Sometimes we experience challenges that demand greater effort to overcome, and this is not exclusive to humans but also applies to animals.
Such is the case of Duo, a little cat who is different from the rest. This little feline was born with a condition known as diprosopus, a craniofacial duplication.
Duo has one body and one head with two independent faces. Most kittens with this condition only manage to live a couple of days. However, Duo has defied all odds and has reached four months.
This kitten was rejected by its mother but found a human father who has cared for it with much love.
Dr. Ralph Tran, a veterinarian from California, adopted Duo with the commitment to attend to all its needs and give it a new lease on life.
Ralph volunteered to take care of it and made a stop at his friend’s house to pick up Duo.
Thanks to all the veterinarian’s care, Duo can now feed itself using its two mouths, walk, and is currently learning to climb. Diprosopus is a rare condition caused by a malfunction of a protein called Sonic Hedgehog. Cats born with this condition are generally known as Janus cats, after the Roman god with two faces. Learning to live with Duo’s condition is very difficult; it has two noses that perceive smells separately, two mouths that eat independently, and three eyes. However, the central eye cannot see, and it will be necessary to surgically remove it once it is old enough.
Duo has had several complications; however, Ralph’s love and patience have ensured its favorable development, despite being slower than that of others of its species.
Ralph has documented the progress of this little cat on his Facebook account, narrating all the challenges it has had to overcome during its months of life. Ralph assures that Duo does not suffer much pain or discomfort. At first, Duo refused to eat, so Ralph was forced to use a tube and syringe every five hours to feed it.
It also contracted a respiratory infection that was controlled with strong antibiotics, fortunately without secondary consequences for its kidneys. This brave cat also overcame a presumed seizure that temporarily left its legs immobile.
After Duo has gained enough weight to withstand anesthesia, it will undergo surgery to remove the eye in the middle of its two faces.
In the same operation, they hope to correct the eyelids of its other two eyes because they have grown inward, and the eyelashes irritate its eyeballs. When it’s time to eat, Duo takes turns feeding each mouth.
After spending several months lying down, it learned to walk. It already recognizes its owner and other cats. Duo loves to play and scratch itself.
Recently, it managed to climb to the top of a cat tree and spent hours resting on a bed at the top.
Frankenlouis, from Massachusetts, was recognized in 2012 as the oldest Janus cat by the Guinness World Records, two years before its death at the age of 15.
We hope that Duo has a happy life, and we applaud veterinarian Ralph, who adopted it with the sole interest of helping it. Don’t hesitate to share this story full of love.
Leave a Reply