Kitten with ?contractures?

I just received a rescued kitten - Siamese mix female, 10.2 ounces, in not too
bad shape except for a worm-belly - who has weird back legs. One is worse than
the other, but neither one can be fully extended, stretched out - there seems
to be something binding? She's lying on her back in my lap, now, and her back
paws are tucked up very close to her body ... knees up and feet together - she
could very easily put the soles of her feet together, or even flatten the more
affected one against her so the bottom of that paw was flat against her tummy.

She does use one of them to get around ... the other one seems to have a worn
spot on the knee. They both have some muscle tone and they both do extend some
when she wakes up and stretches.

Anybody recognize this? does it have a name? Is it correctable - maybe
surgically, or just by a determined program of stretching?

Mary T.

I imagine there is no way to know without an xray. Hope kitty is OK.

Karen

"MsKitty834" wrote in message
...
I just received a rescued kitten - Siamese mix female, 10.2 ounces, in not
too
bad shape except for a worm-belly - who has weird back legs. One is worse
than
the other, but neither one can be fully extended, stretched out - there
seems
to be something binding? She's lying on her back in my lap, now, and her
back
paws are tucked up very close to her body ... knees up and feet together -
she
could very easily put the soles of her feet together, or even flatten the
more
affected one against her so the bottom of that paw was flat against her
tummy.

She does use one of them to get around ... the other one seems to have a
worn
spot on the knee. They both have some muscle tone and they both do extend
some
when she wakes up and stretches.

Anybody recognize this? does it have a name? Is it correctable - maybe
surgically, or just by a determined program of stretching?

Mary T.

I imagine there is no way to know without an xray. Hope kitty is OK.

Karen

"MsKitty834" wrote in message
...
I just received a rescued kitten - Siamese mix female, 10.2 ounces, in not
too
bad shape except for a worm-belly - who has weird back legs. One is worse
than
the other, but neither one can be fully extended, stretched out - there
seems
to be something binding? She's lying on her back in my lap, now, and her
back
paws are tucked up very close to her body ... knees up and feet together -
she
could very easily put the soles of her feet together, or even flatten the
more
affected one against her so the bottom of that paw was flat against her
tummy.

She does use one of them to get around ... the other one seems to have a
worn
spot on the knee. They both have some muscle tone and they both do extend
some
when she wakes up and stretches.

Anybody recognize this? does it have a name? Is it correctable - maybe
surgically, or just by a determined program of stretching?

Mary T.

Put your money down on a vet visit.

I have seen several kittens with similar birth defects. Some do
fair-to-middling as natural-born "twisty-cats." Some can't survive. As
long as your little one is able to evacuate normally and able to get
around, however awkwardly, she should find a good home as a
"special-needs" cat and will bring someone a lot of joy. I have a
cerebellar hypoplasia cat myself, who is now 8-1/2 years old and still
staggering strong.

I also am in touch with a newsgroup dedicated to special needs pets, if
you are interested. Contact me at my Campus Cats address.

Sharon Talbert

Friends of Campus Cats
www.campuscats.org

Put your money down on a vet visit.

I have seen several kittens with similar birth defects. Some do
fair-to-middling as natural-born "twisty-cats." Some can't survive. As
long as your little one is able to evacuate normally and able to get
around, however awkwardly, she should find a good home as a
"special-needs" cat and will bring someone a lot of joy. I have a
cerebellar hypoplasia cat myself, who is now 8-1/2 years old and still
staggering strong.

I also am in touch with a newsgroup dedicated to special needs pets, if
you are interested. Contact me at my Campus Cats address.

Sharon Talbert

Friends of Campus Cats
www.campuscats.org