I dare to drink your milk! ‘Vampire cat’ Toivo looks exactly like a furry Dracula
- You see how the creepy cat scares his housemates just in time for Halloween
A ‘vampire cat’ from Finland has been caught on camera baring its teeth like a furry Dracula.
He sees the five-year-old Oriental Shorthair Toivo posing next to a pumpkin and scaring his housemates with his jet-black fur and piercing golden eyes.
He is also photographed with his friends Hannu, four, a ticked tabby, and Marsel, one, a white oriental shorthair.
Owner Tuomas Ikonen, 43, said: ‘Most of the time people find Toivo funny or weird. They say he looks more like a bat or lizard than a cat. I agree with that.
‘We have always been fascinated by black cats and their mysterious appearance, especially oriental cats. Everything that makes a cat a cat is turned up to 11 in Orientals.
The five-year-old Oriental Shorthair Toivo can scare his housemates with his jet black coat and piercing golden eyes
Toivo bares his teeth for the camera
Toivo strikes his best Halloween pose
‘More than 10 years ago we got our first black oriental cat. Unfortunately, he passed away when he was seven years old, and then we got Toivo.”
Tuomas revealed that despite Tovio’s potentially surprising appearance, the cat is the calmest of the group.
He added: “Each of them has their own personality. Toivo has a very loud voice and he’s not afraid to use it – he sounds like an out-of-tune falsetto opera singer.
‘He looks like a cool panther-bat hybrid, but he is the most calm and cuddly cat. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“Our daughter carries him around the house and he doesn’t mind, he enjoys the attention.”
Toivo with his friend Hannu, four, a ticked tabby
Toivo is standing next to a pumpkin
Toivo and his friends
Toivo has a cute pose at home
Toivo and Marsel, one, also an Oriental Shorthair
Toivo throws a mean pose
The proud cat owner then shared his advice for anyone considering buying a cat in October, vampire or not.
He explained, “If you buy a cat, prepare to care for it for the next fifteen to twenty years. Don’t get a cat if you’re not willing to. Oriental cats in particular need more affection from people. They are very noisy and if they get sick it can cost a lot to treat them at a vet.
‘Oriental cats are very social; they don’t like to be alone. I wouldn’t get an oriental cat as my only cat as they need the companion of their own kind.
‘Don’t take cats from kitten mills. Get them from respectable and responsible breeders or from a cat shelter. Pure breed cats should always come with registration papers and health certificates.
“If you get a cat from the shelter, consider getting a black cat. They have the highest euthanasia rate and the lowest adoption rate because of the stigma of their skin color.”
Toivo poses against a blood-red background
Toivo lazes on the couch
Toivo and his friends look menacingly at the camera in the run-up to Halloween
Toivo strikes a creepy pose
Toivo on the grass. His owner described him as a ‘badass panther-bat hybrid’