Teeny and Spazzy the "seal" kitties
Cat
Tabby Mix
Size: kittens
Age: born May 4, 2007
Gender: a male and a female
ID:
Teeny: female, will be spayed if adopted
Spazzy: male, will be spayed if adopted
housetrained
dewormed, will be current on vaccinations if adopted
Teeny and Spazzy both have light grey tabby coats. Both have
beautiful periwinkle hazel eyes (hazel eyes with blue-grey instead of
green, awesome!)
Notes: I hesitate to call these cats "special needs": they are
active, happy and seemingly unaware of their disability. These
littermates were born without functioning "elbows" on their hind legs
and weak "wrist" joints on those same limbs. I call them "seal
kitties" because the limited use of their hind legs causes them to
hump across the ground similar to a seal. I personally think it's
kinda cute but would NEVER breed for this trait- it's a birth defect.
These cats are hand raised and VERY sweet. According to their vet the
condition of their legs could bring on arthritis later in life. We
watch them closely as they grow for signs of sores from using their
legs differently but so far the fur hasn't even rubbed off. They are
very active and even able to use the litterbox usually without
soiling on themselves.
Teeny and Spazzy will never be able to jump up on counters, though
there is no doubt in my mind that Spazzy could climb to the top of
drapes if he put his mind to it- he already makes it on the couch,
chairs and top of the three foot hight cat tree. Teeny is more of a
daydreamer, and turns to putty in your hands. Each had no problem
keeping up with the other kittens in the litter.
Attempts have been made to brace their legs into a more stable,
normal position. Teeny is responding well to her `physical therapy',
and may wind up using the braces. Spazzy's legs are different: they
have bones growing curved and his haunches aren't as strong. I'm
still working on developing a brace that will work for him. They move
fine as they are, and bracing will not improve the situation but only
act as a crutch and serve to make them look more normal. Bracing also
presents problems dealing with circulation and different posture
problems that could result in further complications. Although it may
be difficult for some people to watch them move around, they are
happy cats and prefer to do it on their own.
Our wish is that Teeny and Spazzy be adopted into the same household.
We are located in Sandpoint, Idaho. I've posted pictures of them in
this groups Yahoo! Groups Photos.
~thanks for your concern :)
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