At the end of 2025, Abdulrauf Musa, 26, from Lagos, Nigeria shared a video on TikTok that shocked the world. A mama cat had just given birth to three little kittens. Except one of the babies was an extremely rare soul who was born with two faces. Yes, you read that right. It isn’t the first time it has happened, and sadly it meant the babe likely wouldn’t be long for this world.
The Arrival of the Janus Kitten
The video rightfully went viral, shocking people all around the globe. It’s short with no words. Honestly, what do you even say when this happens? Abdulraufs’ video begins with a proud tabico mama cat standing lovingly over her three newborns. Clearly, she is comfortable with him and fully trusts her human with her babies. Let’s hope it’s her last litter.
But he gently lifts up baby number one.
Screenshot: Baby 1
Next, baby number two, umbilical cord still attached.
And then baby number 3; the mini miracle.
As Pet Genius described it: “Four eyes blinked back. Two noses. Two mouths. One small tabby head holding both faces.” Sidenote – normally kittens open their eyes around 10 days old.
So why does this happen and why are they referred to as “Janus Cats”?
The official medical condition for this is called disprosopia.
Disprosopia, more accurately known as Diprosopus, is an extremely rare congenital disorder where parts or all of the face are duplicated on the head, essentially meaning “two-faced” from Greek origins (di- “two,” prosopon “face”). essentially meaning “two-faced” from Greek origins (di- “two,” prosopon “face”).It stems from errors in embryonic development, primarily linked to abnormal signaling of the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) protein, which controls facial formation; it’s not usually conjoined twins, but rather a single embryo where facial structures duplicate due to excessive SHH activity, leading to duplicated features like snouts, eyes, and mouths on one skull.They are called “Janus cats”after the two-faced Roman god Janus, symbolizing beginnings and transitions, because these rare felines have one body with two faces, much like the deity.
Sadly, the life expectancy of these felines is not long. There are simply too many congenital issues to deal with when ‘sharing’ body parts. And although this little fragile soul was loved by it’s mother, love wouldn’t be enough to save it. The other two kittens had no signs of any issues and they along with mama cat were in good health though.
Abdulrauf immediately consulted his veterinarian and after an exam, the vet recommend euthanization per the kittens quality of life. Pet Genius again beautifully described the emotional event.
For those few days the little tabby was alive, people watched those four eyes open and close. They saw its mother groom it gently alongside her other kittens. They saw something impossibly rare and impossibly fragile.
Sometimes nature creates something we have no language for. Something that shouldn’t exist but does. Something that makes us stop and remember how thin the line is between miracle and heartbreak.
Rest now, little one. You were seen. You were noticed. You mattered.@abc7chicago January is the month of Janus, the two-faced Roman god, and, in a timely harbinger for the new year, a pet owner in Nigeria has welcomed a two-faced cat among a newly arrived litter. Abdulrauf Musa has clocked up millions of views on TikTok with his updates on the little one, born with a congenital condition known as diprosopia. Musa said he’d contacted three vets, who were advising him to euthanize the kitten. However, he said he’d prefer to do everything he could to help it survive. Janus-faced cats usually do not live long. But some defy the odds. The oldest on record lived for 15 years, according to the Guinness Book of Records. #news #cats #kitten #kittens #nigeria #animals #pets
Two Faced Cats and Guinness World Records
In 2019, People magazine published an article about a newborn female black Janus kitten, later named Duo. Sadly, her mother rejected her likely due to the birth defects, as happens often. Thankfully, she was welcomed into the home of Dr. Ralph Tran who cared and loved her until she crossed the rainbow bridge in June of 2023.
Photo: People Magazine ; Duo the kitten Facebook @duotwofacedcat
A dedicated cat dad, he shared her life and story on social media where more than 400K followers fell in love with her.
We at Cole and Marmalade even did her story.
That same year, another Janus kitten was born in Canada to a woman’s one year old cat. But alas, even with all the care they could give, the kitten only survived 3 days. 
But there is one Janus cat who defied the odds; Frank and Louie. They lived to be 15 years old! Which rightfully so, earned them a spot as the Guinness World Record holder as the “longest living cat with two faces”.
Frank and Louie; Photograph: Steven Senne/AP
Guinness World Records shared the handsome boy and his story.
As a kitten, he required a lot of care and attention and was fed every two hours with special kitten formula. “He grew up in a shoebox.” says owner Marty, who was working as a vet nurse when she adopted the cat who had been brought in to her surgery. “He went to work with me every day for the first three months of his life.”
