Not too long ago, locals and tourists in Varna, a city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, came face to face with one seriously weird creature: a perfectly green cat. No, they did not have to follow a long and windy yellow brick road to find it. It sort of found them.

By the looks of it, the cat just showed up on the streets of this city in Bulgaria. It behaves just like any other feline of its kind and is quite friendly. Thus, locals say that they have often seen it play with other cats in the area. Apparently, these other felines don't mind their friend's weird fur color.

Not an alien cat seeking to destroy mankind

Contrary to what some might assume given its bright green color, this stray cat in Varna is not some alien's former pet. It's not even the result of a freaky science experiment gone horribly wrong or a feline version of the Hulk.

Long story short, it's a cat just like any other. The reason its fur turned emerald is that, as of recently, the feline has been sleeping in a garage, nestled on top of a heap of synthetic green paint. Otherwise put, the cat did this to itself.

This also explains why, until not very long ago, the creature's fur was not bright green, but instead only displayed a hint of emerald. As detailed by locals and tourists in Varna, the feline gradually progressed to its current downright bizarre fur color.

Interestingly enough, it was first assumed that the cat had fallen victim to some vandals who saw fit to have some fun dying its fur. Mind you, locals even went as far as to set up a Facebook group looking to bring the creature's abusers to justice, DM informs.

Dying pet animals is never a good idea

Animal rights activists say that, although some might be tempted to dye their own pets green or some other odd color after reading about the emerald cat in Bulgaria, the fact of the matter is that animals should not be abused in this manner.

To begin with, chances are that, during the dying process, a pet will experience tremendous stress. Besides, it's important that people keep in mind that, despite being our pets, cats, dogs and other animals have rights of their own.

“Pets could potentially find being held and restrained whilst the dyeing process is undertaken very stressful,” the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement earlier this year.

“Our pets are living creatures and dyeing them in this way sends out an extremely worrying message that they could be viewed as novelty accessories rather than as intelligent, sentient animals,” the organization went on to detail.

If you have about a minute to spare, check out the video below to get a better idea of what Bulgaria's green cat looks like. Entertainment guaranteed.