No one can figure out what kind of cat this is

"He looked like a hodgepodge of different cat parts." No Images? [Click here]( June 1, 2018 Good morning! Today we have a mysterious-looking cat, a dog who was found under a vending machine and a deer who got very stuck. 1. No One Can Figure Out What Kind Of Cat This Is Photo Credit: Shea Daspin and Joshua Tucker It was Pepé’s “weird” appearance that made Shea Daspin and Joshua Tucker fall in love with the 1-year-old shelter cat. Pepé is partly hairless like a sphynx cat, but also has wispy fur on different parts of his body, including his face, back and tail. “He was listed as part sphynx and looked like a total weirdo, just like us,” Daspin told The Dodo. “It was love at first sight.” In February, someone found Pepé and his two sisters, Tulip and Iris, wandering around the streets in Denton, Texas, and brought them to the City of Denton Animal Shelter. “They were found covered in fleas and dirt, and had been eating garbage to sustain themselves,” Nicole Lopez, animal control officer for the City of Denton, told The Dodo. “After vetting them and putting them up for adoption, all three of them spent a month here.” Pepé was already very timid compared to Tulip and Iris, according to Lopez. But when his sisters were adopted in late March, leaving Pepé alone, he became even more reserved. “[He] was always the most shy of the three, hence why no one really ever visited him or showed interest,” Lopez said. Pepé may not have gotten local interest, but he did catch the eye of Daspin and Tucker, who live over 1,500 miles away in New York City. Daspin and Tucker are the proud parents to two other cats — Iggy, a 5-year-old sphynx, and Spud, an orange tabby. However, they’d recently lost their cat Elsa, and they were looking to add to their feline family. Then their eyes landed on Pepé’s photo. “He looked like a hodgepodge of different cat parts,” Tucker said. “After we looked through his photos, and read that he was good with other cats, it wasn't even a question.” The very next day, Daspin and Tucker were on a flight to Texas. “When we got there and met him, we fell in love,” Tucker said. “After just a few minutes ... he pushed his head into our hands and started to purr. From that moment, we knew he was coming home with us.” Pepé has quickly settled into his new home. “It's been so amazing to see him start as a shy, scared shelter cat, and blossom into the outgoing guy he is now,” Tucker said. “I also love how much he's bonded with us. I've rarely seen a cat who’s so trusting and sweet.” Photo Credit: Shea Daspin and Joshua Tucker However, Daspin and Tucker remain uncertain about what kind of cat Pepé is. While the shelter labelled him as a sphynx mix, others have suggested that he’s part Donskoy or a Peterbald mix. “Most likely, he is a cross mix of a couple different cats and possibly older generations of sphynx cats,” Daspin said. “He might be some sort of genetic mutation, but ... we can't find a conclusive answer.” “It has become pretty clear ... that no one has seen anything quite like him,” Tucker said. Strangely enough, Pepé also appears to have gotten “fluffier,” according to Tucker. “Not more fur necessarily, but almost like the hair he has just sticks out in every direction,” he said. “My guess is that his hair will continue to change with the seasons, and as he gets older. We heard a story about a somewhat similar cat who would lose and regrow hair in different patterns every time.” However much fur Pepé grows or doesn’t grow, Daspin and Tucker are certain about one thing — he is perfect for their family, and rescuing him was one of the best things they did. “Pepé has made our family whole again,” Tucker said. “Of course, no one ever really ‘moves on’ after the loss of a pet, but what better way to honor her memory than to give a home and a chance to another animal in need.” 2. Man Stops To Buy Soda — Then Realizes Someone's Living Behind Vending Machine Photo Credit: BJ Nemeth BJ Nemeth, a reporter from Atlanta, Georgia, was headed back home from a work trip last Tuesday night when he decided to pull over at a rest stop in Alabama to buy a soda. As he walked toward the vending machine to get his drink, he was met with the oddest sight: a pair of furry legs sticking out from underneath it. His confusion quickly turned to worry. “I was like ‘Oh my God, please, please don’t be dead,” Nemeth told The Dodo. “I took a picture on my phone so the flash would light up, and she just leaned up and looked right at me.” He knew right away that, whoever the dog was, she needed help. She looked so sad, and completely exhausted. Since the nearest exit was some 6 miles away, Nemeth had a bad feeling that someone had purposely driven her out there and dumped her. Since the rest stop didn’t get much traffic, he knew she wouldn’t have many other chances to get picked up by someone else. He called around to local rescue groups and vet offices, but it was getting late and no one was available. He