NEWS AND OPINION: A cat born with “four ears” is simply a visual anomaly. They have an extra flap of skin – the ear flap which ‘captures’ sound – that gives the appearance of an additional ear on each side of their head. However, the underlying anatomy – the internal ear structure responsible for hearing – is still normal and intact. There are four ear flaps but 2 ears. It’s a fascinating genetic quirk that results in a unique appearance!
For me the slightly irritating problem is that the news media – which is all over this story as they are fascinated with four-eared cats – get their headlines incorrect each time. This ginger tabby and white kitten with some Oriental Shorthair genes in him has four ear flaps. He does not have four sets of internal ear anatomy such as four ear canals, four ear drums, four sets of middle ear anatomy and neither does he have four inner ears.
He has 2 ears and four ear flaps. Period. 💕😃
Just want to get that right. I am not sure if the news media even asked the question whether he has four ears or four ear flaps. They seem to blindly describe the cat has having ‘four ears’. Perhaps this is an error in the use of language and description rather than in feline anatomy but what the papers are saying in their headlines is still wrong. I am sure that many of them have not addressed the issue that I address in this post at all. Perhaps some have.
They’ve named him ‘Audio’ due to his ‘built-in surround-sound speakers and he is estimated to be nearly 9 weeks old and weighs just over 2 pounds’. A cute description but plenty of poetic license because ear flaps have the opposite purpose of speakers 😎. Ear flaps capture sound rather than project and amplify sound. Just another anomaly to add to the physical one suffered by this cute cat.
The world is fascinated with anatomical anomalies in cats and dogs or other animals. It is because people are fascinated with appearance. For humans, vision is the dominant sense which leads to appearance being so important.
For cats, sound and smell are at least equally important to vision. Ironic that in this instance.
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The picture of Audio is from the Fox Weather website.
