Cat or dog? Viral photo of furry friend sparks debate on social media

QUEBEC, Canada — A photo of an unusual-looking pet has social-media users scratching their heads.

The viral image, tweeted Friday by

, shows a fuzzy critter with long fur and an intense gaze.

"Her.– do you have a dog or a cat? me.– I don't know," the caption reads.

The picture, which has been retweeted nearly 13,000 times, sparked a hilarious internet debate.

"Yeah, what IS that?" asked

.

"It's an owl,"

wrote.

"I thought cat, wife thought dog,"

.

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"That's a fizzgig,"

, referring to a character from the 1982 film "The Dark Crystal."

Still not sure what you're looking at? The original poster revealed the answer here:

The Persian cat, Atchoum, has tens of thousands of fans, as well as his own

,

account and

page.

"Some people say my wild furs and intense amber eyes make me look like a dog, an owl, a mad scientist, a Gremlin, Lorax or the Grinch, but I'm happy to be me,"

.

Atchoum, who lives in Quebec, Canada, has hypertrichosis, which causes excessive hair growth.

"I'm hairy not scary!!" reads his

.

Cox Media Group