4-month-old kitten Midas was born with two sets of ears and a defective jaw due to a recessive gene mutation. But this is the attraction for the cat to become a social network star with more than 73,000 followers.
Midas was adopted by Canis Dosemeci in Ankara (Turkey's capital) after being born with six other cats in a friend's backyard.
Dosemeci said she and her husband fell in love with Midas at first sight and decided to adopt him because they thought that with his special appearance, he would have less chance of being adopted than other animals.
"We never thought about buying a cat. We just wanted to rescue a cat from the streets and adopt it. I hope Midas's popularity can raise awareness about adopting, not buying pets," Ms. Dosemeci shared.
According to veterinarian Aslan, Midas's physical differences do not affect his health.
"Midas was born with four ears due to a genetic mutation. But unlike other four-eared cats, both of his ears are connected to the ear canal. In addition, Midas's lower jaw is slightly wider at the both sides, so its tongue is constantly exposed. However, this mutation does not affect Midas's health. He can live normally like any other cat," Mr. Aslan said.
Midas currently lives with two Golden Retriever dogs named Suzy and Zeyno. Midas's name comes from the mythical king of Phrygia, who was cursed with donkey ears.
Midas is even more special as all 4 of its ears are connected to the ear canal. It's unclear whether those "extra" ears gave Midas super hearing, but they certainly didn't affect daily life or hinder Midas' growing popularity.
