Meet Apricot, the Adorable and 'Rare' Chimera Rescue Kitten with a Two-Toned Face
Apricot will soon be looking for a forever home!
The "very rare" chimera kitten is currently residing in Tennessee with Nashville Cat Rescue, who shared that they would be taking applications from hopeful adoptive kitty parents "in about 6 weeks when she's fixed."
Apricot's defining feature that makes it unlikely she'll have a hard time finding a willing owner? The two-toned fur on her adorable face, giving her the appearance of two different kittens merged!
"A chimera cat is exactly as it looks — 2 cats that blended into 1," volunteer foster mama Kiki captioned a photo gallery of little Apricot on Monday. "They have 2 sets of DNA due to the embryos fusing together."
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Kiki also explained that chimeras "have eyes that don't match, called heterochromia."
"Too tough to tell with this little one as her eyes won't settle into her adult color until she is 7 weeks of age," she continued. "A DNA test is really the only way to tell if she's a true chimera, but cute nonetheless. Science is crazy y'all."
"Have you met Apricot? This unique baby was found with her sister during a construction project," read another post on the rescue's Instagram feed. "The two were introduced to our mama duo, Olive and Pickle, who welcomed them into their family without hesitation. ❤️"
Nashville Cat Rescue encouraged anyone interested in giving Apricot a loving home to follow Kiki on Instagram "for official adoption announcements in 5-7 weeks," as she and her sister "need lots of growing, weaning and veterinary work first."
Kiki is currently caring for Apricot and her sister, Pretzel, with her rescue mama cats: Pickle and Olive. The mom felines gave birth to their own litters and were happy to welcome the two newcomers into their little blended family.
In a chat with Bored Panda, another foster at the rescue, Kayli, said Apricot and Pretzel were found inside a wall by a family working on their house.
"After waiting for [the mother cat] for quite a few hours, she didn't return, and they knew time was of the essence to get the babies to a nursing mom," Kayli said.
She added, "Apricot and Pretzel (we have a charcuterie theme) feel like they have always been here! They were accepted so fast by Pickle and Olive and fit right in with the other babies."
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