In all my years working with cats in Connecticut shelters, I have seen my share of deformities and anomalies in cats: deaf, blind, no eyes, one eye, three legs, etc.
But the following series is about felines that go beyond the freaky into the twilight zone...
The first feline in this series is Frank and Louie. No, I did not mess up my grammar there -- Frank and Louie is one cat. One cat with two faces; two mouths, two noses and three eyes. And this magnificent cat is a purebred Ragdoll born in Massachusetts. Frank and Louie's breeder brought the funny looking one-day old into Tufts University to be euthanized, but Marty Stevens, who worked at the hospital, decided to take the tyke home and give him a chance at life.
Frank and Louie is now 12 years old, living well and has made it into the "Guinness Book of World Records" for 2012 as the oldest living Janus cat. The term Janus, by the way, comes from the name of the Roman God with two faces.
According to the Associated Press, Stevens stated, “Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12, and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days,” Stevens said, stroking Frank and Louie’s soft fur as he sat on her lap purring. “So, he’s ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him.”
Frank and Louie's life is mostly attributed to the fortunate fact that he does not suffer from the same congenital defects as other Janus cats, which makes their lives so very short. Generally, cats born with this condition have a cleft palate and that makes it difficult for them to nurse, so they slowly starve, or they get milk in their lungs and die of pneumonia. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.
Frank and Louie has two mouths, but only one is properly functioning so he eats normally. His noses however, both work (can you just imagine his sense of smell!). Out of his three eyes, only two function. The eye in the center cannot even close so it always appears he is looking at you even when he is asleep.
Stay tuned. My next Freaky Feline has the makings of a Jedi knight.
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