These aren't your average furry felines: they are afflicted with myotonia congenita, otherwise known as "fainting goat" syndrome.
At the slightest sound, the kittens respond by collapsing and falling into a rigid paralysis, which lasts about a minute, before they return to normal, according to their owners in a descriptive post that accompanies the video.
The Internet footage shows the young kittens as they navigate their environment unable to control themselves and flipping over on to the floor every few seconds. In the video the pair are seen trying to explore but then they suddenly hurl themselves to the ground. They are unable to run or jump but otherwise appeared normal.
According to vet, Pete Wedderburn, the disease is very rare and he has never come across this himself. "It’s a genetic disorder hence the pair of them in the same litter having it,’ he added.‘The condition causes stiffness in the esophagus which makes if difficult for the animals to eat or breath, It causes muscle cells to have too much sodium but not enough chloride. This leads to abnormal repetitive electrical signals from the brain, such as those associated with being startled.
Unfortunately there really isn’t much that can be done for animals with this condition, experts say.
One of the kittens, the black and white kitten, Spike, died on 27th October from respiratory failure, it says in the description on YouTube. Reports that Charlie has also succumbed to the disease are false say the kittens owners.
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