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#turkishangora #aristocats #berlioz #britishshorthair #cats #chartreux #disney #duchess #fanart #felines #marie #omalley #toulouse #fantheory #annmy #catgenetics
Published: 2018-06-02 13:25:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 17870; Favourites: 422; Downloads: 24
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Remembered that I never got around to submitting these to my dA account //cough - my apologies~I was asked on tumblr to deduce the genetics of the Aristocats company, so here we are. Since this was a film with which I was familiar, it was all the easier to actually look into it hehe.
1. Duchess
- purebred Turkish Angora. Tho admittedly, I did not discover that by looking at her depiction, which to me looked more like a cartoonization of a traditional Persian, given the lack of ruff, the smallish ears, and the full rump... it was actually Iycanroc Β who did the research into the Disney concept art and found she was supposed to be an Angora, heh. Either way, at the time the Turkish Angora was a breed of status, one of the favourites among the rich.
Duchess' genetic makeup is very handy, because as an epistatic white (dominant white - one of the most popular Angora coats) she can hide whatever gene she feels like, beneath it. We'll come back to that with her kittens. Other than that, you cannot complain about her looks being too unlike the Angora of today, because as it happens, I based her on a very real photography from 1925, so there~
2. Berlioz
- solid black longhair, only thing I changed about him were his eyes, as I redid them a bright green to better go with his coat and stay realistic. Since Duchess is fully capable of carrying the black gene, there were no issues with inheritance here. Looks-wise, Berlioz takes a lot after his Angora influence, with tall ears and a triangular-ish face.
3. Toulouse
- solid (non-tabby) red shorthair, clearly the one that sticks out in the family. Now the clue here is that given the looks of the kittens, it can only mean Duchess is a tortie beneath all that white, which lent itself to make Toulouse a solid ginger, whoop. I gave him the mackerel pattern because it makes for less of a contrasty coat (which befits his movie-look) and bc it's the most common pattern on mainland Europe. As for his body, he's leaning towards semi-cobby, with a round head and smaller ears than his siblings, showcasing that he is much more like his natural father than the other two (more on him later)
4. Marie
- epistatic (dominant) white longhair, basically no changes at all. Dominant white afterall lives up to its name, so Marie has simply inherited that colour of her mother's, and as for the rest of her genetics... that's impossible to say, she could be either black-based or tortie beneath it, depending. Her physique is also much like her mother's, meaning she is more Angora than anything else, just like Berlioz.
5. O'Malley
- red classic tabby bicolour. As for breeds, his Irish name and stocky body immediately made me think of the British Shorthair, so I designed him as such. The classic pattern was also very helpful in underlining that decision, given it's much more common in the Isles than the rest of Europe, and it can give rise to really deep, reddish hues. His eyes remain yellow cuz why not, and I nicked his ear to make him look more rogueish~
6. Ex-boyfriend (theoretical)
- solid blue shorthair. I pondered a while how Duchess' former beau would look like, knowing he had to conform to how his kids came out looking, and since the film was set in the early 20th century, when we still weren't shipping breeds left and right, I thought it made much more sense for him to be of French stock - therefore I designed him as a Chartreux~ (the only accepted colour for the Chartreux is solid blue with gold-copper eyes) Now one can clearly see where Toulouse gets his looks from.Β
(c) Disney
Art: Me
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Comments: 53
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Ahhh my childhood <33 I just love seeing these characters AnnMY-ed! A different look into this movie that I had never thought of before.
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YASS this was my favorite movie as a child, and I still adore it! As a kid, I wanted to be Marie. I literally thought I was part kitten. Thank you for making my childhood look so fantastic! Β
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It's certainly interesting to see a realistic rendition of the cartoon cats. Duchess and her kits look so lovely, and little Berlioz and Toulouse are so cute. 
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Jose (Mexicali Schmoes): Dark Field Grey Ticked Tabby or Cool Field Black Ticked Tabby with green eyesΒ
Manuel (Mexicali Schmoes): Cinnamon or Pseudocinnamon (Orange) Ticked Tabby or Cinnamon self with a 40% tuxedo white spotting pattern and blue eyes
El Supremo (Daffyβs Diner): Yellowish Light Brown Field Black Ticked Tabby
Are those good guesses for these Speedy Gonzales cartoon Looney Tunes catβs fur colorations and patterns?
What is your take on their fur pattern, coloration, and length?
