Sophie Jenkin, 32, was at her home in Heamoor, Penzance, when her cat Wilbur came through the door transformed into a blue ball of fur. Her first thought was not amused: she thought someone had thrown paint at her pet.
She posted a photo in a village Facebook group asking if anyone knew what had happened, and some neighbors warned her that the dye could be toxic. The panic did not last long: neighbor Hollie Jenkinson immediately recognized the color, because it came from her own garden.
Hours earlier, she had organized a gender reveal party where children kicked balls filled with blue cornstarch. Wilbur, the 2-year-old cat who despite her male name is female, rolled in the remains. Sophie bathed her several times until she got her usual gray and black back, although she was left with a little blue spot as a souvenir.