FOUR of the world's fluffiest cats have made their home at Chester Zoo.

The rare felines, all brothers, are known as Pallas's cats and have arrived in the UK from Krakow Zoo in Poland.

It is the first time carnivore experts have ever cared for the animals.

Curator of mammals Tim Rowlands said: “Pallas’s cats are incredibly furry.

"Relative to size, they have the densest and longest fur of any cat species – effectively making them the world’s fluffiest cats.

“However, hunting for their beautiful fur is actually something that is contributing to their perilous plight in the wild.

"These cats are very poorly known, declining and, sadly, face an uncertain future.”

Pallas’s cats are under threat in their native southern Siberia, Central Asia and China and are hardly spotted.

Figures suggest that only around 15,000 remain and conservationists fear that number will continue to decline.

Mike Jordan, collections director at Chester Zoo said: “Pallas’s cats have a huge range across Siberia and Asia so it’s a truly shocking statistic that only 15,000 are estimated to remain and as many as 2,000 are being hunted every year.

“Now is the time to secure the Pallas’s cats’ future and prevent it from extinction.

"The arrival of this new quartet at Chester is part of the endangered species breeding programme designed to be an insurance safety-net in the face of continuing decline.

"Zoos, field biologists and scientists are working together to help these wonderful animals through conservation breeding, research, education, fundraising and possible reintroduction to the wild in the long term."