Cats with a human face: breed
"Does a cat with a human face exist?" — that's roughly how Instagram users reacted after seeing a photo of the unusual "beast" in early July 2018. It's hard to believe, but the photos and videos turned out to be quite real, as was the owner of this amazing two-month-old kitten.
Content
An unusual cat
Tatyana Rastorgueva, as the breeder is known, didn't expect her post to cause such a stir on social media. Several months have passed since the photos were posted, and they continue to be the center of public attention. Moreover, the emotions surrounding the now-celebrity cat run the gamut: from tenderness to sheer horror and disgust.
So who really is this internet star with human eyes? Her name is Valkyrie, and she's a Maine Coon. Despite her exotic appearance, she has a playful nature and classic feline behavior. The most interesting thing is that none of her siblings have any remarkable physical features.
Where Valkyrie inherited such unusual facial features remains a mystery. Whether it's the peculiarities of her skull's bone structure or the structure of her retina, the fact remains: looking at this face, it seems like a resurrected Lucifer, or at least Behemoth the cat from Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," is looking back.
Maine Coon breed: character and habits
The first thing that distinguishes Maine Coons from other felines is their natural sense of self-worth. They are naturally independent and self-sufficient, yet they also form strong bonds with their owners and try to never let them out of their sight. Peaceful, friendly, and affectionate, these cats get along well with other pets. The exception is rodents, the sight of which immediately awakens their hunting instinct.
Maine Coons They love active play and can even engage in it without human intervention. They use any household items as toys, as well as various foods. With a leftover piece of meat, a cat can tumble around on the floor for hours, performing amusing acrobatic tricks.
They are highly trainable thanks to their highly developed intelligence, and they quickly pick up intonation and remember commands, especially when they are spoken in their owner's voice. Manx cats quickly adapt to new environments, as they bond with people, not their surroundings.
They are polite and patient with children. They are often called natural-born nannies for their ability to calmly respond to children's pestering and pranks. This breed is also very musical. They are very talkative, but never annoying with their loud purring. On the contrary, their quiet purring is pleasant to listen to and relieves stress.
Maine Coon cat varieties
Currently, there are two breed lines of these amazing cats – American and European.
American cats differ significantly from Europeans in appearance. The faces of the "natives" often resemble human faces due to the structure of the skull and the placement of the eyes, while European representatives of the breed resemble common domestic cats more closely. The eyes of Europeans are shorter and lack a distinct pattern.
Maine Coon colors are quite complex. They are assessed according to four criteria:
- main color;
- presence of a pattern (tabby) or its absence (solid);
- presence of silver (smoke);
- the presence of characteristic white spots.
Each of the parameters has several values.
The most popular and therefore most expensive kittens are the “solid blue”, “solid black” and “smoke black” colors.
Maine Coon look-alike
It turns out that some animals have doppelgangers not only among their own kind, but also among people. Recently, there was a real internet sensation when users discovered that a famous Hollywood actor bears a striking resemblance to a ginger Maine Coon cat.
The actor who, according to internet users, looks so much like a Maine Coon is none other than Ron Perlman, who played Hellboy. Whether this huge, serious-faced cat really does resemble the American superhero is debated in numerous comparison photos, which Ron himself has apparently been sent more than once. Unable to withstand yet another "prank" from friends and fans, the Maine Coon-looking actor posted the following on his feed.
Actor Ron Perlman views the resemblance between Maine Coons and his own photo as a funny joke of nature.
Incidentally, it's entirely possible that the actor himself, who so closely resembles a Maine Coon, and his fans, are unaware that not all Maine Coons will resemble him so closely. Moreover, not all Maine Coons resemble each other. Human-like faces are characteristic of the American type of cat, characterized by slanted eyes, a low forehead, and a massive head.
Interesting facts about Maine Coons
There are numerous legends surrounding the origins of this popular cat breed. One of them links the cats to raccoons, thus explaining their resemblance in appearance. The breed's name translates as "Maine raccoon." Another theory holds that modern Maine Coons are the result of a mating between wild cats and lynxes, as clearly hinted at by the distinctive tufts on their ears.
Here are a couple more amazing features of cats:
- Before drinking, "Manx" cats first rake the water with their paws. This looks rather comical, but the explanation is simple: cleaning the water of any possible contaminants is a natural instinct, preserved in the cats' brains from their time in the wild.
- Cats are indifferent to their owner's soft bed, as well as their own sleeping area. They happily "migrate" around the house, often choosing rather unusual sleeping spots—the sink, the tiled bathroom floor, or the top shelves of cabinets.
- After a Maine Coon cat starred in a Harry Potter film, the fate of the entire breed was sealed—it gained worldwide fame. And today, even those who previously didn't notice their inordinate love for cats know about the existence of these large, fluffy "half-raccoon" and "half-lynx" cats.
Read also:
Add a comment