Meet Flathead, a cat with a very accurate name.
Flathead is a black cat who was born with a slightly unusual feature: ears that stick out to the side rather than pointing upwards, giving him a pretty delightful flat head.
He’s perfectly healthy and can hear just fine – he just happens to look a little silly.
Flathead’s owner Julian, a teacher living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adopted Flathead five years ago when he was around eight weeks old.
‘We don’t really know why [his ears] are the way they are,’ Julian tells Metro.co.uk. ‘The rest of his litter had ordinary ears, and their mother was a stray domestic shorthair.
‘We assume it’s just an unusual (and unusually adorable) genetic quirk’.
Flathead, who also answers to his nickname, Lil Dude, only faces one challenge thanks to his ears.
‘Other cats have a hard time warming up to him,’ Julian explains, ‘as they think he looks angry.’
Thankfully Flathead’s brother – who has your standard issue pointy cat ears – doesn’t mind one bit, and the pair happily spend their days playing, snoozing, and running around.
And after Julian’s friend posted photos of Flathead on Twitter, he’s attracted a whole load of new fans.
Julian says: ‘He’s perfectly happy, healthy, and a very smart cookie! He loves to play, do tricks, and run around with his little brother.
‘Children are especially delighted by his ears. He’s very outgoing and good at making new friends.’
If, like us, you’ve fallen madly in love with Lil Dude/Flathead, rejoice, as following his viral fame he now his very own Instagram where you can see his ears whenever you fancy.
In addition to following him, you can also gaze lovingly at Flathead’s ears in the (many) photos we’ve included below.
Do you have a brilliant cat who deserves the internet’s attention? Get in touch to tell us all about them by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: Why you shouldn’t dress your cat in a festive outfit this Christmas
MORE: Golden retriever puppies caught holding paws at doggy daycare
