Bettie Bee, the two-faced kitten, is eight days old in this picture.
Like other kittens, Bettie Bee has four paws, one tail and two ears. But in one way, she is an oddity: she has two noses, two mouths and three eyes. She is a rare two-faced cat, or "Janus Cat."
When a house cat in Eastern Cape, South Africa, birthed three kittens, it was clear that one of them was unique. While otherwise apparently normal, this special kitten's double face made it difficult for her to nurse, which meant she was at risk of starving to death. The cat-owner brought the strange kitten to a nearby cat rescuer who is known for taking in special-needs cats.
The rescuer, who wishes to remain anonymous, started tube-feeding the kitten. She wrote in an email to
Newsweek that she "can feed either mouth, both are functional, both lead to the stomach." Because so many people wanted to see the kitten, the rescuer started a
Facebook page for Bettie Bee with pictures and updates.
Comment: See also: Surge of vicious raccoon attacks on people in the United States