Two Faced Cat
An unusual cat with two faces has died at the age of 15. His name is Frank and Louie, and was put down due to a diagnosis of severe cancer that would not have improved with treatment. This cat had a condition called diprosopus. The over-expression of a gene called sonic hedgehog (Shh), which plays a role in organizing midline structures of the brain, is what caused the deformation. Instead of stopping where it is supposed to, the features kept splitting. This is why the cat has side-by-side faces on one head. Frank and Louie holds the Guinness World record for the longest-lived Janus cat. Janus is named after the Roman god with two faces. Many Janus cats do not live more than a few days, which depends on the severity of the deformity. Death of the majority of Janus cats is caused by being abandoned or killed by their mother, not being able to eat properly, or insurmountable brain defects.
