Two-Faced Janus Cat
Frank and Louie, or Frankenlouie, are the names of a famous cat born with 2 faces which recently made it into the Guiness World Records He broke the record for the longest surviving Janus cat.
Janus is the name of a two-faced Roman god. In most cases, Janus cats live only a mere one to four days. Frankenlouie has survived to the old age of twelve so far.
He lives in Worcester, Massachusetts with the woman who rescued him from a plan to be euthanized when he was only a day old. His rescuer and new owner was a nurse at a veterinary school at the time when he was brought in. She just couldn’t let him die that easily and she took him home and raised him. She took him everywhere in a shoebox and had to feed him a special formula every two hours through a stomach tube.
Frank and Louie as a Kitten
Janus Cats
Janus cats usually never survive their first few days of life. This birth defect is usually accompanied by congenital defects, including a cleft palate. This physical issue usually makes eating difficult and the kittens often starve to death or they get milk in their lungs and develop pneumonia. Frank and Louie’s savior used feeding tubes for 3 months in help avoid complications common to Janus kittens.
Video of Frank and Louie
How It Works
Frankenlouie has two mouths, two noses, and 3 eyes. The one in the center is larger but does not function. The center eye doesn’t even blink which gives him an eerie look. So, his two working eyes are located on either side of the head making his sight view similar to a horses’. His owner says he tends to swing his head back and forth when walking to see where he is going.
When they eat, Frank is the one actually chewing and eating the food. Louie just waits but he moves his nose in unison with Frank’s nose – when “they’re” eating. Frank and Louie always use just the one mouth for eating. The second mouth doesn’t have a lower jaw and isn’t connected to their esophagus. They say his gentle nature and sweet personality usually wins people over – once they recover from the shock.