A cat with two faces was born in Nigeria: veterinarians see such an anomaly for the first time.

According to ТСН: Animal lovers around the world were both amazed and saddened by a video published by a 26-year-old man from Lagos, Nigeria. He showcased a newborn kitten that had a rare anomaly—a face with two sides.

The video shows the mother cat with her kittens. At first glance, all the little ones looked normal, but when the man lifted one of the kittens, it became clear that it had special differences.

This animal had four legs, two ears, and a tail, but its head was divided into two noses, two mouths, and four eyes.

“My cat gave birth to a kitten with two faces,” the author captioned the video.

He also noted that veterinarians were astonished:

“According to doctors, they had never seen anything like this before”.

What is a 'Janus cat'?

This anomaly is known as diprosopus (craniofacial duplication), and animals with this defect are called “Janus cats” in honor of the Roman god Janus, who was depicted with two faces looking in different directions. This anomaly occurs when the face begins to expand and partially duplicate during development in the mother's womb.

The video garnered over 4.4 million likes. Users in the comments expressed both sympathy and awe. Some even mentioned the famous poem “The Two-Headed Calf” by Laura Gilpin, which describes the beauty of the last moments of a creature that has no chance of survival.

“Tonight he is alive… And when he looks at the sky, there are twice as many stars as usual,” users quoted lines from the poem.

Some users hoped for a miracle, believing that this was just a mutation that would allow the kitten to survive if it was properly fed. Others were more pessimistic, pointing out that such kittens rarely survive more than a day.

What is the verdict of the doctors?

Unfortunately, the pessimists' predictions were confirmed. The owner of the kitten reported that he had contacted veterinarians.

“I’ve already contacted the veterinarian, hope something can be done,” he wrote initially.

Later, Abdulrauf Musa told that the veterinarian advised euthanasia, as the kitten's condition was incompatible with life. He reassured his followers that the mother cat and other kittens were doing well.

It is known that most Janus cats die immediately after birth due to feeding problems or internal defects. However, there are unique exceptions in history.

The most famous Janus cat named Frank and Louie lived a record-breaking 15 years and 87 days. He had one brain but two faces, with only one mouth being functional for eating. Thanks to the love and care of his owner, a veterinary nurse, he made it into the Guinness World Records and died of old age in 2014.

Thus, this special kitten became the hero of numerous discussions and highlighted the uniqueness of nature, despite its sad fate.