But the vet was mystified by his unique appearance.

‘The vet had never seen anything like it before,’ explains Valerie. ‘He immediately went to the internet and found the four-eared cat in Germany.

‘We have spoken with other vets in our acquaintance, and they likewise had never encountered anything like this.

‘We began to realise that we had something very special.

‘As a result, he has been an indoor cat and has a chip installed in case he gets lost. Yoda is so different that we were concerned that he might be catnapped.’

Yoda’s extra ‘flaps’ are separate to the base of his skull, with one placed slightly behind the other.

Yet despite his unusual looks, Valerie is sure Yoda’s behaviour – and hearing – are  quite normal.

‘Yoda’s hearing is normal as far as we know,’ says Valerie. ‘People do a double take when they see him or his picture. It is great fun showing him off.

Yoda: The wise Star Wars character the cat was named after

‘We have actually had people ask if we had his ears cut to look this way.

‘But he is a perfectly normal affectionate, curious cat and is a joy to have around.

‘He is not afraid of anything and is very sociable unlike some of the other cats I have owned.

‘But he does have an interesting obsession with bread – I can’t leave bread on the counter for a moment.

‘And when he purrs, it is not audible. The only way I know that he is purring is to put my finger on his throat to feel the vibration.

‘He also is not very vocal. He meows, but only softly, and not very often which is a good thing.’