Have you ever heard of a “split-faced” cat, or a “two-faced cat”? These are the terms commonly used to describe chimera, and there are some popular ones out there. If you haven’t heard of these chimera cats, go ahead and meet them!
What is a Chimera Cat?
The simplest explanation is that a chimera cat has one color scheme on one side of its face and/or body and another on the other side. The line that separates them is sometimes uncannily straight, making the face look like Mother Nature was having a little joke—trying to merge two cats into one.
Which is actually not far from the truth.
If you’re familiar with the chimera of Greek mythology, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a chimera is a magical cat. A chimera from Homer’s The Iliad it was a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the legend of a snake.
But the feline chimera is a very low-level creature with a reasonable scientific explanation.
What Causes the Chimera Phenomenon?
A chimera cat is one cat that originally had two. Chimera cats have two sets of DNA because the two embryos came together early in the mother’s womb. Therefore, chimera cats are born with their own DNA, as well as DNA from the second embryo. (Some like to say that a chimera is its identical twin.)
Newborn babies can be born with color differences that are so small that they are not really noticeable or have barely noticeable differences. Sometimes, however, a person will show such a dramatic difference that it is frightening.
Why Do Some Chimera Cats Have Different Colored Eyes?
Chimeras will often have mismatched eyes. This can be a very noticeable feature in some chimeras. It’s called heterochromia.
Most cats with “strange eyes,” as they are often called, are not chimeras, but they are more likely to be chimeras because of the two sets of DNA these cats have. They get one color from their DNA and another from the second set.
Are Calicos and Tortoiseshell Chimera Cats?
Calicos and tortoiseshell cats often look like chimeras, but many are not. Most of these cats are female, but after a while a male will be born. Chances are good that the male will be a chimera.
This happens because of XX sex chromosomes carried by women and XY by men. The mother and father each pass one chromosome to the offspring.
Like humans, the mother cat can only pass X, but the father can pass X or Y. If he donates X, the offspring will be XX, or a female. If she donates Y, the offspring will be XY, or male.
The genes for calico and tortoiseshell coats are carried only on the X chromosome, so the father’s Y cannot produce a calico or a tortie. Therefore, almost all cats with these color patterns are female (X from mother and X from father equals XX, or female).
At some point, the fusion of the embryo will happen. If one of the combined embryos was female and the other male, that cat would be male. That male may be a chimera (but again, not always).
Unfortunately, male torties and calicos will remain rare because most of them are sterile.
How Do I Know If My Cat Is a Chimera?
Differences caused by chimerism can be subtle, so your cat may be a chimera even if it is not visible. On the other hand, the natural coat pattern of calico or tortoise shell may look like a chimera if it is not. The only way to know for sure is to have your cat DNA tested.
Will a Chimera Cat Have Chimera Kittens?
Chimerism can be inherited, according to Healthline. Depending on which parts of the mother’s body the second set of DNA affects, it is possible for the mother to pass on two sets of DNA to the offspring, resulting in a chimera.
But this is impossible to predict. Even if you DNA tested the mother, there is no way to know which traits she will pass on to her children or inherit from their father.
Chimera Cat Characteristics and Personality
Because chimerism is not a species but a genetic phenomenon that can occur in any cat, there is no single individual type and no common characteristics. Chimeras will have all the natural features of the feline species.
The famous Chimera cats
If you already know about chimeras, you are probably familiar with one of the famous chimera cats that have become popular on Instagram and other sites online.
We need to point out, however, that without DNA testing, it is impossible to say whether these cats are really chimeras. According to geneticist Dr. Virginia Papaioannou in an interview with The New Republic, they can have matching color patterns.
Either way, we think they’re adorable!
Venus
Venus may be the first known chimera cat. He has an amazing two-tone face with orange on the left and black on the right.
He also has heterochromia with one blue and one blue eye.
Venus has many followers on Instagram and her Facebook page. He also has his own merchandise, including a stuffed animal version and a calendar. He even appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Narnia
Narnia is a gorgeous British Shorthair bred and owned by Stéphanie Jimenez of Grace Cattery in France. His body is black, but half of his face is blue (the cat talks about a color like gray), and the other half is black. Both of his eyes are blue.
Like Venus, Narnia has a huge following on Facebook and Instagram.
The Chimera
The Chimera, interestingly, is almost a mirror image of Venus. His face is dark on the left and red on the right. He also has one green eye and one blue eye. See Quimera on Instagram, or check out this story about her on People.com.
It’s raining
Yana is another tortoiseshell cat with chimera features. He is owned by a woman named Elizabeth from Belarus, who found him through a classified ad when he was just a child. Yana also has a different facial color, but unlike Venus and Quimera, both of her eyes are green. You can visit with Yana as a cat on her Instagram page.
How Common Are Chimera Cats?
Chimeras with the dramatic facial features we see in Venus and Narnia are extremely rare. But chimerism may be more common than we think. A cat can have more than one set of DNA, but sometimes the affected body parts are not identified.
For example, some chimeras are born with two blood types mixed in their veins. Some are born with male and female reproductive organs but may appear to be female on the outside with their male organs tucked inside.
In such cases, only DNA testing (or surgery) can prove that the animal was a chimera.
Chimera Cat vs. Janus Cat
Because we often hear the chimera referred to as the “two-faced cat,” it’s easy to confuse them with another cat that shares that nickname. Apparently, chimeras only have one face. But sometimes a cat will be born with two the original
face
These are real cats with two faces, and they are called Janus cats. They are named after the Roman god Janus, who was said to have two faces so he could see back into the past and forward into the future.
Janus cats are extremely rare and very few live beyond a few days. But some beat the odds. This CNN video features two Janus cats. One is a newborn kitten, and the other is Janus’ long-term kittens, named Frank and Louie.
Frank and Louie (the media cruelly nicknamed him Frankenlouie) entered the Guinness Book of World Records when he was 12 years old as Janus’ longest-living cat. He was 14 years old at the time of this video.
Where Can I Find A Cat For Sale?
The short answer is that you probably can’t. Also, because chimeras are not a species but only genetically different, you can’t just buy one.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a chimera cat breeder. You can visit shelters and rescues and look at classified ads, and one day you might get lucky. (After all, Elizabeth found Yana through a classified ad!)
But getting a real chimera cat (or even a cat that looks like one) is almost as unlikely as finding a four-leaf clover in your yard.
If you were lucky and found one, it is impossible to predict the value of a chimera cat. Because of their rare appearance, even if you could find someone willing to part with them, if they knew the value of what they have, the price would likely be high.
Can Humans Be Chimeras?
Yes! But you probably wouldn’t know in most cases. There are several famous examples of chimeras that people have only found because of DNA testing done for other reasons. To learn more about them, check out this article in Scientific American.
Not only is it possible for cats and humans, but chimerism also occurs in other animals. For interesting possibilities, check out this story on Weird Nature. While we cannot confirm that all of these chimeras are legitimate, it is scientifically possible.
A Final Note
Dr. Leslie Lyons, a professor at the University of California Davis, in an interview with National Geographic about Venus, explains that her unique color can be explained by the natural course of genes, that she cannot be a chimera. He also says that his theory does not explain Venus’s single blue eye, however. He concluded, “He’s a bit of a mystery.”
Isn’t that amazing?