Mews and Nips: Senior Tortie Finds New Home

You may have seen photos of this striking cat on the internet this past week, along with a hot debate about whether this cat was real, or whether the images were photoshopped. It turns out that Venus is a real cat. This beautiful 3-year-old cat is considered a chimera. Genetics always make my head explode, but basically, a chimera is formed from four parent cells (either two fertilized eggs, or two early embryos that have fused together). When the organism forms, the cells that had already begun to develop in the separate embryos keep their original phenotypes and appearances. This means that the resulting animal is a mixture of tissues and can look like this gorgeous kitty.

You can find more information about Venus, along with a couple of videos proving that she’s not photoshopped, on her Facebook page, which was set up last Tuesday after her guardians realized that their cat’s photos had gone viral The page has more than 20,000 fans as of this writing.

Muffin is a lucky British tortie who found her forever home at the ripe old age of 13. The Newbury and Thatcham Chronicle reports that Muffin was being cared for at a cat rehoming center after suffering a stroke during a dental procedure. 70-year-old Lionel Haines and his wife of 45 years, Gill, had been keeping an eye on Muffin’s progress via the center’s website. They adopted Muffin, who is now living the high life. “She is smashing,” said Haines. “She will only let me pick her up in the morning, the rest of the time she’ll roar like a wild cat to show in no uncertain terms that she is not interested!” Does this sound like a tortie to you? Read the full story in the Newbury and Thatcham Chronicle.

I loved Catsparella’s follow up story on Mr. Six , who was rescued from an abandoned Six Flags amusement park in New Orleans two years ago. He was malnourished, dehydrated and panting (it was over 100 degrees outside that day), but super friendly and sweet. Two years later, Mr. Stix is living the good life with his rescuers and two other cats. He’s a happy camper and receives all the love and attention he deserves. Visit Catsparella for his full story, and some wonderful photos.

And speaking of amusement park rides – today’s video makes me think I need to get a Roomba – not to clean my house, but for Allegra and Ruby’s entertainment!

Have a great weekend!

Photo sources: photo of Venus from her Facebook page, photo of Muffin from Newbury and Thatcham Chronicle, photo of Mr. Stix from Catsparella