Their beauty must be on the inside! Some of the world’s most miserable looking cats enter competition to find most attractive feline (though at least one of them was adorable!)
Most people would recoil at a wide-eyed hairless cat with enormous ears, but these owners at a Romanian cat show could not be prouder of their pets.
Of all the hopefuls at the international feline beauty competition in Romania on Saturday, the most unfortunate-looking breed were the Canadian Sphynx cats but their owners still thought they were in with a winning chance.
More than 200 cats of varying breeds sharpened their claws for the competition, but it was a distinctly mixed bag of cuddliness and ugliness.
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Here kitty kitty: A Canadian Sphynx cat is not amused by a judge's toy during the international feline beauty competition in Bucharest, Romania
Frightening: A Sphynx cat with bat-like ears and an evil glint in its narrowed eyes
Keen owners, mainly from central and eastern Europe, entered the two day competition in Bucharest in the hope of proving that they had the most attractive cat in the contest.
The Sphynx cats were well-represented, even though they are often thought of as the ugliest cat breed because of their prune-like skin and disproportionately big eyes.
Despite their exotic name, the Sphynx cats actually originate from Toronto, Canada.
Wide-eyed: A Canadian Sphynx waits for its chance to shine
Alert: The Sphinx cat, wearing a sparkly necklace, poses for the camera with its proud owner
Crinkly: Despite being wrinkled with unkempt whiskers, this cat was still hoping to be crowned the queen of feline beauty as it nuzzled into a judge's arms
Grumpy: One brave little girl is introduced to a Sphinx cat and gives it a firm stroke between the ears
Affectionate: Despite its alarming appearance, this friendly Sphynx rubs chins with its owner
Inquisitive: The hairless cat climbs up its owner's jumper
They came into existence in the sixties after careful breeding using hairless cats.
Sought after by their dedicated fans, Sphynx cats can fetch up to £3,000 a time as a rare breed.
The odd-looking wrinkly felines have only recently found their way to England in the last few years.
As well as the more unusual felines, there were more conventionally cuddly pets such as the British Shorthair, the Norwegian Forest and the Russian Blue.
Even though some of the cats clearly had friendly dispositions and were well-behaved, they were being solely judged on their appearance.
Adorable: This British Shorthair kitten was closer to most people's idea of cute as she played with a toy mouse
Cuddly: Colorado the Russian Blue cat looked relaxed about her chances in the competition
Wild-eyed: A Norwegian forest cat shows off its long, sleek fur but looks ready to make her escape
Little sphinx kitten plays on keyboard in Romania
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