by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Marty holding Frank and Louie
A 12-year old two-faced cat from Worchester, Massachusetts named Frank and Louie was recently entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest two-faced cat. This remarkable cat, owned by Marty Stevens, has three eyes, one on each of his two faces. He has a third eye in the middle that's non-functioning and stares straight ahead, giving the cat perfect vision similar to a horse.
Frank and Louie "Frankenlouie" is known as a Janus cat (named after a two-faced Roman god). One brain and one stomach are shared and each face has a nose. Frank eats while Louie just hangs out to smell the food.
His...um...their um...his cat mom Marty is a veterinary nurse who saved Frankenlouie's life twelve years ago when a breeder dropped the little Ragdoll kitten off at Tufts Veterinary School where she worked to have the kitten euthanized. He was only one day old and the average life span of a Janus cat is one to two days.
At the time, Marty was warned cats with this condition, known as craniofacial duplication, or diprosopia in technical terms, rarely survived past kitten-hood. Frank and Louie have proven the experts not only wrong in the longevity department, but also in their overall health by proving themselves healthier than most normal cats.
As a kitten, Marty often carried Frankenlouie around in a shoe box and fed her cat every few hours a special formula using a feeding tube in his stomach.
Here's a short YouTube video of Frank and Louie. For the record, Frank is on the left and Louie on the right.
Marty says of her special kitty "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."
Although people are initially shocked by Frank and Louie's physical appearance, they are quickly won over by his sweet nature. Other than his odd appearance, this cat is a snugglebug and enjoys a lap rub while showing off a loud purr.
Marty, you've raised yourself a fine cat-son...um...son's. You should be proud of his longevity because without your love and dedication he probably wouldn't have survived. He has a sweet nature because you've shown him that although he's a little different, he's still a cat and cats need love.
Comments readers? I personally enjoyed every minute of reading up on Marty and her unique cat. For more information and several videos just Google "world's oldest two-faced cat."
Elisa
References:
http://web.archive.org/web/20141218070810/http://truthdive.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Your cat is beautiful ‘Ihave never seen anything like it! . I am a cat person and I have 3 of my own but out of my 3 that your’s is the best!!
I don’t like two-faced cats myself. They become celebrities and people like to look at them. Sort of freak show mentality. That is just my thoughts about it. Each to their own.
I’ve actually read about this cat last yr. I think it is awesome that some1 would take care of them. would you take your human child to be killed—no of course not, so y do it to this cat. good job Marty