A cat with two faces has made the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living cat with this rare condition.
Frank and Louie is a twelve-year old Janus cat with three eyes, two mouths, and two noses. Named for the figure in Roman mythology with two faces on one head, Janus cats are exceptionally rare and most do not live very long, says the Associated Press.
The condition is caused by a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.
Owner Marty Stevens told AP, “Every day is kind of a blessing, being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days. So, he's ahead of the game — every day I just thank God I still have him."
Stevens rescued Frank and Louie twelve years ago when the cat’s breeder brought him to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to be euthanized.
Stevens was working at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at the time and despite experts telling her not to get her hopes up, she took Frank and Louie home and nursed him for three months with feeding tubes.
Unlike most Janus cats who posses congenital defects which often cause them to starve to death or choke on food, Frank and Louie only uses one of his mouths to eat and with Stevens’ care grew to be happy and friendly cat.
Stevens, who likes to take Frank and Louie out for walks, told AP, “It's funny because people walk up to him thinking it's a nice, fluffy white cat and they're walking up with a big smile on their face to pat him, like, 'Oh, what a beautiful cat' and I see a look of horror come over their faces when they actually see his face.”
