Gringo is a brown-and-white British Shorthair from France whose white muzzle is shaped almost exactly like a curled gentleman’s moustache. He became an Instagram favourite in 2019, when he was about a year old, and his photos still circulate because the marking looks almost too perfect to be real. It is real: it is simply where the white patches of his bicolour coat happened to fall.
Below you will find who Gringo is, why cats end up with markings like his, what the British Shorthair breed is like, and a gallery of his best-known portraits.
Who Gringo is
Gringo lives in France with his owners, Sabrine and Romain, and another cat, Milko. The couple spotted his photo on a French cattery’s website and decided to bring him home even though they already had a cat; they had been thinking about a second one anyway. He arrived at three months old, and the two cats quickly became close companions.
His first Instagram account had grown to nearly 60,000 followers when it was hacked, so his owners started again with a new page. Milko has his own account too, at @milko_the_cat.
At home, Gringo is anything but a calm portrait model. According to Sabrine, interviewed by Bored Panda, he plays day and night, climbs curtains, scratches the sofa, jumps into the house plants, sniffs at plates for food and steals kitchen sponges to chew, so they have to hide them. His party trick is standing upright for minutes at a time: “He likes to stand on his back paws, just like a meerkat.”
Why his face looks like a moustache
Cats with white patches carry what geneticists call the white spotting gene. During early development in the womb, pigment cells travel from along the spine down and around the body. White spotting interferes with that journey, so some areas, often the chest, paws, belly and muzzle, end up with no pigment cells at all and grow white fur.
Exactly where the colour stops is partly down to chance. That is why two bicolour kittens from the same litter can look completely different, and why even cloned cats do not have identical patterns. In Gringo’s case the white on his chin and upper lip stopped in two neat curves, and the brown above it frames them perfectly.
Markings like this do not affect a cat’s health or personality. They are purely cosmetic, which is part of the charm: famous “moustache” cats are rare not because the gene is rare, but because the white rarely lands so symmetrically.
What British Shorthairs are like
The British Shorthair is one of the oldest pedigree breeds. It descends from British street and farm cats, was shaped by early breeders in the 19th century and appeared at the first organised cat show, held at London’s Crystal Palace in 1871. Today it is the most popular pedigree cat in the United Kingdom.
- Build: sturdy and round, with a broad chest, thick legs, a round head and large round eyes, often copper or orange like Gringo’s.
- Coat: short, dense and plush. The classic colour is blue-grey, but many colours and patterns are accepted, including bicolour; chocolate is recognised by some registries but not all.
- Growth: the breed matures slowly and reaches full size at around three years, so a one-year-old like Gringo in these photos was still filling out.
- Temperament: generally calm and easygoing as adults, though young cats can be every bit as lively as Gringo.
- Health: the breed has a known risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition, and polycystic kidney disease. Responsible breeders screen for both, and owners should talk to a vet about regular check-ups.
Portraits of Gringo
A young Gringo sits on a grey sofa with his front paws tucked under his white chest. His round face and stocky body are textbook British Shorthair.
Eyes closed, mid-nap, the moustache looks even more deliberate. Cats sleep for much of the day, and young ones often nap between bursts of play.
Gringo poses on the sofa in front of a picture of a red vintage car. The white socks on his front legs come from the same white spotting that created his moustache.
A classic upward glance from the sofa. His large, round eyes are typical of the breed’s “teddy bear” look.
Low, moody light and a reflective table give this shot a studio feel. The dark tones make the white of his muzzle stand out even more.
Sitting upright on a wooden cabinet beside a radiator, a favourite warm spot for many cats. Shorthairs like company but usually prefer to sit near people rather than on them.
A clean white backdrop shows his full colouring: brown back and tail, white chest, legs and muzzle. In cat-fancy terms, this is a bicolour pattern.
Close-up in a floral bow tie. Accessories like this are fine for a quick photo, but anything around a cat’s neck should be loose and never left on unsupervised.
