auricular polyotia is a rare benign mutation that causes a cat to be born with extra pinna, typically consisting of cartilage and skin with no inner ear canal connection. these extra ears are non-functional. this condition occurs during embryonic development when the pinna's normal tissue structures that form the outer ear duplicate or split prematurely, resulting in extra ear flaps. these additional ears are vestigial and harmless to the cat, and again consist solely of cartilage and skin and lack a complete or functioning ear canal. it is largely a cosmetic anomaly and should not cause the cat any pain or affect their hearing. while it should not affect glacialkit's daily life, their two extra ears flats can trap dirt and moisture, so they should be more careful and gentle when cleaning their ears. overall, glacialkit would not be affected by this negatively.
sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12883347/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5556855/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33705002/ genuinely the only reliable sources I found. I wasn't searching up ear polyps google.
