An animal rescue in Tennessee this week took in an abandoned litter of kittens and found one had been born with four ears.
True Rescue in Mount Juliet on Tuesday shared photos on Facebook of the "extremely rare" cat, who arrived with his three siblings. The cat, named Audio by rescuers in honor of his "surround-sound speakers," is estimated to be 8–9 weeks old, and weighs just over two pounds.
In photos, Audio can be seen with one pair of ears opening forward in the typical way, while a smaller set of ear is tucked within, opening backward. Rescuers say the genetic mutation that causes four ears is rare but "completely harmless."
"The last kitten we were able to find research about that had 4 ears came from Turkey and was from 2 years ago," True Rescue said. "We will have him fully checked by a vet, but from what we know, the inner ear is completely normal and will cause no issues, other than having extra flaps to clean!"
After sharing the images of Audio on Tuesday, True Rescue gained a lot of attention on social media. Director of Operations Kristin Condite told WKRN the extra attention has helped bring in much-needed donations after recent flooding, which has both damaged the facility and slowed down the rate of adoptions in prime kitten season.
“We’ve had ongoing issues with drainage problems and foundation issues,” Condite told the outlet. “Sunday night, it was 4 inches [of water] from the rear wall to the front doors.”
Despite the widespread interest, Condite said that Audio is not quite ready for adoption, as vets are still monitoring him.
-With TMX