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I daresay they are, considering the placement of their series shorthairs would seem more logical - I guess ticking is as good a pattern as any, tho if you ever feel it's in any way unnatural for the characters of unfitting, normal mackerel tabbies would suffice just as well. Their dusty-not-too-saturated coats too reflect reality, as we're talking randombred moggies here, and also play nicely with the Mexican setting. The ticked bicolour's eyes could still be blue too, which would at the very least add some eye colour diversity. Cinnamon did come to the American continent together with the shipped Siamese (most likely) back when the oriental cats were the most superbly popular so that too could work.Β
I admit to knowing very, very little about these characters, but I guess this'd be a good realistic alternative in any case.
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I was thinking about the appearance of Si and Am in Lady and the Tramp (takes place in 1910s New England USA). They appear rather lean-legged, slant-eyed, large-eared, and wedge headed like the modern Siamese, but their muzzles and facial profiles are more like a nonpurebred in length and shape and their torsos are more that of a slim (semi-foreign) leaning nonpurebred. Iβve heard that the various different cat breeds looked rather moderate back in the 1900s and 1910s.
Lady and The Tramp is Disneyβs first fully original animated movie and made in 1955, the same year that Disneyland Park opened in Anaheim. Maybe cat breeders were starting to breed their cats (Persians, Siamese, e.t.c.) with more extreme features and body shapes and types in the 1950s and 1960s, so there wouldnβt be as extreme a look as there would be now, assuming that Si and Am are indeed purebred Siamese instead of seal or chocolate point nonpurebred cats.Β
So, what would you think that a historically accurate, genetically realistic Si and Am look like?
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Hmm, good question, actually.Β
The extreme breeds were probably being shaped from the 50s onward, considering history was finally done with economical messes and world war people had time again for their hobbies... so yeah Si and Am are probably portrayed as purebred Siamese, but are based on their more modern-bred feature. While I'm not certain how far along the extreme Siamese program was in the mid-50s, I sure as heck now that the breed didn't look like that at all around the change of the century.Β
Going by the idea of Si and Am being purebred Siamese a la 1900-10, they should be far rounder - limbs not as long, body not as skinny, not as triangular a face. To be fair, they'd be more similar to any non-purebred colourpoint I guess, a slenderer version of the Shorthairs. Roundish heads, rounder eyes, rounder paws even. To simplify it, I guess one could look to the Thai Cat breed, as their breed standard of today is as close to the old-style Siamese as you can get.
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Figaro (Pictured as an adult)
Gideon
Some canon pictures for Figaro (Disneyβs Pinocchio) make him look like he is going to grow up to be a shorthair and some make him look like he is going to be a mediumhair or semilonghair.
What would you think that a genetically realistic Figaro would look like?
Also, Gideon (also Disneyβs Pinocchio) is a shorthair, but has cheek tufts that would be far more common on a semilonghair or longhair.Β
How owe would you imagine genetically realistic Gideonβs fur length to be?
Also, would you consider Gideon a chocolate ticked tabby or a cinnamon ticked tabby?
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From what I remember of Figaro from the film (not much I admit, because for some reason the only film version of Pinocchio I owned growing up was that rather disturbing live action one...) I think medium-shorthair would fit him well, give him reason for those tufty, full cheek fluffs and the almost-fluffy tail. Reminds me kinda of my own cat, and he too I guess counts as a medium-short (his ma was longhair) The only differences I could envision for Figaro would be either more white up his legs, or less white on his face. The whole white face makes it seem somewhat unlikely that he should only have white booties, so if at least his hind legs had white reaching further up the flank I guess there'd be more balance in his design.
Breed-wise I guess Figaro could count just as well as a regular moggie, if we're gonna get technical about it maybe Aegan x Turkish Angora/Van mix - the former would explain his short fur (and they're plentiful in the Mediterranean) and the Turkish breeds are rather the closest longhair breeds around setting-wise, and by some seen as the probable source of all longhairs in Europe actually.
Gideon I admit I had forgotten completely oups but hmm, perhaps just for diversity's sake he could be a medium-long - his cheek fluff is fuller than Figaro's even if the rest of his body reflects short hair. Colourwise I can see why you'd hesitate between cinnamon and chocolate, but I guess you've reason to choose both; cinnamons are more common in ticked breeds, whereas chocolate tickeds have yet to achieve the same popularity - yet Gideon's colours could just as well reflect choco as it does the former. I daresay it depends on viewer preferences, however I think I would have gone with cinnamon personally.
