Police and animal welfare authorities in Berlin rescued 48 cats during a raid on a two-room apartment belonging to an illegal breeder. The cats are of the Ukrainian Levkoy breed, which have severe physical impairments and genetic defects including missing tactile hairs and kinked ears. The practice is considered “torture breeding” in Germany and is banned. Authorities had banned the suspected breeder from keeping animals and was ordered to stop, but he refused to comply, prompting the police raid on the flat in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district. Authorities became aware of the illegal breeding …