Murder on the Orient Express: Does Birmingham kitten look like Kenneth Branagh's Poirot?

The RSPCA has a Birmingham rescue kitten in its care that bears a striking resemblance to Hercule Poirot - the fictional Belgian detective played by Kenneth Branagh in his blockbuster adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic Murder on the Orient Express.

Four-month-old kitten Tasha is at the charity's Birmingham Animal Centre after being found wandering the streets as a stray, with an injury to her eye.

Amazingly, the black and white fur on her face resembles a handlebar moustache – the trademark of Poirot.

Emma Finnimore, cattery supervisor at Birmingham Animal Centre, said: “With Murder on the Orient Express big in the cinemas right now, Poirot seems to be everywhere - and more so at our animal centre, in the form of a kitten!

“We don’t get many cats in with these sort of markings, so Tasha is certainly very special.

“When she came to us she had an injured eye and she was very timid, but gradually she has discovered the joy of being fussed and has started to enjoy cuddles.

“Now that has relaxed she likes to play a lot and is curious about any moving object - she certainly likes to investigate, just like her detective doppelganger.

“Her unusual looks certainly caught the eye of visitors to the centre and she has been quickly reserved, however we have so many cats at our centre looking for a new home so we urge anyone looking for a feline friend to pop into the centre and have a look at our gorgeous cats.”

Anyone who is interested in adopting a cat from RSPCA’s Birmingham Animal Centre can call 0300 123 8585 or pop into the centre, in Frankley Green, between 11am and 3.15pm each day except Tuesday.