Rare 'Two-Faced' Cat Named Narnia Has Purrfectly Unique Markings
The latest two-faced feline on the scene is named Narnia; and as his name implies, he's absolutely magical.
Not even a year old, Narnia is a British Shorthair who has taken the Internet by storm thanks to the unique symmetrical coloration on his face - one half is black, the other a stunning grey.
Photo: Jean Michel Labat
Photo: Born on March 28, 2017, the magical moggie was born in the home of Chatterie de la Grâce. Breeder Stephanie Jimenez calls him “a real small miracle." We couldn't agree more!
Narnia is thought to be what's called a "feline chimera," which is a cat whose cells contain two types of DNA. His unique markings are extremely rare, shared only by a few other felines like Venus and Quimera, and are thought to be the result of two embryos fusing together - essentially, the merging of two non-identical twins.
Photo: Jean Michel Labat
Chimerism gets its name from creatures in Greek mythology called Chimeras, which are hybrid monsters made up of parts of different animals; specifically, a fire-breathing creature with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
It's only fitting that a cat named Narnia would have a condition with such magical origins!
Photo: amazingnarnia
Photo: To confirm whether or not a cat is truly a chimera or just got lucky in the genetic lotto, genetic testing of skin samples from each side of the cat would be required.
Leslie Lyons, a professor who studies the genetics of domestic cats told National Geographic, "We can do a DNA fingerprint—just like on CSI—and the DNA from one side of the body should be different than the other." That means not only would Narnia have two different types of DNA, but each side of Narnia's body would have its own unique DNA and blood type!
Photo: Jean Michel Labat
Photo: Jean Michel Labat
Some viewers are claiming that Narnia is photoshopped. But his mom happily uploads videos of this fantastic feline in action on his Instagram to prove otherwise to those naysayers.
All images provided by Chatterie de la Grâce and Jean Michel Labat/Caters News
I have a 6 Week old kitty who is Chimeric and Polydactyl as well?
This must be pretty rare!
The most beautifulist kitten cat I have seen. Would like to know we’re can you adopt buy one if these narnias. Very lucky to own one. Be good to each other.
such a beautiful cat, he’s amazing! good luck to you for having him. hope he lives a long life happy & secure.
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