There are many types and breeds of cats out in the world, from the fluffiest of furballs to short-hairs, to bald cats. But did you know that there are werewolf cats?
Recently an account named Graciewolfcat posted a video of a kitten that their fostered cat had. The kitten stood out from the rest because of her bald spots and strange fur patterns. The kitten was born with a rare natural mutation. Cats with this mutation are called Lykoi or Wolfcats. The video got over 6 million views and over 1 million likes.
This is the werewolf kitten that went viral on TikTok. Her name is Gracie
“I decided to foster 2 pregnant cats found at a colony site together. They each had their babies 6 days apart and after a week, the two moms joined together and started to raise all 12 babies as one big family. They took care of each other’s babies as if they were all their own.”
Bree from Maine, USA fostered two pregnant cats. When they gave birth they took care of each other’s kittens
“I noticed one was looking a little frail and losing hair so I immediately took her to the vet to be seen, where I was told she might have had a fever coat previously, but otherwise, she was fine and healthy.”
The werewolf kitten stood out from the rest
“We were so concerned about her well-being, but she made small improvements shortly after and started to grow her hair back. As she started to grow, I really couldn’t get over how odd she looked and how she looked nothing like her siblings or parents.”
Bree Was worried about the kitten’s health, however, the vet said that she’s okay and healthy
This is Bree and the uniquely adorable kitten Gracie
She also told us more about herself: “I am a full-time professional photographer! I do weddings as well as births! I actually photographed Gracie’s birth too! I have an amazing partner who also loves Gracie and the other fur babies too! I love where I live in central Maine!”
Soon Gracie started to grow hair, with still some bald spots remaining. Bree was shocked at how different she was from the rest of her litter
Bree did some research and found out that this was a simple natural genetic mutation and the cats with it were called Lykoi or Wolf cats
“I came across a cat that looked similar but I didn’t think much of it. As she grew, I tried to Google different kinds of cats with black and white peppered hair and bald faces, and eventually, I figured out she was indeed a wolfcat, or more appropriately named, a Lykoi.”
Bree tells us more about wolfcats or Lykoi: “Based on my own research I have found out that a wolfcat, formally known as a Lykoi is a regular domestic cat that is from a natural genetic mutation among feral cat colonies, which is what her moms came from. She only has 1 coat of fur and will molt about every 6 months. Her fur can be brushed forward and backward, kind of like a wolf’s coat. She has sensitive skin and will need extra attention to monitor her grease and oil build up around her face and feet.”
“My favorite thing about Gracie is when she was a little bald baby and I loved to kiss her and breath her in. She has a certain smell about her that made me love kissing her. Sometimes I still get a small smell of her old baby scent and I love it. It’s probably one of those weird mom things haha I love kissing her but she always pushes my face away. I love her huge beautiful eyes!”
The kitten only has one coat of fur and sheds much more often than most cats
“She is just like every other house cat except she looks like a werewolf. After some research, I learned that she only had 1 coat of fur and would shed often throughout her life. I learned that she came as a natural genetic mutation from the feral colony her mom was part of.”
Gracie is happy and healthy and has a loving home
“I recently shared her story in videos on TikTok and she has now gone viral. She has a video with 6M views and 1.1M likes. She now has 42k followers as well! So that’s pretty cool! We also found out that wolfcats are actually valued at around $3,000, so getting an expensive cat for free is also pretty epic!”
We asked Bree how Gracie is doing right now: “She is doing wonderful and in perfect health! She likes to nap and play! Her favorite toy is her laser pointer, whether she’s chasing the red dot or playing with the pointer itself.”
Bree told us more about Gracie’s personality: “Gracie rides in the car now and visits her grammies house! She has a bubble backpack that her grammie bought her that she rides in! When Gracie is not adventuring, her bubble backpack is her playhouse. She is not very talkative at all. She loves to come up to my feet when I’m sitting and rub on them and almost hug them. Gracie does not sleep with me, she sleeps on the couch typically. She loves to chase her own tail and sit in the window. Gracie loves to scratch on her scratching boards and she loves to nap.”
The owner told us more about other animals she owns: “I have one of her moms, which I do not think is her bio mom. I think her bio mom was the black one who unfortunately got very sick and passed away a few months ago. I also have my 14-year-old mini dachshund too! They love each other and get along great!”
