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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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A family's decision to adopt a kitten has left them—and thousands of viewers on TikTok—doing a double take.
The feline's owner took to the platform on June 14, posting under her account @baileybo, to show off her black cat's striking looks thanks to mismatched pupils.
The lighthearted clip, set to a trending audio and overlaid with the text, "POV: [Point of view] You get a kitten with wonky eyes, and the vet says 'idk [I do not know] maybe she'll grow out of it," has now been viewed more than 650,000 times.
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Viewers were able to see a series of candid photos documenting the cat's evolving look. Her owner, Bailey B, told Newsweek that the 1-year-old feline is named Marty, and that she had been adopted from Vermont animal rescue shelter, All About The Kitties Adoption and Rescue.
Initially appearing like any other kitten, Marty's left eye begins to noticeably diverge in pupil dilation from the right. As the images progress, the left pupil shrinks to a narrow black speck while the right eye remains normally dilated, giving the feline an unmistakably lopsided expression.
The caption, posted via hashtag, suggests the cat may have anisocoria—a condition that causes one pupil to be a different size than the other. While sometimes harmless, the visual effect can be striking, and it is uncommon in felines.
Late musician David Bowie developed the condition in 1962, prompting numerous people in the comments to ask whether this cat shares a name with the legendary singer-songwriter.
Another video from Bailey B was captioned "Hi Bowie," hinting the cat could indeed share a moniker with the British star, who passed away in 2016.
But the eyes weren't the only thing which caught viewers attention, as her paws were also the subject of numerous comments.
The hashtag polydactyl was added to the video, which is a condition where a cat is born with more toes, affectionately subbed toe beans online, on their paws.
Cat food website Purina explained: "Go ahead and count your cat's toes. If you've come up with the grand total of 18 toes, five on each paw in the front and four on each paw in the back, your cat is not polydactyl. A polydactyl cat will have at least 19 toes..."
The cat's owner addressed concern from viewers, responding in the comments that she's fine, adding: "She's just a little blind! She's been to two vets!"
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"Vets have evaluated her and have found no cause for her pupils being asymmetrical, and Marty is doing well today," Bailey B added, telling Newsweek that although her eyes are as wonky as ever, she still "loves to cuddle, play, and get into trouble."
"When we adopted Marty in June of 2024, she was recovering from lice, and an upper respiratory infection, and a GI bug," Marty's 23-year-old owner said. "The rescue told us she was taken from an overpopulated trailer full of neglected cats.
"Despite her circumstances, she is the sweetest kitty. She has some quirks…Crooked tail, polydactyl paws and most notably, her wonky eyes."
Viewers have responded with enthusiasm and humor, flooding the comments with both concern and adoration for the kitten's unusual appearance. Some offered personal anecdotes about pets with similar conditions, while others simply voiced how much they enjoyed the cat's offbeat charm.
"The eyes, the THUMBS," one viewer said. "She's straight out of a kid's drawing." Their comment alone has been liked more than 31,000 times.
"My cat looks EXACTLY like this," another added. "The eyes, [little] white patch in the front."
"A strange but perfect creature," a third viewer shared.
"Please my cat also has funky eyes, and he always looks goofy because of it," another said.
"My old cat had the same problem nothing was wrong with him he lived to be 19-years-old," another added.
Update 02/09/2025, 11:52 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the pet's owner.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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