decided to spend some time earning the dog’s trust in hopes she’d let him get close enough to pick her up. “I felt like, ‘If I don’t do this, I don’t think anyone will,’” Nemeth said. “I was not leaving this dog.” Nemeth bought a small bag of crackers from the vending machine and the dog slowly but surely stood up to check them out. She didn’t growl or bark, but she kept her eyes on him as she quickly gobbled up the food. Once Soda-Pup finished her snack and lay back down, Nemeth snuck back to his car to grab a towel from his suitcase. He tossed the towel over Soda-Pup’s body, and, luckily, she allowed him to pick her up. She was still so nervous — but she knew she was finally safe. “After about 45 minutes of driving, I start feeling her cold nose touching my elbow,” Nemeth said. “And she was just sitting back there behind me, smiling as big as day. It was in that moment I realized, ‘OK, this will all be good. We just have to get her to a good place.’” The newfound friends drove all the way back to Atlanta without stopping, finally getting back around 3 a.m. Nemeth set up Soda-Pup in her very own room in the house and made a vet appointment for her the next day. Photo credit: BJ Nemeth Since his own dog, Brisco, can be territorial of other dogs being in his house, Nemeth knew he couldn’t necessarily adopt Soda-Pup — but he felt he owed it to her to get her all ready to find a home of her own. The vet determined Soda-Pup was about 4 years old, but she needed vaccinations and to be spayed. She also had a small abrasion underneath her right eye that needed medication. “She definitely seems too healthy to have been a wild dog her whole life,” Nemeth said. “But she had no collar or microchip, and was very uncomfortable at being on a leash at first. For the first few days she would barely even go to the bathroom.” Despite still being a little shy, Soda-Pup knew she could turn to Nemeth for reassurance. It wasn’t long before she was running in circles around his roommates and playfully wagging her tail at everyone. Nemeth started teaching her some tricks, and she even got her own toys to play with. She started greeting him every morning with kisses. Photo credit: BJ Nemeth Luckily, Nemeth knows a trusted mutual friend in Dallas, Texas, who has already agreed to adopt Soda-Pup as her own. Soda-Pup is on the road again this week to meet her new mom, and Nemeth will stay there for a few days to make the transition comfortable. While Nemeth is sure he would've adopted Soda-Pup if he didn't already have a dog, he is already planning to stay a part of her life and check in for updates on all the new adventures she’ll be taking — and he can’t imagine finding a better place for Soda-Pup to live. “[The adopter] was recently widowed within the past two years,” Nemeth said. “I really like the idea of her going to someone who needs her just as much as she needs them.” 3. Deer Takes Shortcut Through Fence And Realizes He's Made A Huge Mistake Photo Credit: RSPCA A deer was bounding through an apartment complex in Sheffield, England, on Monday when he came across a series of small metal fences. Normally, deer are quite good at jumping over things, but this deer decided he wanted a challenge, and tried to go through the metal fence instead — and ended up getting very, very stuck. The poor deer was unable to free himself, and before long some concerned residents noticed him and his predicament and immediately called the RSPCA for help. “This poor deer obviously thought he could get through the railings and down into the nearby woodland, but he was wrong,” Kristy Ludlam, an inspector with the RSPCA, said in a press release. “When I arrived I found the roe deer stuck in the metal rails, with the front half of his body through, but it was his hips that had got caught and he just wasn’t able to free himself. He really needed some help.” Photo Credit: RSPCA After assessing the situation, Ludlam determined that there was no way she would be able to free the deer on her own, as she would need help cutting through the thick metal bars. She contacted South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, who were able to come out and help her free the very confused and slightly embarrassed deer. “The crew were fantastic and I am so grateful for their help. We couldn’t have rescued this deer without them,” Ludlam said. “He wasn’t injured, but he was very stressed, so we knew we had to work fast to free him.” The crew tried to stretch the bars first, but when that didn’t work they carefully cut through them, and Ludlam lifted the deer’s hips until he was finally free. He quickly scurried back into the woods, and appeared to be completely fine after his ordeal — but will hopefully stick to hopping over fences instead of trying to squeeze through them in the future. Dogs Being Reunited With Their Families [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( The Dodo 100 Crosby St., 201 New York, NY 10012 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](