By Cathy Miller

Once upon a time, a baby girl was born, and then another followed in a matter of minutes! Their little ankles were adorned with different color bracelets, because after all, they are identical twins (who’s who?). Now, at two years old, Brody and Josie are enjoying their expanding world. Greeting each day with sparkling blue eyes and precious smiles, they share a language, toys, and every new experience.

One day, while at the pet store, mom saw two six month old kittens, pure black, big yellow eyes, long lush tails, and delicate kitten paws. They were available (and inseparable) for adoption (note: the kittens originally came via Feline Urban Rescue and Rehab, felineurbanrescueandrehab.org). A few weeks passed, but no one opted for adoption – a centuries old belief warns that black cats are bad luck. So mom and dad and Brody and Josie and their older sister Winnie set forth to fetch the felines.

Their foster mom had witnessed the birth of the kittens and was awestruck when the newborns were delivered in one sac. At first, she thought it was a two-headed cat, but when they burst into the world, there were two perfectly formed, yes, one, two, little kitties.

Turns out the “kickens,” as the twins call them, sport different color collars, because, after all, they too are identical twins – Lulu in blue and Stella in lavender. When their foster mom met Josie and Brody she was delighted. She knew the identical kittens and identical toddlers were meant to be twins together.

The family, and their two new additions, loaded into the car and journeyed home. The cats quickly settled into their new digs, which only a few months earlier had been jam-packed with cribs and playpens, and now overflowed with loads of kitty accoutrements.

The chance of having identical twins is relatively rare — around three or four in every 1,000 births. Identical twins are either both boys or both girls. They don’t just look alike, they also share the exact same DNA.

It’s also rare for cats to give birth to identical twins. These twins are one of nature’s happy accidents, and happens, as with humans, when a fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos. It’s extremely uncommon to encounter a set of honest-to-goodness kitten twins (only sure way to confirm is with a DNA test).

Although identical twins share the same DNA and genetic coding, be they human or feline, they are nonetheless distinct individuals. At birth they may look like duplicates of each other, they are far from it. As identical twins grow, their unique qualities and personalities emerge. 

Brody has a daredevil personality and is a non-stop chatter, while Josie is more contemplative and a great helper. Lulu is a curious explorer, while Stella often hangs back to watch the action.

Enjoy, little ones!