The life of renowned environmental journalist, Hanti Schrader came to an unexpected​ end on Friday, July 15. Here is the first of the last two stories she wrote for Africa InTouch News. On behalf of all our animal friends we thank her for the work she did during her journey on earth.
Rest in Peace Hanti.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa.  A rather unique looking kitten in Cape Town has just been identified as the 35th known mutation in the world of a werewolf cat, also called a Lykoi.  It took veterinarians at The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS) in the city a little more than a year to make this breakthrough.

Photo supplied by TEARS  

TEARS stumbled upon this little creature, which looked quite different from all the other kittens in a stray feral cat's litter.  According to Mandy Store, the operations manager, the kitten was discovered last year in March by volunteers.

“While coming to the aid of a stray tabby cat and her litter of six kittens born in a bush in a Cape Town park, they discovered one of the babies was not at all like the others. We consulted with veterinarian Dr Johnny Gobble from the United States, who specializes in this breed. He confirmed that little Eyona represents the 35th known natural occurrence of this mutation worldwide.”

Photo supplied by TEARS  

This mutation was first identified in 2010  after which Gobble started with a breeding programme of these Lykoi cats.  “But what makes our little one so special is that it's apparently not something he has inherited.”

The Lykoi breed was listed in The International Cat Association breeders (TICA) in 2011 and currently falls in the  Advanced New Breed category.

TEARS has named this little treasure Eyona, which is a Xhosa name that means “the one”.  

Eyona's physical appearance is certainly striking, increasingly so as his hair becomes thinner with time, but this is not the only thing that makes him distinct. Apart from the fact that they look a bit like dogs, Lykoi cats tend to behave more like them too, and Eyona is no exception.

"He has the looks he of a wolf, but the physique of a cat," Store added. "We thought he might be a sphinx crossbreed, but he has quite a few other physical features that distinguishes him from cats. He's quite incredible."

Dr Gobble added, “The little Lykoi at TEARS in South Africa, is the first natural mutation in South Africa that has been reported to me.”  Gobble added that a distinction must always be made between naturally occurring Lykoi from feral cat populations and those that are the result of breeding programmes. Gobble, who is fascinated by rare breeds and genetics, was the first breeder of Lykoi in the world.

He said, “These odd-ball cats were at first thought to have the Sphinx or Devon Rex cat gene, but have since been found to be a completely new species."
Gobble and TEARS hope that the Lykoi cat breed will be admitted to the Championship category at TICA in August this year.

Written by Hanti Schrader for Ama'Zone Media Solutions t/a Africa InTouch
Sub Editor: Letter Linguist