Half-cat: Myth or Mutation?
Is the half-cat a product of photo-editing or a genetic mutation? At least one person, a scientist, believed that it is a mutation and wrote a book about it. He died in a fall from a cliff. The manuscript of his book on the half-cat was in his rucksack. The book is to be published.
The existence of the half-cat as a genetic mutation is not plausible. I will state, right away, that the half-cat is a product of the desire of some people to believe in mystical creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti and UFOs. There is a long history that goes back to stone age man that is still with us, of a desire to believe in the mystical and spiritual. It is akin to a religion and has similar qualities to a religion. It does not surprise me that someone has come up with a mystical cat considering the popularity of the internet cat.
There is a famous picture of a half-cat. At one time it was believed to have been a Google Streetview image error. It is, in fact, a product of photo-editing or manipulation – Photoshopping.
This is the finished picture and the original side by side:
Half-cat created by photo-editing
Here is a video that tells the story in a deadpan way:
The scientist who believed in half-cats was Erwin Hobbes. He collected photographic evidence of its existence. There is a photo of a half-cat skeleton that Mr Hobbes actually saw. It looks convincing (see below).
Here are two more photos:
As is commonplace for all mystical super-animals no one ever sees one in real life. It is all built around photos, faith and belief. At the end of the video the presenter is seen wandering around a park looking for a half-cat. It seems absurd. It looks like a spoof video. Perhaps the whole video is a spoof but it was made to raise money to publish Hobbes’s book. That is the declared reason, anyway.
The video is on a website called Kickstarter, a place where people can try and raise money to get a project off the ground.
Genetic mutations in cats are not unusual. A cat breed such as the well known hairless Sphynx is the result of a genetic mutation. These are small anatomical variations from the norm. They are mistakes in copying genes. As mentioned, it is totally implausible for a genetic mutation to result in non-production of half a cat in the womb and for the cat to function normally when born.
The nearest example is the Manx cat with spinal abnormalities resulting in no tail. The genetic mutation that causes this can also cause severe health problems. On a practical level a half-cat would not be able to function and would have massive health issues.
What do you think?
My thanks to DW for finding this story for me.