Meet Yana, the two-faced cat with a heart of gold! Like many particularly precious pets, this cat has amassed an impressive Instagram following. Unlike most Insta-famous animals, however, the Minsk-based Yana is popular thanks to a genetic abnormality. Known as a chimera, the fascinating feline has cells from different zygotes, resulting in a unique coloring and stunning “two-faced” appearance.
While there is nothing unusual about the fur that covers the her body, the captivating calico cat’s face is a different story. Divided seemingly straight down the middle, one side of her visage is a striking orange, while the other is a stark black; she almost looks like two cats in one! (Or, at the very least, a kitty version of Two-Face from the Batman series.)
In addition to her peculiar yet adorable face, Yana has some other strange and cute qualities: according to Elizabeth, she likes to play fetch like a dog, comically snoozes with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, and enjoys drinking tea, which is always “left unfinished in a hurry.” She also loves going on walks, and even appears to have a penchant for art. She truly is a cat of a different color!
Yana’s human, Elizabeth, adopted her after stumbling upon a personal ad and falling in love with her distinctive appearance. The cat’s previous owners, an older couple, had named the curious kitten Yana in honor of Janus, a Greek god believed to have two faces—one that looked toward the future, and one that kept an eye on the past. Elizabeth decided to keep the fitting moniker, and even incorporated the “two-faced” description into her now-viral Instagram handle: yanatwofacecat.
And while there’s no denying that her split markings are rare, Yana is not the first chimeric cat to take the Internet by storm. Venus, a two-toned tabby, has also dazzled audiences with her one-of-a-kind, black-and-orange mask.
Yana the Two-Faced Cat: Instagram
h/t: [Bored Panda, Наша Ніва]