Cat with four ears 'a target for catnappers'

The Telegraph ^ | 8/19/2008

[bruinbirdman]

This four-eared cat is so rare that his owners keep him indoors to prevent him getting catnapped.

The feline, named Yoda, has two extra “flaps” behind his normal ears, but is otherwise in good health and appears to have perfect hearing.

His owners, who picked him out from a litter of eight-week-old kittens being handed around in a bar, say that local vets were mystified when they took him for a check-up.

"We began to realise that we had something very special,” said Valerie Rock, 65.

"As a result, he has been an indoor cat and has a chip installed in case he gets lost,” she added.

"Yoda is so different that we were concerned that he might be catnapped.”

Valerie and her husband Ted, from Chicago, Illinois named the cat Yoda after hearing that the Star Wars character was based on George Lucas's cat.

"People do a double take when they see him or his picture. It is great fun showing him off,” Mrs Rock said.

"We have actually had people ask if we had his ears cut to look this way. But he is a perfectly normal affectionate, curious cat and is a joy to have around.”

Yoda's extra ears – which are not thought to help him hear - are not attached to the base of his skull, with one placed slightly behind the other. They are believed to be the result of a genetic mutation.

Multi-eared cats are rare, but not unheard of. In 2004, a six-month-old cat with two extra ears was put up for adoption at an animal shelter in Germany, and in the same year Russian media reported that a kitten had been born with seven ears.

[Slings and Arrows]

[Lady Jag]

[Titan Magroyne]

Might work better if blowing somewhere other than the tail ...

[Slings and Arrows]

Might work better if blowing somewhere other than the tail ...

For the cat, sure.

[Titan Magroyne]

Whut, it was sposed to be good for the human too?

LOL!

[stylecouncilor]

ping

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

We had a cat with 8 toes on each of his front paws, we called him yetti. 3 other cats in the same litter also had extra toes but not as many as 8. They were all functional also.

My wife and I were gifted with a runty little grey and white tabby. When we got her she could darn near fit in my shirt pocket. She had a white bib and four white socks. As she grew a bit we noticed that she had an extra toe on each forepaw. It was placed like an opposable thumb and he learned to use it as such to pick things up. We called her Mittens.

Some friends had an older tom with the same mutation. He could open screen doors with his "hand" but doorknobs were beyond his grasp, although he tried to turn them his "fingers" just weren't long enough.

Regards,
GtG

[Fawn]

I hope to God they get the cat fixed....this is caused by inbreeding..

[kalee]

Our Eintein cat, 18 months old, can open our front door. We have to keep it locked at all times or she liberates herself to the great outdoors.

[DungeonMaster]

A good cat should have, like two.

[Fire_on_High]

He’s a cutie. I wonder if he likes being scritched behind the second set of ears.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Your white kitties are beautiful.

Good photo and caption.

[nw_arizona_granny]

That is a beautiful baby.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Poor baby, it does need its ears.

Good photo and caption.

[Fred Nerks]

here, kitty kitty...

[LibertyRocks]

Oh. My. Gosh. That kitty is SOOOO cute - it makes you just want to pick it up and smush it with kisses! LOL

[LucyT]

makes you just want to pick it up and smush it with kisses!

That's what I thought when I first saw the photo. If it was my kitten, it never would learn to walk because I'd carry it around all the time.

[LucyT]

Awwww. Itty bitty kitties.

[tioga]

OMG.......four eared cat?

[Gabz]

It’s adorable!!!!!!!