Venus (cat)
| Species | Felis catus |
|---|---|
| Breed | Domestic short hair |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | July 6, 2009 |
| Died | August 16, 2026 (aged 17) |
| Known for | Unusual coloring |
| Residence | North Carolina |
| Appearance | Tortoiseshell cat, black right half of face with green eye, red tabby left half of face with blue eye, black and orange mixed on the body |
Venus (July 6, 2009 – August 16, 2026), also known as Venus the Two-Faced Cat, was an American tortoiseshell cat famous for having a half black and half red tabby face. In addition, her eyes were heterochromic, her right eye being green, her left blue. Her social media accounts use the tagline "0% photoshopped, 100% born this way!"
Venus was adopted as a stray in September 2009 by a couple in North Carolina who have four other pets, cats Tater Tot, Roo and Ginger, and dog Halo.[1] She became famous after a Reddit post in August 2012.[1] As of September 2012 she had more than a million views on YouTube;[2][3] as of December 2015 she had 673,000 Instagram followers and almost a million "likes" on Facebook.[4] She appeared on The Today Show in August 2012[2] and on Fox & Friends in July 2014.[5]
She has been described by veterinarians as a chimera,[4][1] but her markings may alternatively be a matter of luck, an unusual expression of mosaicism.[2][3][6][7] She also had different-colored eyes:[1] the blue eye on the ginger side of her face suggests the latter, since it is presumably caused by the piebald gene that also produced her white paws and white spots on her chest.[6]
Venus died from kidney disease on August 16, 2026, at the age of 17.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Alison Schwartz (September 1, 2012). "Meet Venus, the Two-Faced Cat". People. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Katia Andreassi (September 1, 2012). "Venus the Two-Faced Cat a Mystery". National Geographic. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012.
- 1 2 Rachel Num (September 4, 2012). "The Genetics Behind Venus, the Mysterious Two-Faced Cat". Smithsonian.
- 1 2 Will Grice (December 12, 2015). "Meet Venus, the two faced cat and internet sensation". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022.
- ↑ "'Venus the Two-Faced Cat' Becomes Internet Sensation". Fox News Insider. July 9, 2014.
- 1 2 Alice Robb (July 17, 2014). "Venus the 'Chimera' Cat Is Probably Not a Real Chimera: A geneticist explains the cat's funny fur". The New Republic.
- ↑ David Barden (April 26, 2017). "This Two-Faced Cat Is Not Fake News, She's Totally Legit". Huffington Post.
- ↑ "Famous Cats Venus and Roo Die Just 9 Days Apart After 12 Years Together". I Heart Cats. August 19, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.