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However, every subsequent appearance of Figaro the kitten completely ignores his Italian nationality and makes him American instead, though given that he still keeps the Italian name, he could be Italian-American in those works. This is similar to how Willie the Giant (a giant human) in his first appearance in Fun and Fancy Free is of an antagonist role to Mickey Mouse (a giant mouse), Donald Duck (a duck), and Goofy (an anthropomorphic dog), but he never has that role in subsequent appearances.
What is your take on a genetically realistic version of the Figaro in all the subsequent adaptations that he appears in?
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I was just thinking about this, and then I see this. It's beautiful and suits the characters well. (I would not have picked Duchess as a Angora, I saw her as a pure white ragdoll or a as a stretch a very pale Birman, but I like your research into the character. I wish her art in the movie made her more indefinable as her true breed). I loved how you thought of the time-period and popular breeds of the upper class for Duchess' ex, and someone who could contribute to his kittens designs. I am curious, what made you decide he was a different breed to Duchess, since I thought the upper class would have preferred purebreds?Β
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Thank you very much, it makes me really happy to hear! It was a bit of a challenge, having to take into account time periods, at-the-time breed standards and popularity; but as for Duchess' ex, it was actually her kittens which made me go for a different breed. At the time, the most sought-after Angora colouration was the solid white (it's still among the most popular today) so it would have made more sense that if Duchess was actually bred with a purpose, her mate would've been a white himself. Now that's no guarantee you won't get other-coloured kittens, so technically their colourations are possible, however one issue remained; that of Toulouse's very non-Angora body type. He looked much too removed from the rest of his family looks-wise that he could be the result of a purebred union. In other words, I had to find myself a non-Angora dad for him~
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This is one of my favourite movies! My niece's too - she loves cats so much, and thanks to my habit of meowing back at cats, she has started doing that too XD Amber, the ginger kitty I mentioned in a precious deviation of yours, is my niece's suck. She's to my niece as George was to me, it seems.
I love how the genetics manage to play out so well here! Makes me wonder if the people behind this movie did a lot of research (with some design changes just to make the characters aesthetically pleasing). I wonder what adorable babies O'Malley and Duchess would have together. Lots of torties and reds, of course.
Do you have any references for how cat body genetics work, if you don't mind my asking? I've been trying to find anything online, but I can't seem to. Are body genetics (oriental, semi-cobby, long face, flat face, round eyes, almond eyes, etc) sort of a 50/50 thing between parents, or are some types dominant to others? Stuff like this is one reason why I avoid trying to learn dog genetics XD They just seem too diverse to be able to learn it all (even though I would love to look into the genetic makeup of my dog. There's just... too much with dogs lol).
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Aww, don't we all love it when we meow at the cats, and they meow back? Granted mine cries like a baby with or without encouragement but the feelings are mostly the same. x3
Thank you very much! Well, unless I see it black on white, I doubt a lot of research went into the creation of these kitties, but you never know~ Yeah a lot of people I notice wonder about the union of our leading pair and their babies, but your theory sounds solid enough - tortie/red girls, black boys, and the odd white most likely. ;w;
Yeah no, that's... I have charts over the different body types and breed standards, but as for their inheritance, I think it's too intricate - there are loads of both big and itty-bitty small genes going into the pot to create the different bodies and mutations, most of them have been fine-tuned over generations. I suppose rather than a clear-cut 50/50, mixed offspring will usually just be a less "extreme" version of their parents, a sort of messy middle-ground, not quite so triangular heads, not quite so stocky, etc.
(Heh yeah my friend Laika has been looking into dog genetics so she's got a pretty firm grip on the basics now and I'm as impressed every time~)
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Yeah, I've met some cats who meow no matter what. Most I've met and know only meow back when I do though. Then there's the rare cat that looks at me like I've grown eyes on my neck XD "Did... did that human just speak to me?" I imagine is what they think
Oh jeez, I'm not surprised haha it makes sense though that they'd be a sort of mix, never really being as dramatic as their parents may be.
