Woman Adopts Rescue Kitten, Doesn't Expect What She Turns Into

A woman discovered something unexpected and hilarious about the cat she rescued as a kitten outside a coffee shop.

Kristen Ford, from Danville, Virginia, saved the imaginatively named HRH Princess Aurora Borealis, or Rory for short, from what could have been a tragic fate when she spotted her sitting alone and dazed on a sidewalk a few months ago.

"I found her at Starbucks when she was about 6 weeks old, so very, very young," Ford told Newsweek. "We believe she was dumped there because I could not locate any momma around the building or the vicinity. So I scooped her up off the pavement and took her with me."

Ford credits her husband with inventing the cat's name HRH Princess Aurora Borealis. "I love Sleeping Beauty, and her name is Aurora, and my mother suggested one to match her cat's name Thunder since they're both tuxedos. So I combined them to create her full name," Ford said.

"Aurora for the princess, and then Borealis for the northern lights! The HRH is her title, because she has established herself as the ruler of the home."

Some kittens might have been intimidated entering a new home, especially as Ford already had four other cats; two brothers, Gator and Veyron, along with two sisters, Faith and Finesse. However, Rory has more than held her own.

"She's a spicy one," Ford said. "Her favorite thing to do is play with her stuffed mice, anything paper, and terrorize her siblings. She loves cuddles with her father and is the apple of his eye."

But while Rory might be happy to "terrorize" at home, that phrase took on a whole new meaning when Ford started posting pictures of the rescue cat and her distinctive coat.

The color patterns of the average cat's coat represent something of an unsolved biological mystery, with the diversity of patterns and shapes unique in the animal kingdom.

In 2021, a study published in the scientific journal Nature saw researchers identify the gene that may be responsible for the assignment of coat patterns in cats: Dickkopf 4 or DKK4, a gene that theoretically acts as an inhibitor, causing disruptions in pigmentation.

Researchers found that varying amounts of DKK4 in the skin altered the pattern, while mutations within the DKK4 gene itself led to more pattern disruption.

It is a complex science but has proven to be the source of some pretty simple sight gags. That has certainly proven to be the case for Ford and her rescue cat Rory.

When Ford first started sharing pictures of Rory, she didn't think much of the pattern of her coat. "When I first saw her coat, I thought she resembled my mother's cat, who is also a tuxedo," Ford said. However, it was only when she began sharing pictures of Rory online that she realized what it looked like.

"A lot of people pointed out that she looked like she was wearing a balaclava, which I absolutely agree with," Ford added.

Evidently keen to get in on the fun, Ford shared a picture of Rory to Reddit that truly captured the cat's unique coat in all its glory. "Has anyone else accidentally adopted a domestic terrorist?" the caption reads. Sure enough, Rory can be seen sporting the kind of face covering you would associate with less-than-savory characters.

Reddit's cat-loving community soon seized upon the image, sharing pictures of their own cats looking similarly terrifying. On her decision to post the picture, Ford said: "I just thought the picture was absolutely adorable, and she looked like she was up to no good. Which was correct because, after the photo, she chased after Gator and tackled him, causing them to fight. "

Ford added that she was extremely surprised by the reaction to the image "but delighted that people responded so well to her." Ford said: "It all went completely to her head that she is a minor internet celebrity."

After enduring a tough start to life, HRH Princess Aurora Borealis is getting the love and attention she truly deserves.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.