Dwarf Cat With Only 2 Teeth Can't Stop Tongue Hanging Out—And It's Adorable
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Internet users can't get enough of an adorable cat whose tongue is perpetually hanging out of his mouth due to having so many of his teeth removed.
Otis the 8-month-old cat has captured hearts online with his adorable expressions and his tongue sticking out that makes him look like a real-life emoji. While still only young, he's had to have almost all his teeth removed, leaving him with just two canines left—and they'll have to be removed in the future too.
As a result, Otis's tongue no longer stays within his mouth, and his owner Kate, from London, U.K., tells Newsweek that she's "not sure if it ever will" again.
From a young age, Otis was diagnosed with dwarfism and feline calicivirus (FCV), a highly contagious virus that can cause upper respiratory infections and oral disease. This virus caused Otis to develop stomatitis, which is severe inflammation of the mouth and gum tissue around the teeth.
Otis the 8-month-old cat, with dwarfism, showing his tongue sticking out.
Otis the 8-month-old cat, with dwarfism, showing his tongue sticking out.
@otisthedwarfcat / TikTok
Kate, 20, explained that Otis's gums "began growing over his teeth," alongside a lot of bleeding and intense pain. It was so difficult for Otis to eat anything, and the only option was tooth extraction.
"Otis had to have almost all his teeth removed, except for two of his canines. Despite everything, he's recovering and adapting really well since his dental procedures," Kate said.
While his appearance may be different, Otis has become quite the viral sensation on TikTok. Kate has been sharing videos of her sweet kitten on his dedicated social media account (@otisthedwarfcat), and one clip of her "poor little baby" has generated over 1.5 million views and 323,700 likes at the time of writing.
The online reaction is beyond anything Kate expected, but she's been so heartened by all the love and support shown towards her little warrior.
She told Newsweek: "I thought he looked adorable in the video, but it was also heartbreaking to see him like that. He's so young and it felt so unfair for him to go through so much.
"I'm really touched by how many people are loving the video of him. It makes me happy not only to share his journey, but also to raise awareness about calicivirus and how seriously it can affect cats."
In the months ahead, Otis will need one final dental procedure to remove his remaining teeth. But he's remained strong throughout every challenge he's faced so far, and Kate says she's immensely proud of him.
After the video went viral showing Otis with his tongue perpetually hanging out, hundreds of social media users took to the comments to praise his quirky expression. This has led to more than 760 comments on TikTok so far, with many even suggesting which emoji he resembles the most.
One comment reads: "that's so sad, but that's the cutest thing I've ever seen."
Another TikTok user wrote: "He looks like he's constantly emoting lol."
Another person added: "I hope he knows how cute he is."
While one commenter joked: "he's just permanently silly now."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
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