A one-eyed kitten that lived for one day was born with a rare condition called cyclopia; photos of the deformed newborn were substantiated by the Associated Press.
Cy, short for Cyclops, was born Dec. 28 with one large, opened eye in the center of its head and no nose, according to its owner, Traci Allen of Redmond, Ore. Allen said that she fed the Ragdoll kitten with a syringe, but it died the next day. A sibling was born healthy and normal, the AP reported.
A photo of the kitten spread on the Internet earlier in January, and some skeptics declared that the photo was probably doctored. But a photo editor with the Associate Press asked Allen to send him the memory card containing the digital photos, and after looking at the pictures said that it would have been nearly impossible to fake them.
The birth defect has been known to occur in many types of mammals, including humans, and is caused by a brain disorder called holoprosencephaly, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It happens when the front of the brain fails to develop correctly into two lobes. Cyclopia is the most severe result of the disorder, which can also cause cleft lips.
Posted: Jan. 12, 2006, 3 p.m. EST