ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUELY BEAUTIFUL CATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA -‘ATCHOUM THE CAT’
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Move over Shania Twain and Justin Bieber, Canada has a new star in town! This time though, he’s a furry little guy, with big yellow eyes, weighing in at only 9 pounds and a whole lot of fluff. His name is Atchoum The Cat. A very unique, yet beautiful Persian cat with the condition Hypertrichosis, which causes his hair and claws to keep growing. With his adorable, handsome looks, Atchoum has become quite the internet sensation with already 269 K followers on Instagram and 113 K on Facebook. We recently caught up with this 3 year old little gem and his owner Nathalie, to find out more about his condition and (wait for it)…his adorable new 2018 calendar -yes you heard it right!
Here is what they had to share with us:
It is such a pleasure meeting you Nathalie and your beautiful cat Atchoum. Tell us about when you first got him and a little more about his condition:
When I was working as a groomer, Atchoum was given to a veterinary colleague as a gift — but we soon realized he had a special condition. Atchoum’s father was also suffering from hypertrichosis but at that time, no one knew what the cause was of their conditions. As Atchoum already had a deficient dentition, he only had a few teeth that were already very damaged and he had very porous, huge non-retractable thick claws. We already knew we had a kitten who had reserved us with some surprises. It was unfortunate, but necessary for the veterinarian to declaw the kitten because the claws were growing quickly and getting dangerously close to his cushions -which would have made him unable to walk normally. I hosted the kitten during the long weekend (holiday) following his surgery. I fell in love and I gave him his name and my colleague was never able to recover Atchoum again! To this day she still likes to tease me about it!
I understand he is a Persian cat and started with short hair. When did you start to notice his hair was growing quite a lot?
The vet and I did some research because even at 8 weeks, Atchoum had a small nose full of hair. Since Atchoum’s father was shaved from head to toe, it was hard for us to see what he would look like and there was no documentation in the books that talked about this condition in cats. The appearance of Atchoum really begun to change around 12 weeks.
What is one of your favorite characteristics that Atchoum has and why?
Atchoum is very funny when he runs in the house — he makes a sound similar to the cooing of a pigeon and acts more like a dog than a cat. He’s a real little clown and is always around us to get all the attention. He thinks
he’s the king and I think I’ve been falling for it — his facial expressions are the secret to getting our full attention. It is particularly evident in the photos on his social media accounts which are a reflection of his personality — the look right in his eyes and his funny mimics. We often compare him to a used car salesman, he could sell us a camel-like means of transport for the North Pole!
Is there a special routine you have to use for his grooming?
Atchoum gets groomed about 3 to 4 times a day. I like the style “Bad Hair Day” and he’s the best cat for grooming. Everything starts early in the morning, because the night wreaks havoc in the face of Atchoum. Since I’m retired,
I continue with the routine throughout the day and Atchoum loves to be pampered with his favorite comb for his beauty session.
What are some of the projects Atchoum has going on right now? He has a calendar which is adorable, tell
us about that:
People write to me and tell me how much Atchoum makes them smile with his photos and posts. I said to myself, that he could be in each of their houses all year long by creating his very own calendar.
You also have 2 other cats, how do they all get along?
Atchoum is unfortunately not tolerated when he is too close to the other cats. Imagine a grandpa with a huge beard who gives you kisses, you would surely wince. Some of Atchoum’s whiskers grow very fast and forward, which can be disturbing for the other cats. The sisters of Atchoum prefer distant relations!
Atchoum has a huge following on Instagram as well as a lot of wonderful art work that fans draw and send to you guys. Tell us more about that.
I love to encourage young artists by publishing their art work. They are the relief and I like to see through their eyes how they perceive Atchoum. Many people find Atchoum very ugly and scary — but through art he becomes a rather fantastic character and people can finally see what I perceived of him from the very beginning — A beautiful creature who only wants to be loved!
Thank you so much for your time Nathalie and of course Atchoum -the most gorgeous cat on the planet :)))
To order your very own Atchoum The Cat calendar go to:
