Two-headed Cat 'Frankenlouie' Turns 12 In Worcester, Mass. (VIDEO)
A two-headed cat in Worcester, Mass., has twice the reasons for celebrating his recent birthday: It got him in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The double-domed feline is named "Frankenlouie," and according to its owner, who only wants to be known as Marty, he turned 12 on Sept. 8, according to the Worcester Telegram.
In doing so, he earned a place in the record books for being the longest-lived Janus cat (the term for cats with two heads, which comes from the name of a two-faced Roman god).
"He is the most astounding two-headed animal of all," according to Todd Ray of the Venice Beach Freakshow, who has some by estimates, the largest collection of bizarre animals in the world -- including 22 living two-headed animals and a five-legged dog.
Still, he says Frankenlouie is in a class by his two-headed self.
"We might never see another one in our lifetime," Ray told HuffPost Weird News. "I have seen many two-headed animals die within a week. To see one alive for weeks is incredible, but to have one alive for years is truly amazing."
Ray, who is friends with Marty, says she is, in some ways, just as incredible as her two-headed cat.
"She was able to prove that an animal like this can live a good life," he said. "She is a wonderful woman."
But Frankenlouie almost didn't make it past a day, according to his owner, who first met her long-lived pet when she worked at Tufts Veterinary School as a nurse.
"He was brought in at a day old to be euthanized and I said, 'I'll take him,' and they let me," she told journalist Nancy Sheehan. "He was just so unique, but had he been a normal kitten, I probably would have taken him also. Nobody else did."
The cat has two mouths, two noses and two normal eyes with one larger non-functioning eye in the center. Marty suspects he sees much like a horse does.
As far as eating? Well, that requires a certain amount of delegation.
"Frank does the eating and Louie just hangs out and his nose goes along in unison as Frank eats," Marty said.
That wasn't always the case. In the early years, Marty took him everywhere in a shoebox and fed him every two hours with a special formula, often by sticking a tube into the stomach.
Even then, veterinarians advised her not to get her hopes up.
“But every day he got stronger,” Marty said. “He just kept beating the odds.”
He beats the odds in other ways too. Although his bizarre appearance shocks visitors, the Daily Beast reports that he wins folks over with his sweet and affectionate nature.
WATCH FRANKENLOUIE ON ANIMAL PLANET
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First Posted: 09/28/11 10:44 AM ET Updated: 11/28/11 05:12 AM ET