Woodchuck, Weasel, and Wombat

Newest acquisitions, siblings
Woodchuck
and Weasel...
...are joined by a new kitten of about the same age named Wombat.

Woodchuck and Weasel are quite friendly, Wombat is a little more skittish, and has a tendency to hiss and spit when surprised or overwhelmed.  It took about a day to get them warmed up to each other, but they are all about the same age (about six weeks) so they are pretty adaptable.  None of them exactly relish being held; they are all wiggle-worms.  Nevertheless, when tired, they all are happy to pile on and snuggle on my lap.

Weasel seemed perfectly normal when I first took him home.  I picked him up, then noticed that he was missing something.
Half his hind leg.

Oops.

It must be congenital, because there is no sign of trauma or recent healing.  The end of his stump has a small pad area, which just about correlates to the pad on his 'normal' paw, and it is mostly covered with fur.

He manages brilliantly considering his challenge, but if you observe closely, you can definitely see a bit of a balance issue at times, and he has more of a problem launching himself up onto furniture, etc.  I'm worried that it may present more of a problem as he grows, as his legs lengthen. I also worry about his 'adoptability', but he is a gorgeous orange tabby, and absolutely adorable.Sometimes, thankfully, the special needs kitties are more popular than the other ones.

I usually clip the kittens claws, at least the front ones, to help counteract some of the physical trauma I suffer acting as a 'human cat tree', but with Weasel I don't have the heart. He seems to use his claws more than his companions, at least when playing with me, which might be a compensation effort.

Polydactylism

Cats usually have five toes on their front paws, and four on their back paws. The fifth toe on the front paws is actually a "dewclaw", a toe which doesn't touch the ground.  Polydactylism is a trait that is simply a genetic variation, occurring naturally where cats have at least one extra toe.  Generally, it doesn't cause problems physically for the cats, although there are exceptions. Messybeast.com has some great information on this trait, which can be found here.  These cats are sometimes called "Hemingway Cats" after the author, whose own population of cats in Key West bred with a polydactyl cat, with a resulting population of many cats born with this feature. Sailors brought cats with the trait with them from England to the colonies, believing they were superior mousers, and would bring luck on their long voyages.  Polydactylism is more common on the east coast of the United States, lending credence to this theory.  In some shelter and feral populations the incidence of polydactyly is often higher than 10%.

Studies have proven that Polydactyly is a dominant gene; if at least one of the parents has the trait, then the offspring have a good chance of inheriting it.  If the trait appears in the rear paws, then it also is evident in the front paws, although occasionally it is subtle enough that it can only be detected through xrays.

Peso, one of my most recent fosters was polydactyl, as was another of her five siblings.  This female had true hind dewclaws on both feet. The photo shows the underside of the rear paw, with the dewclaw apparently attached only with soft tissue.  There is a non-retractable claw, and a pad.  The problem with this type of dewclaw is that the claw can easily become caught on something, and the entire dewclaw can be torn.  We are currently looking to have these removed in order to prevent this from happening; a procedure done fairly easily and painlessly while still a young kitten.





Polydactyl cats are endearing to watch; some of them develop the ability to utilize extra dexterity afforded by their condition!















Photo from:icanhas.cheezburger.com/lolcats/ 

Happy Ending...

All six "currency" kittens, Ruble, Euro, Yen, Rupee, Peso, and Shilling, along with their mother Lira, have ALL been adopted to wonderful homes! I missed meeting the adopters of Yen, Rupee, and Lira, but heard they are all great homes.  I was lucky to meet Jessica and her two children at the shelter at the end of my weekly shift, adopting the two torties Ruble and Euro. They were great with the kittens, and the kittens were purring nonstop while being carried around by the two children, so I know they'll have a great home.

Gary and Dawn, two great friends of mine, adopted Peso and Shilling, and have already given me numerous updates on their transition to a new city home along with an older cat.

Peso is the grey and white
polydactyl female

 

Shilling is the orange male tabby

Brother and sister together

In their new city home, initially sequestered in the sunroom to help transition them into the family which includes cat Lilly

Another happy ending to what would almost certainly been an otherwise very UNhappy ending out on the streets - with a sick mother and six newborns, it is doubtful that any would have survived...

Thank you everyone who opened up their homes to these very great, and grateful, kitties!!!