Cat With 2 Faces Sets Record

'Frank and Louie' has survived for 12 years
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 29, 2011 5:10 PM CDT
Cat With 2 Faces Sets Record
The owner calls the face on the left Frank, while the face on the right she identifies as Louie.   (Steven Senne)

The cat is named Frank and Louie. Yep, Frank and Louie. That's because it was born with two faces, mouths, and noses (but just three eyes, the middle of which can't blink). And he almost didn't make it. Marty Stevens rescued the cat from being euthanized, and 12 years later it enters the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named for a Roman god with two faces, reports the AP.

Janus cats almost never survive more than a few days: Most have congenital defects, including a cleft palate that makes it difficult for them to nurse. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein. But Frank (the face on the left) and Louie did not suffer from most of the common Janus problems, and used just one of his mouths to eat; the other does not have a lower jaw and isn't connected to his one esophagus. (More strange stuff stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X