This Pet Owner Worried Her Kitten Was Sick. Nope, Just a Wolf Cat!

Austin Cannon
·2 min read
5

Angela Emanuelsson / EyeEm

Brianna Walton was obviously concerned when her newborn kitten, Gracie, started losing big clumps of fur when she wasn't even 2 months old yet. Turns out, she'd been living with a teensy little wolf cat the whole time.

The 29-year-old photographer from Maine told The Mirror that she took Gracie to the veterinarian a couple weeks after she seemed to be getting sick. Tons of hair loss: usually not a good sign. Walton had been fostering a pair of cats, and she decided to keep Gracie, who was a part of one of the cat's litter of newborns.

The veterinarian ran some tests and told Walton that Gracie was fine other than a fever. Then the vet gave her the answer she was looking for, per The Mirror: Gracie is considered a Lykoi, also known as a wolf cat.

"Gracie looks like a werewolf and I think that's the coolest," Walton told the newspaper.

You can find Gracie the wolf kitten on social media if you want to know more about her. Her TikTok video explaining that she is indeed a whole other breed of cat—and not a poor, mysteriously sick kitty—has gained some 7.5 million views.

RELATED: Heartbreaking TikTok Shows Cat Mourning Loss of Her Kitten By Cuddling With Stuffed Toy

"I had hoped it might [go viral] because I truly felt like she was [a] one-of-a-kind kitty with a very special story, so I am glad it did," Walton told The Mirror.

Her cutie is also on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gracie Wolfcat (@graciewolfcat)

What Is a Lykoi Cat?

Glad you asked! The Lykoi cat breed is a unique looking feline with some interesting characteristics:

  • A genetic mutation is responsible for Lykois’ mangy-looking coats, and it randomly popped up in cats like Gracie for years before the breed was “founded” in 2011.

  • Up to twice a year, Lykois will shed their entire coats, so if you want one, you better have a brush and vacuum on hand.

  • While they share a resemblance with the fearsome werewolf, they’re friendly cats who can be plenty playful when they’re not wandering off on their own.

Convinced to adopt your own Lykoi? We even have a few name ideas worthy of a full moon: Remus, Oz, or, if you must, Jacob. Awooo!