Photos courtesy of Stéphanie Jiminez
Narnia was born with electric blue eyes and a perfectly split gray and black face. The 5-year-old British Shorthair might have a rare genetic condition called chimerism.
New tests to define if Narnia is a chimera cat are in progress," says owner Stéphanie Jiminez. Feline chimeras are formed when two kittens fuse together early in their mother’s womb. They have their own DNA and DNA from a second kitten. Essentially, Chimera kittens are their own non-identical twin.
Narnia was born on March 28, 2017, at the Chatterie de la Grâce. It is a small no-cage cattery in Paris, France. Stéphanie fell in love with British Shorthair and British Longhair cats in 2010. "They look like baby bears. They are sweet, kind, and very intelligent," she says.
Narnia's father is a long-haired red tabby cat with odd eyes named Muscari D’Aerlin. His mother is a blue British Shorthair cat called Jeen from the Chatterie de Virvarnon. "That year, the names of cats had to start with the letter "N". I love The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, so I decided to call him Narnia," Stéphanie says.
The two-faced cat was bred as part of the British Celestia (Céleste) project. It was started by Sophie Guittonneau from the Aerlin Cattery with permission from the Official Book of Feline Origins (LOOF). It is the only recognized cat registry in France. The British Celestia project aimed to produce British Shorthairs with blue eyes.
Stéphanie knew Narnia was exceptional. She wanted to share his majestic appearance with the whole world. In June 2016, she decided to create his Instagram page. "I get asked almost every day if Narnia is Photoshopped or painted. When people see him for the first time, their reaction is, 'Oh my God, he is amazing,'" she says.
A professional show cat, Narnia has participated in cat shows in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The sweet-tempered charmer also won a World Bloggers Award in 2019. Narnia is a friendly and very soft cat. But when he is in a new place, he is painfully shy. Stéphanie and Narnia have a tight connection. "He is my little baby," she says.
ABOUT THE BRITISH SHORTHAIR
Are you interested in learning more about the British Shorthair? Check out our detailed British Shorthair cat breed graphic below.
