Question for Frannie

Frannie,

Is it true that this new little guy is sterile because he's a rare male tortie? If not, would it be wise to breed him because of his polydactyl paws? I can't wait for you to see him. I'm going to take some pictures and post them. He is SO cute, yet still nameless. I'm working on it.

Donna

Donna, I'm going to need to research that because I've heard there is a 50/50 chance that he is steril and as for his toes, let me ask my mom the genetisist. Again, let me find out and I'll let you know.

Frannie

Black & orange colors are both carried on the X chromosome. Since males have 1 X and 1 Y (XY) and females have 2 X chromosomes, a healthy male cat can't have both colors at the same time; either black, or orange ! (the explanation is actually longer, but whatever )

However a hermophradite male with XXY chromosomes (instead of XY) has both black & orange colors..These cats are invariably sterile The cat might be an underdeveloped female despite the fact that he has male genitalia. He might actually have both ovaries & testes, neither being fully functional.

Thanks Frannie and Dodo.

I had another question. He has double due claws. I was told that they may have to take them out because if they get caught on anyting he could bleed to death. Now, you know I am adamantly against declawing. Is it possible to just keep them trimmed??

Donna

I am sorry Donna. I have no idea what double due claw means ??

Dodo,

Due claws make it look like he has two thumbs. He has two claws in those thumbs. My other tortie, Mollie Rose also had the same thing. The vet removed them because it can lead to infection and also if they get caught on anything, they can be torn out and bleed to death.

Donna

BTW, I've name him Spike, this time for sure!!

Donna - Cease and desist! He is not going to be declawed - when dogs have huge duclaws the entire digit is removed -not the claw. If his duclaws end up being a health hazard (which means if they rip off and then you will have to worry about him bleeding to death) then the doctor will suggest you have the entire digit removed. This is not harmful, will not hurt him and will not be like a declaw. You should know that I would never have told you that it might have to be done if it would be harmful to him or hurt him in any way! I am sorry you misunderstood me. This is something many dogs (everyone of mine so far) have to have done at the time they are altered.

That's what I thought but I wasn't sure I read the Genetics paper right. Donna you might have a hermaphrodite! This is defiantly a one in a million cat with extra toes AND it's a male(maybe)tortie! Very cool!

Rene,

I wasn't misunderstanding you. I was speaking from when my other tortie Mollie Rose had the same problem and had the duclaw removed. I know you would never advocate any declawing. I know you better than that.

Any suggestions on how I can feed him without having 7 other cats hovering around his food? I've tried feeding him in another room with the door closed (he munches and goes back later on for more, but there isn't any because the other cats get to it). I've also tried standing there waiting for him to finish.

Donna

I am reading a book called "The Cat". It was only a buck at Barnes & Noble & I wouldn't think that I would enjoy reading it..It's relatively an old book (1977), but quite instructive still.

Anyway, here it says that polydactylism (6 or more toes) appears in approximately 4% of cats in Salem & Boston, but in New York & Philadelphia the frequency drops to 0.01 % and 0.09 % !!It says it's believed that this mutation appeared in Boston area in the early 18th cc & diffused slowly beyond Massachusetts Bay Colony..In Halifax the frequency is 7% (is it in Canada??).. Perhaps the frequency numbers are different now ??

And one other thing, The University of Denver's V.A. found that there are 8 different anatomical types of polydactylism...

Just wanted to share

Your cat is absolutely a hermaphrodite by the way Hermaphrodite means having both sex's characteristics,-a penis & a uterus for example as you know..It occurs in people, too. In Turkey, there was a village where most of the inhabitants were hermaphrodites sadly ..According to what I read, hermaphrodite cats are mostly females actually, although they have penises ??