Here kitty, kitty.

July 10, 2003 8:55 PM

Fucked up cats. Including but not limited to winged, extra-toed, and dwarf cats.
posted by angry modem (16 comments total)

And this is the main link I meant to post.
posted by angry modem at 9:03 PM on July 10, 2003

That winged-cat page is either very dubious, or very, very drily witty. But how could it fail to mention Catwings?
posted by soyjoy at 9:07 PM on July 10, 2003

...and I, for one, welcome our winged, six-toed, dwarf feline overlords.

Pretty strange looking cats...the "mini cats" look like some sort of Dr. Moreau creature...not particularly "cute" like a perpetual kitten. At least they look real...unlike the "winged cats," which might better be called "tufted cats."

Oh, and my cat's breath smells like cat food.
posted by davidmsc at 9:12 PM on July 10, 2003

Polydactyl cats are fun. The extra toes are nearly opposable, and they can actually grasp and manipulate small objects in the most astoundingly human manner.
posted by Cerebus at 5:21 AM on July 11, 2003

Weird and wonderful. Thanks, angry modem.
posted by carter at 6:27 AM on July 11, 2003

They haven't written anything about my talking cat. Yesterday, I came home from work and realised I'd forgotten my key. I shouted through the letterbox to my cat "pass me the key would you?" and the cat responded, "Me? how?"
posted by Pericles at 7:00 AM on July 11, 2003

I had a polydactyl cat once with 6 toes on each foot. Cerebus, you are so right about how they are nearly opposable, he used to pick up pieces of food out of his bowl and bring them to his mouth, and he was pretty good at grabbing toes and fingers as well.

Now I just have a standard issue cat with an attitude problem.

Cool links ... thanks!
posted by Orb at 7:03 AM on July 11, 2003

[this is good]

For the title.
posted by adampsyche at 7:11 AM on July 11, 2003

Some of these seem to defeat the purpose of having a cat. The neat thing about a pet cat is that you get to watch a predator up close and it interacts with you safely only because you're too big for it to kill and eat. It's like having a small tiger that sleeps on your bed.

If you selectively breed it to disability, you've basically got a home furnishing that craps in your house. Where's the fun in that? Won't its cuteness eventually wear thin? Knicknacks are a lot easier to take care of. If it has to have fur, a rabbit will be useless without having its dignity stripped.

Cats with extra toes are very common in the coon cats that I grew up with, but actually trying for extreme polydigititis seems to also diminish quality of life for the cat. But a certain number of extra do indeed look cool without bothering the cat!
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:45 AM on July 11, 2003

"Polydactyl cats are fun. The extra toes are nearly opposable, and they can actually grasp and manipulate small objects in the most astoundingly human manner."

You might not like where this is going.
posted by spazzm at 8:19 AM on July 11, 2003

Some of the most famous polydactyl cats... I'm proud to say I got scratched by one of them once (I used to live a half-block up the street).
posted by soyjoy at 9:13 AM on July 11, 2003

ohh yes, key west - people have told me it's the original home of the polydactyl cat.. my friend Ryan had one years back. nasty little fucker.. not like my well mannered wirehair :)

they really are in abundance in south Florida. I live a little south of Tampa, and we've got tons of them here hanging out near the docks waiting for scraps from the fishing boats. At first it was odd looking.. I still think it's from inbreeding :)

I think the city of Key West was forced to do something about them a few years back. Sssh, no one tell Jimmy Buffet about that. please. Us Floridians have a hard enough time with him already...
posted by shadow45 at 12:48 PM on July 11, 2003

I live in the Upper Keys. I don't think they were forced to do anything about the 6-toed cats specifically, but cat overpopulation is a HUGE problem here, 'cause there's nowhere for them to go.

But the area around Hemingway's house is swarming with extra-toed kitties.
posted by JamieStar at 2:48 PM on July 11, 2003

My cat, Zao, is what they referred to as a Singapura bobtail. Basically he was/is a feral Singaporean streetcat that has a kinky tail half the length of normal cats. Apparently it's due to inbreeding. Back home in Australia, he's one of a kind, but in Singapore and pretty much throughout south-east Asia, every cat you see has a deformed tail of some sort to the point that it's unusual to see a cat with one that's full length. Some are little more than a curled up ball, depending on severity. Doesn't seem to bother them though. Now a cat with wings... that's something I'd like to see.
posted by Jubey at 11:56 PM on July 11, 2003

Suprised no has mentioned Bonsai Kitten.
posted by JParker at 7:27 AM on July 12, 2003

Jamiestar, what mile marker?
posted by soyjoy at 6:00 PM on July 12, 2003