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Two-Faced Kitten Named Biscuits And Gravy Dies Four Days After Birth

ALBANY, Ore. (CBS Local) -- Biscuits and Gravy, a two-faced kitten that captured national attention after being born in Oregon last week, has died. The rare Janus kitten -- named after the Roman god Janus, often depicted with two faces in mythology -- was one of a litter born Wednesday on a farm east of Albany.

It suffered from a rare congenital defect called disprosopus, or cranial duplication. Most Janus cats don't live longer than a day.

"We're not super optimistic but it does seem pretty lively and has an appetite and seems to be doing pretty well," the cat's owner, BJ King, told CBS affiliate KOIN on Thursday.

BJ's wife, Kyla, said she reached out to their vet to learn more about the kitten's condition, how to care for it and its odds of survival. She learned there wasn't much that could be done medically for the tiny creature. All she could do was make it comfortable and help it eat.

Biscuits and Gravy passed away Saturday night at four days old.

The Kings bottle-fed Biscuits and Gravy -- "Biscuit" for short -- and Kyla kept it warm by tucking it into her shirt and even slept with it through the night in a separate room because BJ is allergic to cats.

The unique kitten could "meow out of one mouth and eat out of the other," BJ said.

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