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Because of a genetic mutation, the cat Midas was born with four ears.
Here she cuddles with a golden retriever.
Photo: Ercin Erturk / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Canis Dosemeci still remembers the day Midas came into her life.
She was strolling through a backyard in Ankara when she spotted five kittens in a corner - not uncommon in Turkey, where many strays live on the streets.
But one of the cats, a female, saw differently from the others: it had a defective jaw and two pairs of ears.
Dosemeci immediately fell in love, she told Reuters news agency.
And she feared that the unique animal would hardly survive on the street.
So Dosemeci took the cat into her apartment and named it after King Midas, who ruled the kingdom of Phrygia in Asia Minor in the eighth century BC.
Midas became famous through a Greek myth: According to this, everything he touched turned to gold - unfortunately also his daughter.
In another story, Midas made the god Apollo an opponent when he refused him victory in a singing competition.
Apollon then stretched his ears.
Midas hid his dog-ears under a Phrygian cap.
Dosemeci went to a vet with Midas.
She found that the mutation in the cat did not affect its health or hearing.
All four ear flaps are connected to the ear canal, the veterinarian told Reuters.
Midas quickly made friends with the two golden retrievers Zeyno and Suzi, who also lived in Dosemeci's apartment.
Five weeks ago, the owner started uploading photos of the cat to Instagram under the name @ midas_x24.
The cute animal quickly became a star on the platform, and has now been followed by over 78,000 accounts.
"Some people find her creepy too, but people generally like her," Dosemeci told Reuters.
Dosemeci doesn't just want to please the followers.
She wants to encourage people to adopt pets instead of buying them in the store.
mpz / Reuters
