A kitten with two faces was born in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Sunday. Two-faced kittens – also known as “Janus cats” after the two-faced Roman god Janus – usually only live for no longer than one day. However, this tiny Janus kitten is doing considerably well so far and is drinking milk from both mouths, said the kitten’s owner.
One side of the kitten has been named “Tung Ngern” (bag of silver) and the other side named “Tung Tong” (bag of gold).
The kitten’s 2 year old mother – named “Cat” – gave birth to one kitten at a house in Hang Chat district in Lampang province on Sunday afternoon. When Cat tried to push out the second kitten, she physically couldn’t give birth.
The owner of Cat, 29 year old Anuwat, took Cat to the animal hospital at around 4pm where she had a caesarian section. Cat gave birth to the Janus kitten and three more “normal” kittens.
Anuwat was sure the Janus kitten was going to die at first. However, Tung Ngern and Tung Tong appeared to fighting hard for its life, said Anuwat. Anuwat said he has hardly slept at all since the two-faced kitten was born because it cannot hold its own head up and needs constant attention. It’s as much responsibility as having a human baby, said Anuwat.
Statistically, Janus kittens do not usually survive for longer than one day. However, one grey Jenus feline named “Frank and Louie” born in Massachusetts, USA, in 1999 lived to an amazing 15 years old, dying in 2014. In 2012, Frank and Louie was commemorated in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest surviving Janus cat. So, there is still some hope that Tung Ngern and Tong Tong will survive into adulthood.
The Janus kitten isn’t the only animal with extra body parts capturing Thai people’s hearts today. This morning, a four-legged chicken made headlines after becoming somewhat of a celebrity at a farm in Nong Khai province, northeast Thailand.
SOURCE: Thai Rath