Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
A kitten in Brazil is being dubbed Cyclops Cat after it was born with one eye, as seen in a viral video.
“I’m 32 years old and I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” farmhand Gilberto Almeida told NewsX of the one-eyed feline, which was born on Nov. 4 in Vilhena, in the state of Rondônia. “My cat has had several litters, but this was the first time something like this happened.”
The monocular mouse-catcher was part of a litter of four, but was the only one born with a single peeper.
Accompanying footage shows Almeida clutching the little black kitten, which looks so peculiar it could’ve been AI-generated.
Alas, the poor little fellow died just less than two days later, on Nov. 6, due to breathing difficulties.
“When the embryo is developing, instead of the brain structure dividing into two parts, a single mass forms,” explained veterinarian Janete Silva while describing the condition. “As the eye follows this division, it ends up positioned in the center.”Gilberto Almeida/newsX/NF
The ocularly unusual kitten reportedly suffered from cyclopia, a rare congenital disorder named after the cyclops, a monster in Greek mythology known for sporting a single eye.
“When the embryo is developing, instead of the brain structure dividing into two parts, a single mass forms,” explained veterinarian Janete Silva. “As the eye follows this division, it ends up positioned in the center.”
The condition can affect humans as well, and is often caused by chromosomal abnormalities or medication exposure during pregnancy.
Fortunately, the condition is exceedingly rare, affecting fewer than 1 in 100,000 babies, according to WebMD.
Sufferers of cyclopia rarely live long, as the condition makes respiration difficult, with many of those afflicted dying shortly after birth, as was the case with the cat.
It often results in a miscarriage or stillbirth.