he was a sniffly boy. Then in November 2013 he got a corneal ulcer in his right eye. It was so bad that removal was the only option. He went on being a happy, healthy, now one eyed kitty. Until September 2018 when he ended up with a corneal ulcer in his remaining eye. Again so bad that removal was the only option. As scary as the news was that Jasper would now be totally blind, he adapted super well. Finally in April 2019 he had a mild stroke. He’s a very happy kitty, who is otherwise extremely healthy. He’s 11 years old, but the vet says there’s no reason to think he won’t live another 10 years. #jazzypurr #blindcat #sphynx #sphynxcat #nakedkitty #sphynxlair #catsofinstagram #cat #catstagram #sphynxofinstagram #sphynxstagram #thedailynude #sphynxoftheday #hairlesscat #catsdaily #oddkitty

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Owner Kelli spoke to Buzzfeed, describing the attention Jasper gets as the new internet sensation. Loyal followers regularly send in fan art and one even sent the eyeless cat a model toy made in his likeness. However, some fans have gone over and above and even gotten Jasper themed tattoos.

I get art of him all the time, and at least five people have gotten him tattooed on them, and that's not including me! It's wild, but so, so appreciated!

Kelli also urges people to consider adopting disabled pets as they are often overlooked and need a home just like any other cat or dog:

A blind cat can still live a very fulfilling, happy life. If you're thinking of adopting a pet, maybe take a look at the less loved: the elderly, the disabled. They may just be the best companion you'll ever have.

How could anyone resist a little cat in need, especially if they're anything like Jazzy!

This cat has become an internet sensation because it looks like Zorro This cat has become an internet sensation because it looks like Zorro