Kitten with Two Heads Born in Arkansas Due to Rare Genetic Mutation

A kitten with two heads was born in the city of Harrison in Arkansas, United States, according to reports on Sunday, August 21.

The owner of the two-headed kitten named him Harvey, in reference to Batman's enemy Harvey Dent, a hero turned villain named Two-Face, who appeared in "The Dark Knight" move, "The Batman" franchise, and the "Detective Comics."

Harvey the two-faced kitten adds to the list of Janus cats, or felines characterized to having a rare genetic mutation and congenital disorder called diprosopus, which in Greek term means duplication of face.

The craniofacial duplication affects not only cats, but also other animals, including humans.

However, only a small number of Janus cats survive since most of them die shortly after birth.

Harvey the Two-Headed Kitten

(Photo : Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Arkansas resident Ariel Contreras spotted the feline anomaly while she and her husband's female cat was giving birth on August 17.

The cat owner told local television station KYTV that she saw the live birth when she was about to do laundry and heard the cat "meowing" and then babies started to come out.

It was this time she called and yelled for her husband.

Contreras' husband noticed the second baby has two heads, a reason enough for them to name the Janus cat with resemblance to Batman's opponent.

Contreras said Harvey seems to be larger compared with the other ones. The Janus cat is also reportedly showing signs of a healthy kitten.

Also Read: Rare Snake with Two Heads Devours Two Mice at the Same Time

Rare Medical Condition

Doctors reportedly told the station Harvey was born with a condition caused by excess protein production in the mother's womb, as cited by the New York Post.

Dr. Tim Addis, a veterinarian at Alley Cat Animal Rescue, told KYTV that the two heads have a duplicate of everything except an extra skull.

Dr. Addis added that the two heads seem to be operating together or simultaneously, where one can feed either mouth which takes nourishment for the same body.

In addition, the physician predicted that Harvey's odds of surviving is as good as its other siblings if its owners are feeding it with a bottle.

Dr. Addis, who has over 60 years of medical experience in animals, stated he has never seen a genetic mutation so rare, as cited by KYTV.

Janus Cats

There is limited data on Janus cats; however, it is known they have a low survival rate with a handful of newborn babies only surviving in the first 12 hours

The name was derived from the Roman god Janus, often portrayed as having two faces.

The longest surviving Janus cat is Frank and Louie, also called Frankenlouie, who was born in September 1999 and died in December 2014 due to old age.

The said diprosopus cat was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2012 to earn such a title the "world's oldest diprosopus cat" in recorded history.

The main cause of deformity amongst Janus remains not fully understood, but existing data shows there are a variety of genetic mechanisms behind it, according to Leslie Lyons from the University of Missouri, as cited by the National Geographic.