Two-faced kitten shocks owner, veterinarianThe News-Review
DAN TRAYLOR
June 16, 2005
It was born with four eyes, two noses, two mouths and two tongues, but it’s just one cat.
A two-faced female kitten, named Gemini, was born late Sunday night. The kitten is owned by Lee Bluetear of Glide.
“It’s like it’s got one head. Up at the front is where it’s split,” Bluetear said. “Right at the front (the faces) are basically independent.”
The two mouths appear to flow into one throat, Bluetear said.
“The vets and I both agreed that she probably has one brain,” she added.
So far, Gemini is alive and well, much stronger and drinking more milk than its first days.
“Everybody is totally amazed that this thing exists,” Bluetear said.
That includes Roseburg veterinarian Alan Ross, who examined Gemini on Tuesday. “With the three of our veterinarians here, we have a combined total of 50 years of experience,” Ross said. “We have never seen anything like this.”
Ross is cautious when he talks about Gemini’s future. He says he cannot be sure how long the kitten will survive, especially because he has not seen it since Tuesday.
“When I saw it the other day, I wouldn’t have given it more than a 10 percent chance of survival,” he said.
He said there are simply too many unanswered questions in a case like this.
But after hearing that Gemini was doing a little better, Ross said the kitten might have a better outlook.
“If this kitty makes it I’ll be extremely surprised, but happy to hear it’s doing better,” he said.
Ross said that if Gemini does survive, it might need surgery to remove some extra tissue in between the two mouths.
Bluetear, 40, has lived in the Glide area for six years, and has been breeding different kinds of animals, starting with dogs, since 1980.
But about three years ago, she discovered a litter of smaller than normal kittens she calls “miniature cats.” She now has plans to market the miniature cats on the Internet.
The miniatures grow to about 3 1/2 to 5 pounds, Bluetear said. Gemini was born to a miniature mother and a full-size father.
“She’s going to have a maximum weight of five pounds,” Bluetear said.
Bluetear is aware that her kitten might not live a full life.
“I kind of feel sorry for her, because I can’t know for a fact if she’s going to live or die,” she said. “If she makes it, she should be a perfectly normal and healthy cat. Other than having two faces.”
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