6-legged cat to get $2,000 operation

6-legged cat to get $2,000 operation

EDMONTON - If cats always do land on their feet, there's one freaky feline who has an added advantage.

Willoughby, an affectionate orange tabby being cared for by a private shelter operator in Edmonton, has six legs - and a few extra toes.

"Seeing is believing," says Marjorie Hervey, founder and president of the Hervey Foundation for Cats.

She picked up Willoughby last week from city animal control after he was found wandering a south Edmonton neighborhood earlier this month.

"This is something that's really genetically wrong," says Hervey. "It's really weird. I've never seen anything like this and I've seen thousands and thousands of cats."

The year-old cat somehow manages to get around with four front legs. Two of the legs are fused together on one side from the shoulder down to the paw. The other two front limbs, which are much shorter, will likely have to be amputated, Hervey said.

"He can move them but he can't walk on them. Primarily he walks on the one side."

Hervey plans to schedule the short-haired cat for cosmetic surgery, which she estimates will cost about $2,000.

The city pound held the young cat for about a week before Hervey took him in at her no-kill shelter west of Edmonton. No one has come forward to claim him.

But Hervey is certain he was someone's pet because he's been well looked after and is healthy.

..........just in case you think I'm making this up..........