Friday 22 August 2008 | How about that? feed | All feeds

Advertisement

Cat with four ears 'a target for catnappers'

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

 
 of  Images
Yoda's extra ears are not thought to help him hear
Yoda's extra ears are not thought to help him hear Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA
Yoda the four-eared cat with his owner Valerie Rock
Yoda the four-eared cat with his owner Valerie Rock Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Rhythmic gymnastics

Rythmic gymanstics

Olga Kapranova led the rhythmic gymnastics qualifiers in Beijing.

Pictures of the day

A monkey with a teddy, a squirrel with a coconut, and a cereal Osama.

Celebrity sightings

Our regularly-updated review of celebrity photos and paparazzi snaps.

Dancing women, From Russia with riches - and rudeness

From Russia with rudeness

Move over loud Americans - there's a new, more annoying tourist.

Spanish Grand Prix

Spanish flyers

As F1 moves to Valencia, we celebrate the old Montjuïc track.

Telegraph e-music. Download music today

50 free music downloads

See our editors' recommendations and start downloading tracks free.

New Blackberry reviewed on the Gadget Inspectors only on Telegraph TV

New BlackBerry

Harry and Claudine check out the new iPhone challenger.

Back to top

More Telegraph.co.uk

Archive Contact us RSS Feeds Today's news Syndication Reader prints

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008 Terms & Conditions of reading Commercial information Privacy and Cookie Policy.