A rare kitten born with two faces has become a sensation in the village, with locals flocking to see the newborn in the belief that it will bring them luck.
The kitten, who was abandoned by his mother, is now in the care of his owner in Thailand, who says she also thinks the kitten is a harbinger of good luck.
Grandmother Durian Intawiset, 82, from the northern province of Phetchabun, found the helpless kitten still attached to its mother’s placenta on Friday morning.
In a post on social media, she said: “Wow! A cat at home gave birth to a kitten with 2 heads, 4 eyes, 2 noses and a placenta.
‘The kitten is still alive.’
A rare kitten born with two faces has become a sensation in a village in Thailand
The kitten is a harbinger of good luck, according to its owner.
Durian Intawiset, 82, from Phetchabun province, found the helpless kitten still attached to its mother’s placenta on Friday morning.
Officially known as Janus cats after the two-faced Roman god Janus, two-faced cats are extremely rare and most live less than a day.
She added that the mother cat, named Nang Proh, had since disappeared, but that when the kitten was found “it was healthy and meowing like a normal cat.”
With the help of her children and grandchildren, Intawiset has been feeding the kitten goat’s milk.
“When it is full, it falls asleep,” he said, adding: “Nang Prae previously gave birth to a baby cat, but let it die.
‘I kept it and since then, no matter what the family does, everything goes well and she is lucky.
‘I think this cat will also bring good luck.’
Officially known as Janus cats after the two-faced Roman god, two-faced cats are extremely rare and most live less than a day.
They suffer from a condition called craniofacial duplication or diprosopus, where parts or the entire face are duplicated.
This is the result of protein malfunction that can cause the face to split and duplicate.
Since posting it on social media three days ago, Intawiest’s home has been inundated with locals who also believe the kitten has lucky charms.
In 2022, another two-headed Thai kitten was born in the northern province of Lampang, 240 miles away.
But after defying all odds, he died four days later.
In 1999, a two-faced gray kitten named ‘Frank and Louie’, born in Massachusetts, lived an incredible 15 years.
In 2012, the cat entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-surviving Janus cat.
