A family from Oregon got the biggest surprise and thrill last Wednesday when one of their farm cats gave birth to a litter of six with one that stood out: it had two faces.
The kitten, now named Biscuits and Gravy, has two noses, two sets of eyes, and two tiny mouths. The family vet declared the mother cat, named Keenly, and its five other young ones healthy.
In an interview, the owner, BJ King, said that he and his wife were shocked to see Biscuits and Gravy. They thought it was odd-looking at first but eventually found that the two-faced kitten had a condition that is extremely rare.
Cats with two-faces are called Janus, following after the Roman God who was portrayed as having two faces. Janus was also known to have the ability to look to the past with one head and into the future with the other.
Health problems related to deformity often limit the ability of Janus cats to survive long. However, a Janus cat named Frank and Louie was featured in Guinness World Records in 2006 as it defied the odds and lived for 15 years.
THIS IS AWESOME: Sweet Dog Guards Sister's Body After Being Hit By a Car, Won't Let Anyone Come Near
According to the family veterinarian, Biscuits and Gravy is born with only one brain steam, but both of his mouths are functional. Both mouths can eat, suck, and meow. The family veterinarian billed the little Janus in pink health.
The King family gave away the rest of the litter to focus on making sure that Biscuits and Gravy survive. They make sure to feed the kitten every two hours and keep it warm at all times.
The family received overwhelming best wishes on their Instagram posts, and numerous wishes for the kittens to survive and live a healthy life.
Why do Janus cats have two faces? What is this condition?
In an article featured in National Geographic, feline genetics specialist of the University of Missouri Leslie Lyons explained that very little is known why Janus cat conditions happen.
Lyons said that a genetic mechanism like the Janus cat having an excess of sonic hedgehog protein, or SHH, might have caused such a condition. SHH is responsible for forming the animal's face during development. Chick embryos that were exposed to a large amount of SHH were found to have two beaks and eyes spaced apart when hatched. Janus cats' condition can also happen in most mammals, vertebrate, or marsupials, as Lyons explained.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS: Coronavirus and Its Effect to Animals' "Landscape of Fear"
Despite its two-faced feature, Janus cat only has one brain. This causes brain-function abnormalities. In Frank and Louie's case, having a single organ like the esophagus enabled the cats to survive. Lyons explained that Frank and Louie did not have a lower jaw or esophagus. If both of the cat's faces ate at the same time, it would likely cause complications such as difficulty in breathing and eating.
If left on its own, a kitten with such deformities is often abandoned, killed, or even eaten by its mother.
Mary Stevens, the owner of Frank and Louie, had to bring the Janus kitten home to avoid being euthanized. Lyons lauded such an act, saying that having individuals in our society with such compassion is very lovely.
READ NEXT: Tubeworm Slime Glows for Days, But How?