A boy looks like a werewolf with hair covering his face and body due to one-in-a-billion medical condition - which his mother believes was caused by her eating a cat while pregnant.

Two-year-old Jaren Gamongan from Apayao, the Philippines, was born with a full head of hair, black sideburns, and patches that filled his face, neck, back, and arms.

His superstitious mother, Alma, believed the boy's appearance was due to a curse wrought upon her when she ate a wild cat while pregnant with the child.

She said that during her pregnancy, she had uncontrollable cravings for wild cats, an exotic dish that is found in the remote mountain region where she lives.

Alma said she sought out a black feline from village friends and ate it - sauteed with herbs - which she later regretted when Jaren was born. Fellow locals reinforced her ideas about a curse.

However, when she finally took Jaren to the qualified doctors this month, they found out he had a medical condition called hypertrichosis, an incredibly rare syndrome with only 50 to 100 reported cases worldwide since the Middle Ages.

Footage shows Jaren this year playing around a building and their home despite having a medical condition that gave him strange facial features.

Alma said: 'I worry so much for him when it's time for him to go to school. He might get bullied for being different.

'I blamed myself when he was born because of the cravings I had. I felt very guilty. But then recently the doctors told me it was not related.'

Out of Alma's three kids, the middle child, Jaren, was the only one with a strange appearance, and his older sister and baby brother were healthy.

She said Jaren was a happy and playful boy but he complains about having itchy rashes when the weather becomes hot.

Alma said: 'I will give him a bath when it's hot. We even tried to cut the hair, but it would just grow back even longer and thicker, so we stopped doing it.'

Alma finally had a consultation with a dermatologist this month. They confirmed that Jaren's condition was ultra-rare hypertrichosis, also called ‘werewolf syndrome' that only affects an estimated 'one in every one billion people'. There are believed to be just 50 cases reported worldwide since the Middle Ages.

Dr Ravelinda Soriano Perez, who checked Jaren, said: ‘We believe this was an inherited condition, but it is very rare. One in only one billion people could have it.'

The medic added that while hypertrichosis did not have a cure, treatments such as laser hair removal could help the condition.

She said: 'We will try to do ten sessions in four to six weeks and then observe.'

Mum Alma now pleads with good Samaritans for help since each session would cost the family 2,500 PHP (34.97 GBP).

She said: ‘I am very thankful to those who already helped us. I hope my son could have a better chance in life with your help.'