Mysterious genetic mutation makes "werewolf" kitten a TikTok hit!
Maine, USA - Gracie was a normal kitten, for the first few weeks of life at least. Then her owner noticed that something about this cat was very, very weird.
Brianna Walton, 29, was excited about her new kitten, Gracie. She knew the cat from birth, having previously looked after its mother and the rest of Gracie's siblings.
When she was about five weeks old, the kitten suddenly started losing the fur on her face. According to the Mirror, the owner reported, "She then lost most of her hair completely over the next two weeks and I became very concerned that she was sick so I brought her to the vet"
But the visit was problematic, as the vet did not seem to take Brianna's concerns seriously, even though the kitten looked quite unusual.
"They did one look over with no tests and concluded it was probably a fever but that she was perfectly healthy otherwise and needed no further special attention."
Still, the woman didn't let up, fearing that Gracie was seriously ill.
Gracie becomes TikTok hit
While getting a second opinion, another veterinarian confirmed that Gracie was not actually sick, but showing symptoms of a rare genetic condition, that actually wouldn't hurt her at all.
Cats with this particular genetic mutation are called Lykoi and they pretty much look like feline versions of a werewolf.
Every six months, the unusual genetic variation causes the cats to lose their fur, which is where the nickname comes from as they look very much like mutant mythical creatures.
It was clear to Brianna that the world needed to know her very special baby, so she posted several videos with Gracie on a specially created TikTok account called Graciewolfcat.
There, the werewolf cat has since delighted millions of users, with the most successful clip to date racking up 6.7 million views since the beginning of May.
"Gracie looks like a werewolf and I think that's the coolest thing," Brianna gushed. A lot of people now agree.
Cover photo: TikTok/Screenshots/graciewolfcat