Little Bettie Bee conquered the hearts of the world when her owner decided to show her peculiarities. The kitten was born into a healthy litter of felines and, in many ways, bears great similarities with her siblings, as she has four legs, a tail, and a beautiful tiger-like fur. However, it is her differences that make her special. Bettie Bee was born with two faces that together give the kitten three eyes, two noses, and two mouths, an anomaly that makes her beautifully unique.
As soon as her owner realized that Bettie Bee was a special kitten, she went to the vet for help. She was soon told that she suffered from a rare congenital anomaly known as ‘craniofacial duplication’ or ‘diprosopus,’ which causes certain facial features to double during gestation.
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A second chance
The first opinion was a hard blow for her owner, as putting her to sleep was the most immediate solution. However, her owner decided to give her a second chance and gave her up for adoption to a rescuer who specialized in caring for cats with different needs. The rescuer took her in with great love to try to give little Bettie Bee the best possible quality of life. Although she knew that she would have difficulties breastfeeding, her double face did not guarantee that the ducts would carry the milk to the right organs.
This type of cat suffering from the rare congenital disease of ‘craniofacial duplication’ is called Janus. There have been other Janus cats in the past that have managed to thrive in the difficult conditions caused by the malformation. There have even been cases where they reach adulthood with proper care; sadly, little Bettie Bee didn’t meet such a fate. She passed soon after complications of neumonia.
Still, the kitten landed in the right hands who, with love and care, did their best to keep her healthy. “She is incredible. I still look at her and can’t believe she’s real,” the rescuer exclaims with great love. “I am taking it day by day, and hope she continues to thrive and be with me and my husband for many years to come. It’s wonderful to see how many people support her,” she said.
The unusual appearance of Bettie Bee, the kitty with two faces, has caused netizens to turn their eyes to her plight. And although nothing has been said and the outcome of this story is not known, the little feline has reminded Internet users that the true beauty of life lies in its differences, those that make every living being that exists on this planet unique. It is thanks to this diversity that life continues to thrive, the greatest treasure of planet Earth.
Text courtesy of Ecoosfera
