Ein unscheinbares Kätzchen wurde ins Tierheim gebracht, scheinbar wie viele andere zuvor, schwach und verängstigt, doch als es den Mut fand, sich umzudrehen, geschah etwas, das niemand erwartet hätte – ein seltener, fast unglaublicher Makel oder vielleicht ein Geschenk der Natur, das so einzigartig war, dass die Pfleger ungläubig nach Luft schnappten, die Augen weit aufgerissen, als hätten sie Zeuge eines kleinen Wunders voller Geheimnisse geworden… klickt auf den Link, um das ganze Video zu sehen
A few weeks ago, Sacramento SPCA rescued a stray kitten who’d been found alone on the street. When the kitten first arrived at the shelter, he tested positive for ringworm, which is highly contagious, so he had to be temporarily isolated from humans and other cats.
When the kitten was feeling better, he emerged from his isolation. For the first time, the shelter volunteers were able to get a good look at him. As they examined the cat, they were shocked to realize that there was something unusual about him.
From the front, he looked like an ordinary kitten. But when he turned around, the shelter volunteers saw that he had two extra flaps of skin protruding from behind his head. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the kitten had four ears.
“At that point, word spread very quickly and everyone was excited,” Sarah Varanini, communications manager at Sacramento SPCA, told The Dodo.
The shelter staff and volunteers decided to name the kitten Quattro, the Italian word for four. They were all delighted by his unique appearance — and mystified by it.
“The multiple ears are likely caused by some sort of rare mutation, so rare that there doesn’t appear to be any … studies regarding it,” Varanini said.
One might think that with four ears, Quattro would have super hearing abilities. It was clear, though, that the cat’s mutation was purely decorative.
“The ears do not connect to the ear canal — they are extra pieces of skin with fur that poke out on the back side of the primary ears,” Varanini said. “They do not seem to serve any real function … other than being adorable.”
Varanini noticed that in addition to his extra ears, Quattro also has a narrower face and slightly smaller eyes than most kittens. She’s observed the same thing in other cats with extra ears, so perhaps that’s part of the mutation.
Varanini posted a video of Quattro to Sacramento SPCA’s social media, which quickly went viral.
“[W]ho wouldn’t want to hear about a four-eared kitten?” Varanini said.
Sure enough, before long, Quattro got adopted. His new dad drove three hours to Sacramento and showed up just an hour after the shelter opened. Needless to say, he was excited about the four-eared kitten.
Varanini was sad to see Quattro go, but was thankful that she got to play a role in this unique kitten finding his forever home.
