You Must Be A Kitten! Adorable Cat Is Born With FOUR Ears Thanks To Rare Genetic Mutation
- The cat, named Audio, was brought to the True Rescue shelter last month
The idea of a cat with four ears might bring to mind a creature from a science fiction movie.
But it’s become a reality in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where a cat was born with four ears thanks to a rare genetic mutation.
The cat, named Audio, was brought to the True Rescue shelter last month along with his three siblings.
True Rescue wrote the following on their Facebook page: ‘This kitten arrived at our shelter today with his 3 siblings and he has a rare genetic mutation: he was born with FOUR EARS!
‘The last 4-eared kitten we could find for research came from Turkey and was from 2 years ago.’
The idea of a cat with four ears may sound like something out of the latest science fiction blockbuster. But it has become a reality in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where a cat with four ears has been born thanks to a rare genetic mutation
Audio was only 8-9 weeks old when he was brought to the shelter after being found with his littermates in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a video posted to True Rescue’s Facebook page, a worker explained: “They were found in a box with duct tape, no air holes. A good Samaritan was able to get them out, feed them, and bring them to us.”
They laid Audio on a table and said, ‘He has four ears!’
‘We have ear flaps that face forward and ear flaps that face backward.
“He’s very sweet and very grateful that he’s no longer in that box.”
Audio’s photos and videos received a lot of attention on Facebook, where animal lovers expressed their enthusiasm in the comments.
Audio was only 8-9 weeks old when he was brought to the shelter after being discovered with his littermates in Nashville, Tennessee
In recent years, several four-eared cats have been in the news, including a Russian Blue cat named Midas who has amassed a whopping 344,000 followers on Instagram
“This is SO cool! I love genetic abnormalities, just fascinating. I’m glad he’s okay,” one user commented.
Another added: ‘He’s so cute! The ears remind me of Dobby, I think that would be a cute name for him.’
And someone joked, “Extra ears to ignore.”
Although cats with four ears are rare, they are not unheard of.
According to a study published in the Journal of Heredity In 1957, the trait was found to be caused by a recessive mutation that affects only the outer ear flaps (also called pinnae), and not the inner ear mechanism.
However, that study also found that many cats with the mutation have smaller eyes, an undershot jaw, and are less active and listless.
In recent years, several four-eared cats have been in the news, including a Russian Blue named Midas who has no fewer than 344,000 followers on Instagram.
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