Six-legged cat needs surgery to walk again

It may be hard to say how many lives Pauly the cat has lived, but it’s easy to count how many legs he has: six.

Well, at least for the time being since an Edmonton cat rescue is raising funds for the surgery required to remove the extra limbs from the extraordinary feline.

Two neighbours in the city’s South-West region initially discovered the black and white stray in their yard. While they fed and cared for the cat, they noticed he was having trouble walking. The Good Samaritans managed to trap Pauly, who’s believed to be about seven, and transferred him to the Little Cats Lost society.

The volunteer group, which runs on a trap, neuter and return system, knew the animal needed specialized care, so it brought him to the Oxford Animal Hospital.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” says Tara Weismantel, manager at Oxford Animal Hospital. “Our vets who work here have never seen anything like this. It’s very, very rare.”

Specialists who examined Pauly suspect he “absorbed” another kitten while in utero, similar to a Siamese twin. They also discovered he has three kidneys and hip dysplasia. As a result of all these factors, Pauly has a very hard time walking. When allowed out to stretch, Weismantel says Pauly will get nervous and runs away, tripping on his extra limbs.

“They’ll do the hip dysplasia work first, allow him to heal up and then remove the extra legs,” Weismantel explains.

So far, there have been several inquiries about adopting Pauly, though the application process will have to wait until he is fully healed from his surgeries, which will be a long process.

“We’re going to be rehabilitating him so he feels more comfortable and he’ll be a good family pet,” Weismantel says. “It’s going to take time. It’s going to be different for him without the legs there. He’s got to completely learn how to re-walk.”

Weismantel describes Pauly as “nervous” and “timid,” and says he’ll need a special kind of forever home.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever be in a big family home. I don’t know if he’ll ever trust anyone except his caregiver,” she says.

So far, Pauly’s been at the animal hospital for two weeks. Vets will be performing the surgery on him at a reduced cost. Little Cats Lost has started fundraising efforts to cover the $2,000 it will cost for the extensive surgery.

To follow Pauly's progress, click here.

Click here for more information about the online fundraising effort.

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