Thursday, January 12, 2006

Not a Hoax, One-Eyed Kitten Had Bizarre Condition

Not a Hoax, One-Eyed Kitten Had Bizarre Condition

"A photo of a one-eyed kitten named Cy drew more than a little skepticism when it turned up on various Web sites, but medical authorities have a name for the bizarre condition.

"'Holoprosencephaly' causes facial deformities, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. In the worst cases, a single eye is located where the nose should be, according to the institute's Web site.

"Traci Allen says the kitten she named Cy, short for Cyclops, was born the night of Dec. 28 with the single eye and no nose.

"'You don't expect to see something like that,' the 35-year-old Allen said by telephone from her home in Redmond in central Oregon."