7/26/2002: Siamese-sextuplet kittens

[Undertoad]

I'm not sure what you call this. I guess the proper term is "conjoined litter" but not really "siamese kittens", which would be the product of a siamese momma cat.

All six of these kittens are joined - somewhere! It happened in South Korea. The mother, "Nabi" ("Butterfly") gave birth to these four females and two males. They don't know whether it was the result of environmental conditions or just plain genetic defect. No word on whether they'll live or whether there'll be any attempt to separate. I'm guessing they are gone by now... sad.

And I just don't want to think of what kind of birthing process it must've took to eject these buggers. Ow.

And if they did live, and remained attached, and grew, I wonder how they'd get around? Rolling, I'd guess!

Here's another shot. Pretty wild.

[Griff]

When you mentioned movement, I immediately thought Tazmanian Devil, Warner Bros not Jags neighbors. It would have been neat to watch them learn to cooperate, unless they didn't and that'd just be animal cruelty.

[elSicomoro]

Damn...that is one hell of a mutation. What are the chances of this happening? I would imagine in the billions.

[Tobiasly]

These don't look like happy animals who are enjoying life, Toad. I think you got yesterday and today backwards!

What kinda weekend are we all gonna have now?

[Tobiasly]

And of course, the question that this begs to answer is:

If you throw a ball-o'-kittens into the air, which side does it land on?

I bet whoever came up with "cats always land on their feet" feels pretty stupid right about now.

[headsplice]

if you stick toast that's been buttered on them, do we have a levitational device?

[dude123]

Normally, in humans anyway, conjoined twins must be identical twins, and therefore must be the same sex (and color, for that matter). Identical twins happen when a fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos; conjoined twins happen when this process only goes part-way. So these kittens are either something different and even weirder, or a hoax...

[Griff]

hmm... I thought I read somewhere that fraternal twins could grow into each each other like that and they'd each have a complete set of organs... or was it frat brothers not having an organ among them? I fergit.

[elSicomoro]

You know, the two Koreas are still at war. Maybe this is the North's first strike...

[Pie]

Originally posted by dude123
Normally, in humans anyway, conjoined twins must be identical twins, and therefore must be the same sex (and color, for that matter). Identical twins happen when a fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos; conjoined twins happen when this process only goes part-way. So these kittens are either something different and even weirder, or a hoax...

You're right, as far as I remember my biology -- siamese twins result from incomplete -blast division (2-3 days of formation) and thus must be identical...

This (if true) must be due to environmental oddities -- krazy glue?


- Pie

[Undertoad]

Well, they really are joined... if you look at the bottom, those are like 4 little anuses there, and the "U" of brown is all body with two heads...

[gazoo]

There are 5 kittens in the top picture, and no hint that a little orange kitten is underneath them, with one kitten facing down. In the bottom picture there are 6 kittens, all facing up. Plus, there are two orange kittens on the outside, where in the top photo, the orange ones are more scattered.

[jinx]

From here

MISTAKEN DIAGNOSIS OF CONJOINED KITTENS
In July 2002, I received information about "Siamese sextuplets". The six apparently conjoined kittens were born to a cat in Pusan, 281 miles (450 km) south of Seoul, South Korea. There were 3 ginger and 3 black kittens. Their bodies were joined to each other. The mother cat was named "Nabi" (Butterfly). The kittens were two males and four females. Local vets blamed genetic defects or external environmental factors. A genetic defect is unlikely; conjoined kittens are due to incomplete separation of an egg or, in lesser cases, to duplication of body parts.
It is unlikely that the mother could give birth to six fused kittens - her birth canal simply could not accommodate them. Conjoined individuals originate from a single egg. This means the kittens should have been identical sextuplets and all the same colour and same gender. I therefore find it unlikely that they were born conjoined. It is more likely that they became stuck together after birth. Similar things have been seen in so-called "rat kings" or "squirrel kings" where the newborns become glued together by blood, amniotic fluid, tangled umbilical cords, excrement etc, or by tangled tails. Tangled kittens not unknown where the mother cat is inexperienced or cannot cope (or has given birth in wet, dirty surroundings).

[xoxoxoBruce]

Korea? As in China or Japan, they are obviously glutinous kittens.

Welcome to the Cellar, gazoo.

[skysidhe]

I grew up in the country. We had alot of animals. I saw alot of kittens being born. I've also worked with disabled kids who were malformed. From my experience they seem too round and perfect. It has to be a hoax. Being the curious truth seeker I am I searched some other conjoined kitten pictures.


Ha! and I found your picture at the bottom of the page! One of the kittens died and they stuck to it like the article suggests.http://messybeast.com/freak-conjoined.htm