An Interview With Venus, The Two Face Cat!

Brought to you by Litter Genie 

Venus The Two Faced Cat - @venustwofacecat

1. Venus, our readers would love to know your story and background?

I was born as a stray on a dairy farm in North Carolina in 2009.  My human mama saw me for the first time when a friend of hers who lived there posted pictures of my siblings and I because they thought we were cute.  Mama said I caught her eye because of my split face.  Even though they weren't looking to add another kitty to the family she wanted to adopt me because I looked like I could be the daughter of the two cats they already had.  When she saw the next picture, which was a close-up and noticed that my eyes were different colors, she knew I was very special.  I moved to Florida with them just a couple weeks after she first saw my picture.

2. What was the moment you became truly Insta-famous?

Mama loves to tell this story.  She never tried or intended to make me famous.  In fact, when I was a kitten, her camera broke and phones took terrible pictures back then.  They didn't replace the camera for a while so she doesn't have that many pictures of me as a kitten.  She says if she ever had intentions of making me famous she would've replaced that camera right away and made sure she had hundreds of photos of me as a kitten.

In 2012, a teenager named Zoe found my photo on her mom's Facebook account and was so amazed that I was real and not “photoshopped,” that she posted my kitten picture on Imgur/Reddit.  That night, the picture got over a million views and over the next couple days, very popular Facebook pages started posting the picture too.  That's when mama's friend told her that she was seeing me all over the internet.  Mama was so surprised.  She didn't spend too much time on Facebook so she hadn't seen it.  When she looked at the links her friend sent her she was shocked at how many pages and websites shared my picture.  She was also surprised that most people refused to believe that the photo wasn't altered.  Because of that, mama started a YouTube Channel and posted a video just to show people I was real, and this video quickly went viral. 

Mama wasn't really prepared for all the attention but quickly realized this was trending bigger and bigger so she decided to make me a Facebook page so she could post more pictures and videos of me for people who needed more proof that I was real.  Because she had recently gotten into supporting animal rescues, she figured she could use this fan base to help animals in need and she was right.  We've been able to raise money for rescues, give exposure to adoptable cats and help them find homes, build awareness for TNR (trap, neuter, return) to help control pet overpopulation, and educate people about things that could help them and their pets.  With over 2.6 million fans between Facebook and Instagram we have made a big difference in people's lives and in the lives of their pets in various ways, which really makes us feel great!

3. What does a day in the life of an Insta-famous cat look like?

Oh Goodness!  Since I was spoiled from the day I came to live with my humans in 2009, my life hasn’t really changed that much.  I'm a ham for the camera and love being photographed because I get treats when mama takes pictures for certain projects.  Most of the time mama takes photos in natural light and with no flash so I don’t even notice.  Once or twice a year mama might take me somewhere exciting to meet new people for a good cause, but not too often because she thinks of me as her fur baby first and celebrity second.  If we're invited to a place she thinks will upset me or scare me she just says ‘no, thank you.’

4. If you don’t mind us asking, what’s the reason for your striking colored fur and eyes?

Nobody really knows for sure.  There are several theories.  Having the fur split down the middle isn't too unusual but the thing that scientists and veterinary specialists can't answer is why I have one blue eye.  Blue eyes are usually only seen in cats with a lot of white fur.  According to many who have given their professional opinion, I don't have enough white fur on my coat for a blue eye to be present (I hardly have any white fur).  One thing people may not know is I have all white whiskers on my orange side except one single black one, and all black whiskers on my black side except one single white whisker.  I know! Funny, right?  Also, the line that splits my fur color goes from the top of my head all the way down under my chin to my collar.  My paws (tops and bottoms) are split as well, and some of my paw pads (toe beans) are pink on the orange side and black on the black side. We even discovered through a picture where I was yawning that my gums are two different colors too.  Mama says I'm like two different puzzles whose pieces fit together perfectly.

5. What’s your at-home pet peeve? (Excuse the pun)

Cleanliness for me is very important.  I keep myself clean and I like my home to be clean and smell fresh.  We foster cats and kittens at home and with all of us in the house, let’s just say it can get messy, especially with the scoopable litter boxes.

To keep the home smelling good, mama uses the Litter Genie, which locks in the worst of litter odors.  Since the @LitterGenie pail can hold up to two weeks of my ‘stuff’, it cuts down on emptying the trash and leaves mama more time to snuggle with me – always a plus! On top of it, the Litter Genie Refills last up to two months for one cat, so mama doesn’t have to spend a lot of money to keep the house smelling clean and fresh, and can afford to buy me more treats.

If you aren't already following this beautiful girl, check out Venus The Two Faced Cat on Instagram and Facebook!