Presenting Shortcake..............

Here's Shortcake soon after he found us. You can see his very odd proportions, large body and head, and very short legs. Though it can't be seen in this picture, his tail is short, too.

The pictures below were taken about a month after the one above. His legs have grown a bit but you can see that his proportions are still not "right", with a very large head for his body and a belly that barely clears the floor when he walks. Our vet estimates that Shortcake is about 9-10 weeks old, but because of his odd proportions and short legs, especially those in front, thinks he is suffering from a form of congenital dwarfism. Dwarfism is unusual in cats. It is known to occur in feral colonies were there is inbreeding and may also arise as a spontaneous genetic mutation. Short legged cats known as Munchkins were bred from wild cats with similar traits.

Where Shortcake came from is a mystery. He may have been born to a semi wild cat that sometimes finds shelter in our outbuildings. He just appeared one day in our backyard, lost and all alone. So far he is healthy and happy though his motor development is a bit delayed. He's only just learned to run and still doesn't climb or jump. But he can eat and purr with the best of the big cats. He's also a champion roller!

Because of his small size, Shortcake has his own room where he's safe and out of harm's way. One of his most unusual traits is his lack of fear. Friendly and affectionate from the minute he joined us, he'll try to chase our larger pets given the chance. He doesn't hide and he won't back down. Napolean complex? No, I like to think he has the heart of a lion!

 

Love Shortcake