I've thought about looking into the basics of dog genetics - when I was in the 6th grade I started working on this story of stray/wild dogs that lived in large packs, but being just a kid I completely ignored any genetics. I've wanted to go back and try doing genetics, but then I think of all the dog types out there... Maybe one day I'll look into the basics and ignore the more extreme things, like short-legged dogs, tiny dogs, dogs with long spines, dogs with sloping backs, etc... My dog is a mix between a solid white HuskyXSamoyed female and a grey sable GSD male. The female had thick fur like the typical husky, while the dad is very smooth-coated (dad has yellow eyes, mom has brown). All of my guy's brothers are some mix of black and tan, with bits of white here and there. The oldest is very large (like his Husky granddad) with a more droopy face and ears that don't stay completely pointed up, and predominantly black with thick, messy-looking fur. Then the two middle bros look like typical lean GSDs with the typical tan and black saddle (one is more reddish than the other). Then there's my boy. Only 65lbs, so about the size of a male Samoyed (the smallest of his elder brothers was over 75 lbs), with fur that is smooth but also thick, and fluffs up around his neck so he almost looks like a small lion. He's a brown-ish grey and black, with white undersides and chocolate brown eyes. He could almost pass for a dog-wolf (or dog-coyote) hybrid based on his more wild-looking colouration. At least, I think so. I've always wanted to look into why he came out so different. I don't think any pups from the litter before him were grey either (all some mix of brown or tan with black).
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This movie was my childhood; I watched it so many times... SO many times. I turned it on again years later, and was amused/disgruntled to find out that while I remember just about every word, and every song...my voice doesn't go that high! I can't do Marie's part anymore...
And thank you, thank you for doing the genetics on this. Years ago I jumped all over someone who was saying something like, "Wow, Duchess sure got around", to defend her honor - yeah, it was silly. But I knew multicolored kittens didn't mean multiple fathers (which can happen with cats, but it's not common). The father's beautiful too, and I love how you not only found a breed and color that would work, genetically, but even a French breed! Perfect!
I love these redesigns. Actually, if anyone had asked me, I'd have said "Angora" for Duchess straightaway; Persians have flat noses, they're the cat equivalent of a bulldog (and have similar breathing problems, poor babies). And in retrospect, I feel sorry for whoever was responsible for keeping that bow on Marie's head, but this is Disney, and logic like that need not apply.
If Disney decide to remake "Aristocats" into something liveaction/CGI (insert screaming rant about "The Lion King") I hope they take as much care as you have!
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You're very welcome, thank you! Yeah it's classic, the normal working person doesn't know a whole lot about the abilities of the tricolour cats and even less about colour domination, so it makes sense the average, no-genetics-knowledge person would reason that Duchess took a lot of boyfriends heh - humourous how the only thing they know for certain is that multiple fathers is a possibility, but are clueless about the rest. x3 I'm really pleased you like the father, I took a lot of time to decide upon him because he had to be like, in the spirit of the movie~ And ofc French it must be, since none of the other major cast were of French stock, it would feel like a letdown if I didn't.
Hmm, well the only flaw with that theory is that the Persian cat of 1910 doesn't look at all like the modern, extremely flat-faced Persian. See this;Β i.pinimg.com/564x/95/77/d9/957β¦
That's an early 20th century white Persian. Note the lack of a flat muzzle? It was only later, when people became more knowledgeable of mutations, noticing that the Persians had this tendency for a flatter face, and probably because they wanted a cat breed similar to that of bulldogs etc, that the breeders started changing them about. Unfortunately at the time, mutations were so much a trend that the health issues they brought with them went ignored in their entirety. So yep, I was really confused about Duchess' supposed breed cuz when you compare the 1910 Persian with the Angora, they're so similar in shape it's uncanny.Β
Heh well if it's any comfort, even managing to draw that bow of Marie's was really hard, sheesh. xD
Omg you flatter me, thanks again! <3
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You're certainly doing your part to educate the world, and I do appreciate that you're doing it!
I'd forgotten that the flat-faced Persian was comparatively new... I haven't read up on my cat breeds in a while, as you can probably tell. But that's fascinating! And I wish breeders had been more responsible with what they selected for (not that they are now). My mom has a pair of cross-eyed Siamese cats, legacy of that age of experimentation.
It is nicely thematic that the father is a French breed..."The Aristocats" seems to be that rare animated film Disney never made a sequel to, but I'm sure "The Aristocats 2" would have involved him somehow.
By the way, if you ever get completely fed-up with the Erins but still want to read some semi-fantasy feral cats written much, much better, Nilanjana Roy's "The Wildings" and "The Hundred Names of Darkness" are completely charming but with all the understanding of cat behavior that "Warriors" lacks. Just thought I'd mention it.
