This cat’s striking beauty is something to marvel at. These “two-faced” cats are called chimeras (pronounced ki-mare-ah).

It means they have two sets of DNA that have fused together. Basically, it’s a set of fraternal twins that have fused into one cat before birth!

If you think that sounds like something out of a fantasy novel – same. But they’re very real.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwSccbsgdG3/

But not all chimeras look “two-faced”, and they’re not as rare as you would expect. Most male tortoiseshell cats are actually chimeras.

It’s just not expressed quite as distinctly as cats like Quimera here.

She’s two-faced… but in a good way!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-aQuCSn0Wc/

Many other chimeras go about their lives without anyone realizing that they actually carry two sets of DNA, because the distinction is so slight. Sometimes they will have slightly different colored eyes or different-colored hair.

But for stunning cats like this one, you can tell right away! This cat is more beautiful than most humans I’ve seen.

I would die for two different colored eyes!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_mkfpgz7K/

Quimera’s distinctively separated orange and black fur coat is a clear sign that she has an extra X chromosome.

She is both an orange tabby with a golden eye, as well as a black cat with a piercing blue eye all at once!

A straight line separates her face clearly in two.

Though she is not totally orange on the right and black on the left throughout her whole body, but the divide does continue past her face.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Btck7XdA1Av/

Imagine being this beautiful and not even knowing it.

Or do you think she looks in the mirror and realizes she’s not like the other cats? Do you think they’ve told her she looks strange?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNZOcH7gwP6

She’s a Spanish cat, and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her owners are obsessed with her (okay, we all are) and take tons of adorable photos of her in her daily cat life.

She has another chimera sibling who also lives with her, but that cat doesn’t have quite the same look.

Though, similar!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8h0VjanG6Y/

It’s rare for chimeras to look quite as striking and distinctly divided as Quimera. Her unique look has gained her almost 100,000 followers on Instagram.

She has been sent some fan art from some very talented people, and someone even got a special Quimera tattoo!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BL5B-G_APIt/

She certainly has some loyal fans.

You can follow her here to keep up with what she’s up to. Spoiler alert: it’s usually just napping, lounging, and finding weird places to fit into… just like any other cat!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSJiKaBn3U/

This interesting chimera feature isn’t exclusive to cats. You can find dogs, other animals and even humans with this genetic anomaly.

If you’re at all familiar with Greek mythology, you might have heard of a chimera used in a very different context. A fire-breathing monster!

Homer’s Iliad describes a chimera as a beast with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. Yikes!

So definitely not as cute as our furry little kitten friend here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLyvaa1AwpR/

But luckily, those terrifying monsters are not real, and the feline chimera is a creature we can cuddle.

I think I like it better this way.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Meowingtons, Instagram/Gataquimera, Mythology.net