Hamilton the Hipster Cat has a very identifiable feature adorning his face – an eccentric looking moustache. Adopted from the Humane Society, Hamilton was originally found in feral colony and was a very skittish and anxious cat. But when his owner went to meet him, it was love at first sight and the pair shared an instant connection. It took a while for him to get settled into his new life, but now he’s a happy and playful cat and an Instagram sensation to boot.
Grumpy Cat is quite possibly one of the most famous cats in history. She rose to fame in 2012 after a post of her face went viral on Reddit – at first, no-one believed her face hadn’t been altered but in truth her grumpy markings were real. And soon everyone fell in love. According to her owners she was a very happy cat (despite the expression) with a type of dwarfism, and although she looked like a Snowshoe or Ragdoll, her parents were a Calico Short Hair and a grey tabby!
Everyone’s heard of this adorable famous cat. She had a permanent kitten-like appearance which was due to a variety of genetic mutations, including teeth that never grew (which is why her tongue hung out of her mouth) and a type of dwarfism. Additionally, she also had a rare bone disorder known as Osteopetrosis and Lil Bub was the only cat in history known to be born with this. Thanks to her online fame, her owners were able to raise funds to help with her treatment, but sadly she passed away in December, 2019.
Many reports about Venus refer to the cat as a "chimera." In mythology, a chimera is a mishmash monster made up of parts of different animals. A feline chimera is a cat whose cells contain two types of DNA, caused when two embryos fuse together. Among cats, chimeras are really not all that rare. In fact, most male tortoiseshell cats are chimeras. The distinctively mottled orange and black coat is a sign that the cat has an extra X chromosome. But female cats already have two X chromosomes so they can sport that coat without the extra X. That means Venus is not necessarily a chimera.
