You met Merlin, the cranky Canadian Ragdoll cat, with resting b*tch face, well another feline Merlin has taken over the internet – but his face is nothing short of angelic. With milky bluish eyes and luxurious dark gray fur, this adorable kitten looks like a plush toy. Merlin rose to internet fame thanks to his human parents Nathanial Green and Elliot Green, two visual artists that curated a visually stunning Instagram page dedicated to their beautiful tiny kitten, which has amassed 28k followers.

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Image credits: heyelliotgreen

The Greens first laid eyes on Merlin in 2017 at the Lynchburg Humane Society on their “Free Cat Friday.” And while it was love at first sight, Elliot admitted to Bored Panda Merlin hadn’t been his first choice. “It actually was my coworker that convinced me to go in–she had just adopted a cute kitten from there. Browsing through their cat adoption site, Nathanial and I had our hearts set on a Siamese kitten, but by the time I got off work, they were all either on hold or already adopted.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Not to be discouraged the couple continued their search. “The lady who had shown us around eventually noticed us indecisively meandering; she stopped to tell us that she had a favorite, but that he had some issues and was sick. She took us to the medical wing to show us this tiny kitten who was recovering from a head cold. When I was first told that he was blind, I was a bit worried. As a full-time student also working two jobs, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to provide Merlin with the attention he needed. As soon as I got to hold him, I think it was pretty obvious that he was perfect.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

The Greens couldn’t be happier that they found Merlin, “He’s an affectionate cat that loves being acknowledged and held. He’s never destructive or petty, either,” said Elliot, “Because he was born blind, he really has no concept of fear, and so he’ll attempt to jump off of pretty high places. He doesn’t hide or avoid people–he’ll run-up to the door to meet us and climb all over guests sitting on the couch. His preferred place is on someone’s lap.”

That’s right this loving ball of fur can’t get enough of his human dads. “Anytime we sit on the couch or the bed, he jumps up and is ready to be cuddled. He loves having his face and ears scratched; we aren’t quite sure why, but he loves having the areas around his eyes massaged. If someone puts their hands up to his eyes or nose, he’ll usually awkwardly press into it as if he’s trying to push them away, but it’s his way of feeling loved,” said his other dad Nathanial

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Looking at Merlin you can’t help but notice his unique features, that’s because he is a rare mixed breed of a Munchkin and a Persian cat, called a Napoleon. “It’s a pretty new breed–by new I mean 20 to 22 years,” explained his owner, “Napoleons are pretty small, but they’re able to move around as easily as normal-sized cats. For the most part, they inherit the Persian’s physical characteristics.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: nathanialtgreen

Merlin’s milky white-walker style eyes, however, are not a characteristic of his breed but due to his blindness. But even with his poor vision, his dad said this handsome guy still lives a full life. “Honestly, we forget that he has blind eyes. When we first moved to our apartment, he definitely had trouble navigating, but he learns quickly and really knows how to own the space. His greatest recurring struggle is from our coffee table’s glass edges: Every now and then, he’ll jump or walk into it, but we think he’s learned. All he really cares about is where the food is and how far away it is from his dads.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

While being a blind cat hasn’t been an issue, Merlin did suffer from some other health issues, “For a while, he was having seizures, and we really couldn’t figure out why,” recalled Elliot, “Through some research and trying out alternatives, we learned that his food was causing it. We removed wheat from his diet, and he’s been perfectly content since then.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Meet the Greens: “@nathanialtgreen (left) was born in Michigan and is an insanely talented keyboardist, designer, and communications specialist. He loves chicken and waffles and syrup on almost everything. Often times can be found reading about politics. @elliotgreen.co (right) is an art director, branding specialist, and photographer from Istanbul, Turkey. Lover of olive oil and Daniela Andrade. Often can be found admiring typefaces at target. Both met at Liberty University and eventually made their way to Nashville, TN. they got married last September and spend most of their time hanging out at Baja Burrito or 51st Deli!”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

As a snuggly, social kitty, Merlin loves all living things, but sadly the feeling is not always mutual, “We’ve also learned–the hard way–that he’s easily dominated by other animals. Cats, in particular, tend to bully him. He never fights back, but we have seen him hiss a time or two. We have to keep a close eye on him around other animals. Other than that, he really is perfect!”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

“Merlin loves watermelon, and since it’s Elliot’s favorite food, he gets it often”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

It’s easy to see why Merlin has become an internet sensation, but the Greens say it was never their intention. “We just started accumulating a lot of pictures on our phones and decided to share them with the world. It wasn’t an account we were regularly posting on, but when we did we made sure that it looked good. Honestly, Elliot was proud of the way his apartment looked at the time and thought Merlin was a good subject to help show it off,” said Nathanial.

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Still, the response has been surprising, “Yea! Friends keep telling us that they see Merlin’s pictures all over–it’s just mind-blowing.”

Image credits: nathanialtgreen

This family couldn’t be more grateful for finding this little ball of joy and say they owe it all to shelters like the Lynchburg Humane Society, “We’re grateful for animal shelters and the selfless, essential work they continue to do.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

“I’m a gift. You’re welcome.”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

“Weather got meow like”

Image credits: heyelliotgreen

Image credits: merlin.griffith

“New room who dis?”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: merlin.griffith

“We’re a family of personality types. @nathanialtgreen is a 9w1/INFJ @elliotgreen.co is a 4w5/INFJ. They say I’m a 4w3 always cuddling up for attention with a melancholic twist. What’s your Enneagram number or MB identifier?”

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: merlin.griffith

Image credits: merlin.griffith

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