[Illusion]

A cat with two faces, named Frank and Louie, is held its owner Marty, at their home in Worcester, Massachusetts


Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes - and lots of doubts about his future.

Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being put to sleep because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but has also made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records.

Frank and Louie is the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named after a Roman god with two faces.

"Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days," said Ms Stevens, of Worcester, Massachusetts, stroking Frank and Louie's soft fur as he sat on her lap purring.

"So, he's ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him."

Frank and Louie's breeder had taken him to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Ms Stevens was working at the time, to be put down when he was just a day old. Ms Stevens offered to take him home, but experts told her not to get her hopes up.

Janus cats almost never survive and most have congenital defects, including a cleft palate that makes it difficult for them to nurse and often causes them to slowly starve or get milk in their lungs and die of pneumonia. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.

But Frank and Louie did not suffer from most of the common Janus problems. Ms Stevens used feeding tubes to nourish him for three months, hoping that would also save him from the danger of choking on food going down two mouths.

But she need not have worried - Frank and Louie used just one of his mouths to eat.

"The condition itself is very rare, and I think that the fact that this cat became an adult, a healthy adult, is remarkable," said Dr Armelle deLaforcade, an associate professor at Cummings and head of the emergency services section.

Colleagues at the veterinary hospital told Ms Stevens that trying to raise Frank and Louie might not be good for him - or her. Still, she "stood firm and stood by the cat, and I'm really glad she did because this cat really has fewer problems than many cats that have very normal anatomies", Dr deLaforcade said.

Frank and Louie's two faces have a complicated relationship. Both noses work, but one mouth does not have a lower jaw and is not connected to his one oesophagus, so he cannot eat with it. Ms Stevens discovered that only after the cat got an MRI scan later in life.

The animal can see out of only two of his three eyes. The middle one cannot even blink and makes Frank and Louie appear to be staring even when his other eyes are closed.

But Frank and Louie does not seem to be bothered by his condition and has developed a friendly personality. The breed is known for its soft and silky fur, docile temperament and penchant for relaxing in a person's arms like a rag doll.

He is "very, very laid back, not afraid of people, very friendly and he's actually more of a dog than a cat", Ms Stevens said. "He walks on a leash, he goes right in the car; he loves car rides."

[**butterflylove**]

why give it two names? Its not like one will come and the other won't....

[Azimuth]

Think about this. Frank and Louie can meow shit to your face and meow shit behind your back at the same time. Frank and Louie are my kind.

[Faline]

Originally Posted by **BUTTERFLYLOVE** ↗

why give it two names? Its not like one will come and the other won't....

[kellyhound]

bizarre but cute

[Faline]

[Illusion]

I cannot recall one instance in my life where I adored the look of any cat up until now. Where can I adopt a double headed mutant kittah?

[Smackeddie]

woah woah woah,,,, more to the point

TWO mouths and only ONE asshole.. that thing must shit like a dog aswel!!! hahaha

[rafaelfy]

I feel kinda sorry for the cat, or the other cat the left one, Because I think it kinda have no control over the body, and it just sees things but can't actually do anything for it. There's a look in it that he's kinda very lonely and wanted to end his misery, but it can't. The other cat is eating and moving around playing etc etc. They only have one stomach. So it's like leaving the other cat with no choice but to self pity. lol

[Drusilla]

Originally Posted by **BUTTERFLYLOVE** ↗

why give it two names? Its not like one will come and the other won't....

I think it's a pun. Sure,two names for two faces,but when his owner says it fast it sounds like 'FrankenLouie" i.e like Frankenstein.
And if that cat doesn't look like bits and pieces of cat sewn together,I don't know what does.