Being the cat person that I am, it comes as no surprise that I was rather intrigued by the news of a highly rare Lykoi kitten found in Cape Town recently. Also known as a ‘werewolf cat’, this cat was found in the Company Gardens in the City Centre by animal rescue group TEARS as part of their Feral Rescue Cat Project. While some have been successfully bred in South Africa, this is the first natural mutation Lykoi cat to be discovered in SA.
Until 20 years ago, these rather odd-looking cats were originally thought to have the Sphynx or Devon gene, until scientists realised that the Lykoi was an entirely new, incredibly rare feline mutation. Natural Lykoi are so rare that since monitoring of the species began in 2011, only 34 have been found in the wild.
Super Rare ‘Werewolf Cat’ Discovered in Cape Town
Interestingly enough, the majority of the naturally occurring ‘werewolf cats’ have been strays. According to U.S. vet Johnny Gobble‚ a Lykoi expert‚ many were found in shelters, feral cat colony catch-and-release-programmes and on the streets.
“This is why we call the Lykoi a second-chance breed. All of the cats in the starting programme were rescues. They have great personality overall‚ and we have found no genetic health problems so far. Since they come from the feral colonies‚ I think they have great immune systems,” he added in a media interview about the new discovery of a Lykoi kitten in Cape Town’s CBD.
Tears thought at first that the cat was ill, as it did not respond the way a regular cat would and had qualities closer to a canine than a feline. The cat’s strange looks and mannerisms led to skin scrapings being taken to test for diseases, and when those tests turned up negative, TEARS’ Operations and Feline Programme Manager, Mandy Store, began to look at other clues to the cat’s uniqueness. “The mother and five other kittens in the litter – all short haired domestic tabbies – gave no clues,” said Store.
After realising that they had something truly rare and special on their hands, they turned to an American Lykoi specialist in search of answers. The cat was named Eyona, which is Xhosa for ‘The One’.
While many cat lovers (yes, including me!) will be wishing to get on to the waiting list of potential adoptions, Tears has decided to keep Eyona. He will be the star of a brand new campaign called Quest for Hidden Treasure. This campaign focuses on finding treasures that make all the difference to cats and dogs in need… food, shelter, homes and treatment. You can learn more about the Quest for Hidden Treasure over here.
____________________
Curious to know more about Eyona the Cape Town werewolf cat? View the original news report on TEARS.org.za.
