Clementine, a 2-year-old black British Shorthair cat living in London, has amazed the internet thanks to one particularly rare feature—her striking orange eyes.
In a video on TikTok, the black cat gained serious attention with more than 9 million views.
Clementine lives with her owner, Rachel, and her partner, who initially adopted her alongside her sister, Cecilia, a blue British shorthair, after discovering the pair on Instagram.
Rachel, who didn’t give a surname, said that Clementine’s natural eye color has sparked fascination online, with some viewers even questioning whether the striking orange hue is the result of a filter or a health condition.
@clementinemeows/TikTok
“Clementine’s orange eyes are completely natural,” Rachel told Newsweek. “There’s been a lot of speculation in the comments, but I can assure you that her eyes are healthy. Both Cecilia and Clementine have very strong orange eye genes, and her eyes pop even more against her black fur.”
Clementine’s orange eyes are a rare feature in the feline world, typically seen in shades of vivid orange or amber, and are much less common compared to more familiar colors like green or yellow.
But Clementine’s appearance hasn’t always worked in her favor. In fact, it is the reason she was the last to be chosen from her litter, partly due to superstitions surrounding black cats and a preference for blue British shorthairs.
“We fell in love with both Clementine and Cecilia as we wanted them to stay together. We didn’t choose Clementine specifically for her eyes, but they’re certainly a stunning feature,” said Rachel.
@clementinemeows/TikTok
What started as a simple way to share videos of Clementine on TikTok has since grown for Rachel and her family as the cat gains more and more attention. “I had so many videos of Clementine and eventually gave in to putting them on TikTok. To my surprise, within a month, we had our first viral video reaching 3 million views,” Rachel explained. Today, Clementine’s TikTok account boasts over 100,000 followers.
Online she has been dubbed “the most autumnal cat I’ve ever seen,” “the Halloween cat” and “the autumn cat” by her fans.
“It’s been amazing to see the global response, especially from U.S. fans. The cat community has been incredibly supportive, and it’s so fun to see people’s comments,” Rachel said, delighted that so many people see the beauty she sees in her cat.
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