Have you ever heard of Janus cats? I’m not talking about something mythological, or even something creepy. It’s definitely nothing to do with the recent terrifying film adaptation of CATS; nothing jellicle here. I’m talking about cute and wiggly bundles of feline fur with two faces. They exist! And sometimes they trend on social media.
Why Janus?
For those of you who didn’t take six years of Latin like I did back in the day, let me introduce you to Janus real quick. He’s a god in Roman mythology, and is associated with beginnings, gates, time, and several other irrelevant things. Here’s the relevant bit: Janus is also always depicted as having two faces. Calling cats with two faces “Janus Cats” is just right on the nose. Or noses.
What is a Janus Cat?
A Janus cat is a kitty who’s born with craniofacial duplication, which is exactly what it sounds like – the cat has multiples of certain parts of the face, up to the entire face developing twice on the same head. It’s not ideal and is an incredibly rare birth defect.
How do Janus Cats Happen?
So, the scientific term for this craniofacial duplication is diprosopus – there’s a Wiki page about it and everything. This duplication has nothing to do with twinning – Janus cats don’t result from twins that didn’t separate, for example. Instead, it has everything to do with the sonic hedgehog protein (SHH).
Yes. You read that correctly. There is a protein named after everyone’s favorite bright blue fast-running hedgehog and it’s responsible for two-faced cats. You can’t make that up. When the SHH protein screws up, it can result in craniofacial duplication in any number of mammals, including cats.
Sadly, Janus cats can have a variety of health problems due to their deformity and it all depends on which parts of their facial anatomy get duplicated. Common problems could involve issues with eating, respiration, and even proper brain activity. They don’t tend to live very long.
A Few Famous Janus Cats
Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and Gravy was a recent Instagram sensation: She was born with two perfect tiny faces – two noses, four eyes, two mouths with a gorgeous ticked brown tabby coat. Kyla King fostered the precious baby, bottle feeding her the best she could due to the issue of Biscuits and Gravy having two mouths. Sadly, Biscuits and Gravy only made it about four days.
Bettie Bee
Bettie Bee, much like Biscuits and Gravy, had a full duplication of face – two mouths and noses along with four eyes. She was also a tabby, and couldn’t nurse normally. A hardworking rescuer took over Bettie’s care and made sure she was fed properly and given every opportunity to flourish. In fact, both of Bettie’s mouths did lead down to her stomach so she didn’t have any issues with receiving nourishment. She also wasn’t long for this world, unfortunately.
Frank and Louie
Frank and Louie is, of course, the most famous Janus cat of all! With a more striking look, Frank and Louis was a beautifully-pointed ragdoll with two blue eyes and a third blind eye. She was sometimes called Frankenlouie, and required some intensive care when she was little. Then she impressed the world by living fifteen years and earning a spot in the 2006 Guinness World Records as longest-living Janus cat.
While some may feel freaked out by Janus cats at first, they are truly just small kitties who are precious and deserve all the love we can give them for however long they’re here.