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Thank you. ^^
Yeah believe me I'd almost forgotten myself, my first Duchess sketch had her looking completely like today's Turkish Angoras, and well... once I actually reminded myself to go look for early 20th century references, I had to wipe that one. But Ikr?? It's always been fashion first and health issues second with our breeders, I guess when you don't know nothing about the breathing issues or the eyes getting runny there's no stopping you... although these days, we certainly cannot claim ignorance anymore. Ah, classic Siamese flaw indeed, it's a real shame things are allowed to go that far. I've never had purebreds myself, but my former tom had a lot of NFC going on in his bloodline so he suffered from bladder stones more than your average fixed lad. (it's an issue of bottlenecking, the NFC foundation was almost wiped out after WW2 so their gene pool is still very reduced)
I'm glad hehe, but yeah if they had gotten one of those sequels, I wish we could've had a glimpse of their presumed natural dad yeah, if only in the prologue or something.
Hmm, I'll note em down just in case, thank you~ uvo
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Aristocats was my favoruite movie when I was younger 
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Thank you very much!
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Ooh, I think this is a great idea. And I love how I can still tell which characters they are and yet your style is amazing and unique as always!
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Aah thank you very much that's awesome to hear!
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Thank you very much!
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Did you consider doing the kitten from Oliver and Company?
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No actually, I never got any questions about Oliver and co. there's something to think about~
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Yeah. You should do other classic felines. I can't think of many right now though.
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I'll have to think about it.
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OMG they're back! And now my day has gotten a little brighter.
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You're welcome!
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I would love to see some fan babies between her and OβMalley, but looking over the descriptions again...you caught my attention. So in 1925, the Turkish Angora was a different looking cat than the feline we see today? I got to admit...I kind of like this old-fashion Angora. She does kind of look like your other angora cats, seems to be a little more evenly coated.
They are all so good and the kittens are so cute...I kind of hope you can do something like this with a few cats from Felidae because OMG those movie designs made me cringe.
You know, it would be fun to look into OβMalleyβs history. Especially if he came from England instead of being a native French cat. Was he born on a farm? Hitched a ride on a boat where he caught rats to earn his keep? How did he get to know those alley cats and came to be highly respected?
I wanna read something like that now.
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Hehe yeah I daresay a lot of people would be excited for their babies~
Yeah, the old-fashioned Angora was a lot more... common, in terms of its looks, not such a distinct, almost-Oriental body type, nor the short ruff that is their trademark today, and so on. But they're still a natural breed tho, so not too much has been changed. Or, well, if you compare the history of the Angora with that of the Siamese, you'll find the changes are nearly nonexistent compared haha.
Thank you~ Heh oh god don't remind me there is so much weird going on in Felidae's designs I hardly know where to start...
Aye I've kinda pondered the same thing, he struck me as something of a vagabond so maybe he's travelled far'n wide~ Farm cat, city cat, or maybe he was born on the British Isles, but was "hired" as a mouser on a cargo/trade ship crossing the English Channel? He could've popped down on the French docks and decided he wanted adventure instead.
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Kind of a shame the movie is so underrated, really only Marie holds public attention if merchandise from the Disney stores and parks is anything to go by. Her brothers had their own charm and so did Duchess and OβMalley. Oh well, at least we were not graced by a sequel that probably would have been subpar like many turned out to be.
Weird yes, but I suppose they can be excused when you watch it a second time. I actually had an idea for a Felidae x Warrior Cat crossover...you have a kitten born with the ideal looks and she ends up joining Pascal and takes over when he dies...but I donβt get what those looks can be translated into. It looks like gold chinchilla or something, but gold eyesβ¦
that all makes sense 
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I wonder what Duchess' ex-boyfriend's name was.
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Same here lol, probably a suave French-something name~ uvo
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That makes sense. I've also seen two other theories: One, Duchess' boyfriend died before she had her kittens (hence why the kittens don't remember their dad), or two, Duchess was sent off to a breeder and the tom was not supposed to be involved in the kittens' life in the first place.
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Hmm, well I can see that first theory as being very useful, considering the kittens don't remember their natural dad at all - the second theory has a bit of a flaw tho, I mean if Duchess was sent to a breeder/cattery to be bred, then it makes no sense that her kittens came out looking like moggies, well unless she managed to sneak around the breeders and get outside to flirt haha.
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I have seen a fanfiction story that is about Duchess, a cattery and her sneaking out when no one's looking.Β www.fanfiction.net/s/776783/1/β¦
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