Sophie Jenkin, a 32-year-old admin worker at a GP surgery in Penzance, Cornwall, was left in stitches after her two-year-old tabby cat, Wilbur, returned home dyed bright blue earlier this week. Initially fearing that local children might have mistreated the animal, Jenkin posted a picture on Facebook, which quickly solved the mystery.
The Discovery
Jenkin, who lives in Heamoor, said she couldn't stop laughing when Wilbur, who was initially thought to be male but is actually female, appeared with a cyan hue. “I haven't stopped laughing since Wilbur came home blue,” she said. “Wilbur is actually a girl but we thought it was a boy so we named her Wilbur. But it's a girl and it's now blue.”
Facebook Solves the Mystery
After sharing the photo on a community Facebook page, a neighbour, Hollie Jenkinson, identified the source. Jenkinson had hosted a gender reveal party in her garden, using blue corn starch in footballs. “We thought that it would be a great idea to do a gender reveal for our children in our garden which consisted of the children kicking footballs containing blue corn starch,” Jenkinson explained. “A few hours later I received a message from a family member with a screenshot from a Heamoor community page where a woman, who turned out to be one of my neighbors, and she was asking why her cat was blue. I immediately burst into laughter when I realised that her cat must have been rolling around in the leftover cornstarch in my garden.”
Relief and Laughter
Jenkin initially worried about Wilbur's safety, but after being reassured that the dye was non-toxic corn starch, she bathed the cat. “We thought something nasty had happened at first or kids were abusing cats in the neighbourhood,” she said. “I put a picture of Wilbur on Facebook and it turned out a lady who lives a few doors down had a gender reveal party. I guess it's a boy.” The cat has since returned to its normal colour after multiple baths.
Community Reaction
The incident brought joy to the community. Jenkin added, “It's hilarious. It's so funny. Everyone at home and at work is cracked up. But all was well in the end. England won the football, my cat was blue and everyone found it funny.” Jenkinson also found the situation amusing: “I'm so glad that she found the funny side of it and it made the whole situation so much more hilarious. Luckily, after bathing her cat multiple times, the cat is no longer blue. It seemed to have entertained so many people and it has certainly made my gender reveal more memorable.”
