Beautiful black cat with a unique genetic condition that gives it four ears and a curled tail goes viral online, and his fosters are ecstatic about all the adoption offers: 'We don't think we'll have any difficulty finding him that [forever] home'

Yes, this cat is real and alive, and we are head over heels for it.

In an era of AI, when we're not sure whether half of the things that we see are real or not, coming across an image of a cat like this one would instantly be suspicious. You might even scroll past. But we, here at ICHC, do the research. We show you the cool cats, the unique and rare cats, that look like they might be AI but are actually real. Because even if most of the things that we see are fabricated, we have to remember that some things are still real. Like cats with two noses who are twice as adorable, or cats with faces that are half one color and half another, known as chimera cats, or cats with giant gray eyes that look entirely disproportionate to their faces.

And of course, cats with four ears. If you've never heard of such a thing, you might have scrolled past this cat instantly. Because it simply doesn't look real. But Dobby is a real cat, with a real - albeit rare - genetic condition. It doesn't cause him any harm. It just gives him an extra set of ears to ignore you with and an adorably curled tail for you to admire.

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via kittykathaven_andrescue
Yes, this is actually a real, living cat, and his name is Dobby. Dobby is a 7-month-old black cat, and he has a rare genetic mutation that gives him a short, curled tail, an underbite, and the most obvious - an extra set of ears.
According to People, Dobby's foster mom, Stephanie Brown, explained that Dobby's previous owner had been trying to rehome Dobby after months of unsuccessful attempts to help him adjust to a senior cat in the household. "They had tried for months, and it wasn't a right match," Brown says. "Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to foster him."
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via Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue
"He's been vetted, he's been neutered, and we've seen the dental specialist," Brown adds, explaining that Dobby's extra ears and curled tail are a result of a rare genetic mutation. It's his underbite that required medical attention. His narrow jaw causes his bottom teeth to protrude into the roof of his mouth. "They're going to go in and shorten the length of his lower canines," she explains. "They're not going to remove them. They're actually able to just shorten the length." He is scheduled for the dental operation in late April.
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via flydove7
About Dobby's unique appearance, Brown says, “I think it's a matter of embracing all of those differences and understanding, just like people, every creature, every animal, is going to have their own unique personality, presentation, conditions, appearance, everything like that.” And about all the attention that he's gotten online over the past couple of days, “Dobby is very popular, and we don't think we'll have any difficulty finding him that [forever] home,” and that is the best thing that we could hear.
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