A fit and healthy mutant kitten has been born with two heads due to a freak genetic mutation.

The feline has been named Harvey, after Batman character Harvey Dent who became criminal mastermind Two-Face.

Ariel Contreras, the kitten's owner from Arkansas, US said she noticed the extra head whilst her cat was giving birth to Harvey.

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She told KYTV: “I went to go do laundry, I’d seen my cat was like meowing, and then all of the sudden babies started coming out, and I started yelling for my husband.

"This is the second one, so whenever he came out, my husband said, 'honey, it has two heads', and I went, 'no way!'"

Cats born with two distinct faces are known as Janus cats, Janus being a reference to a Roman god usually depicted in mythology to have two faces.

The condition is caused by the mother cat producing excess protein in her womb.

Dr Tim Addis, a veterinarian with Alley Cat Animal Rescue, told KYTV: “It has one of everything except for the extra skull.

“They seem to be operating together, you can feed either mouth, and it takes nourishment through either mouth. It’s really different.

“Its odds of making it are just as good as its siblings’ if you’re feeding it with a bottle.”

In most cases throughout history Janus cats have died soon after being born, but Harvey seems to be doing well for now according to Contreras.

In fact, she said he actually appears to be bigger than his siblings.

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According to Guinness World Records, the world's oldest Janus cat lived to be 15-years-old.

Frank and Louie was born in Massachusetts in 1999 and died in December 2014.

"As a kitten, he required a lot of care and attention and was fed every two hours with special kitten formula," Guinness World Records reported.

"The fascinating feline shared two functioning eyes, a central eye which was blind, two noses, two mouths and one brain.

"Eventually Frank and Louie became strong enough to play with the other cats and became special friends with the family dog. He was even taken out on a leash for walks in the neighbourhood."

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