Another portrait from the sofa, this time against a geometric cushion. The slightly furrowed brow adds to the “Victorian gentleman” impression his fans love.
Gringo in a sparkly red bow tie, side-on, showing the thick tail and solid build of the breed. British Shorthair males typically weigh between about 4 and 8 kilograms as adults.
Head tilted, grey bow tie on. Cats often tilt their heads while locating a sound, a habit that makes for very appealing photos.
Gringo sits beside a framed drawing of himself, one of many fan portraits his moustache has inspired. His account turned a household pet into a small online celebrity.
Stepping through a ring-shaped cat bed in a red bow tie. Round beds and hideaways like this give cats a sense of security.
Fairy lights glow behind him in a festive portrait. Seasonal lights are best kept out of reach, as cats may chew on cables.
Gringo at play and at rest
Up on his hind legs and reaching for something, this is the meerkat-style stance his owner describes. Standing up gives cats a better view and is often part of play or hunting practice.
Gringo leans over a wavy mirror on the floor to study his reflection. Most cats do not recognise themselves in a mirror, and usually treat the image as another cat or lose interest quickly.
Peeking around the edge of a cat tree. Climbing furniture gives indoor cats exercise and height, which helps them feel safe.
Flat on his back on a black-and-white rug, paws in the air. A cat showing its belly is relaxed, though it is not always an invitation for a belly rub.
Stretched out in a patch of sunlight. Cats seek warm spots to save energy, and they tolerate surface heat that would feel too hot to us.
Lying neatly on the patterned rug with his front paws together. The pose shows off the white socks that match his moustache.
Walking across a wooden surface with a curious head tilt. Young British Shorthairs are more active than the breed’s calm reputation suggests.
Sprawled across the sofa, deeply asleep under a light box reading “May the force be with you.” A long, loose stretch like this is a sign of a cat that feels completely safe.
Gringo sits on a cat tree, with a white cat watching from behind him. The original post does not say who it is; it may be his housemate Milko.
Standing upright in the hallway, the posture that made his owners compare him to a meerkat. Cats can hold this position briefly using their strong hind legs and tail for balance.
Lying back on the bed and gazing at the camera. Soft, slow blinks from a cat in this position are often read as a sign of trust.
A huge yawn shows his small front teeth and long canines. Cats yawn when waking or relaxing, and sometimes when they feel slightly unsettled.
Resting his chin on the edge of a round bed, eyes half closed. Half-closed eyes usually mean a calm, content cat.
Peering out of a hole in a cardboard box painted as an Easter egg. A simple box with a doorway is still one of the most popular cat toys there is.
Dozing on a grey cushion with a message board behind him. Adult cats commonly sleep 12 to 16 hours a day.
Rolling on his back and batting at the wall, seen from above. Play like this is how indoor cats burn off energy, which is why daily interactive play matters.
Up on his hind legs at the window, watching the street outside. Window views are often called “cat TV” and are a cheap way to keep an indoor cat engaged.
Living with a playful young cat
Gringo’s habits, from scaling curtains to chewing sponges, are typical of a lively young cat. A few practical ideas help:
- Give climbing a legal outlet: a sturdy cat tree and scratching posts near the sofa protect furniture.
- Hide anything chewable: sponges, string and elastic bands can cause dangerous blockages if swallowed. If your cat eats something like this, talk to a vet promptly.
- Check your plants: some common house plants, especially lilies, are toxic to cats.
- Play every day: short sessions with wand toys tire out a young cat and reduce night-time mischief.
- Protect a pet’s account: if you run a social media page for your pet, use a strong password and two-factor authentication, so years of photos are not lost to a hack, as happened to Gringo’s first page.
Sources: Bored Panda: Gringo, the white-moustached cat; Wikipedia: British Shorthair. All photos: @gringomoustachecat on Instagram, by Gringo’s owners.
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