Chinese Cat Girl

Six-year-old Li Xiaoyuan loved playing outside with other children.

But since developing a bizarre condition that causes soft black fur to grow on her body, the schoolgirl is too embarrassed to leave her home.

The growth is so severe that only child Xiaoyuan, known as Xi, has been shunned by other children, who call her "cat girl."

Doctors are puzzled by the growth and can find no cure - although they have suggested painful skin grafts might help.

"Nobody wants to play with her because they think they might 'catch' it," says Xi's mum Jiang, 31, a primary school teacher.

"Her friends won’t visit any more and children run away from her in the playground after some saw her back and rumours spread. She used to take her dolls out in a pram, but now she sits inside crying.

"She asks me: 'Mummy, why do I have fur like my teddy bears?' It's heart breaking."

Xi's condition began as a small patch of discoloured skin, but thick hair now covers her entire back and has started growing on her arms and face.

"We spotted black patches on her back when she was four and took her to the doctor," says Jiang. "They removed three hairy moles and thought this would solve it."

But within 18 months, Jiang and dad Yan, 33, noticed her back and arms were covered in more than 20 black spots and hair.

Jiang says: "We took her to hospital, but doctors were baffled." Within two weeks, half of Xi's body was covered in hair.

"We were terrified - hair was taking over our little girl," says Jiang. "Xi didn't want to wear her dresses any more, she wanted to wear clothes that covered her body.

"The hair is so thick Xi can't sweat so she gets hot," says Jiang. "But she won't wear summery clothes because the hair shows."

Xi would like to be a dancer when she grows up, but says: "I need the hair to go first, dancers aren't covered in fur. I can't even wear dresses because children laugh at me."

In desperation the family thought about shaving off the fur, but doctors warned them it might grow back thicker.

Experts in China's Guangdong province, where Xi lives, say it's the most extreme case they've ever seen. They believe she may have a rare genetic condition that sends moles out of control, causing them to sprout thick hair.

Although the moles are benign, there is the added worry they could mutate and become cancerous. Xi's best hope is painful skin-graft surgery from unaffected areas.

"I don't want to cause her more pain, but we want to give her a chance of a normal life," says Jiang. "An operation is the best solution."

But the treatment will cost at least £9,000 and Yan earns just £50 per month as an electrician, while Jiang earns £20.

Fortunately doctors have offered to give Xi the treatment and let them pay later - though they're worried how they'll manage.

"We'll do whatever it takes," says Yan.