With two heads, Janus cats are truly remarkable, but because of their unusual form, they are usually born with complications.
Many do not live beyond a few days because they are shunned by their mothers. This is why it's even more remarkable when one lived up to 15 years. Unfortunately, Frank and Louie, the oldest Janus cat in the world, died on Dec. 4, succumbing to cancer.
Frank and Louie met his human mom Marty Stevens in 1999. The cat was brought into Tufts University at just a day old, ready to be euthanized. Given Janus cats are rare, news about the kitten spread, prompting many to take a look. One of them was Stevens who was working in Tufts at the time.
Stevens saw Frank and Louie and asked veterinarians if she could try to save him. They warned her that the cat might not live beyond three or four days. She started caring for the then-kitten one day at a time. Soon, everyone was hopeful he would be able to survive.
Stevens continued tube-feeding Frank and Louie until he was three months old as she was afraid the cat would not be able to eat. Frank, the side with an esophagus, eventually learned to eat and the cat was in good health.
Fast forward to 2012: Frank and Louie was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest Janus cat in the world.
Frank and Louie was, however, rushed on Thursday morning to Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. According to Stevens, the cat appeared a little down around Thanksgiving. She gave him some fluids, but he was not getting any better and had to be taken to Tufts.
While Stevens was out pooling funds for Frank and Louie's medical care, the clinic called her saying the cat was critically ill. When she got back to Tufts, she was told that her beloved feline was probably sick with "really bad cancer." To prevent further pain, Frank and Louie was euthanized.
Should the opportunity arise, Stevens said she would be willing to care for a Janus cat again.
In 2013, Stevens spoke with a family in Oregon who had a Janus cat. Unfortunately, the kitten died after two days. Typically, Janus cats are born with cleft palates and other deformities that make it difficult for them to get nourishment.
Janus cats are named after a Roman god with two faces.
