Hermaphrodite Kitten Looks For New Home

[Little Tich]

source: Sky News

An animal welfare charity hopes to rehome a rare kitten with both male and female genitalia.

A kitten handed in to a welfare charity has caused a stir - after vets discovered it is a hermaphrodite.

Nine-week-old Bellini was part of a litter taken in by a cats protection home in St Helens, Merseyside, in February, when just a few days old.

It was initially thought Bellini was male but, during the neutering process, vets discovered female as well as male genitalia.

Adoption centre manager Sonia Scowcroft said staff did not know whether to refer to Bellini as a boy or girl.

"I was pretty stunned, it's so unusual," Ms Scowcroft said.

"I have seen over 3,000 cats during my time at Cats Protection and only seen one other hermaphrodite cat. I certainly never thought I'd see two.


Bellini will need regular vet check-ups because of a heart murmur


Bellini and his, or her, sister are looking for a new home


Read more: http://news.sky.com/story/1680248/hermaphrodite-kitten-looks-for-new-home

[2naSalit]

1. I wish I could take them in

but they're in England, I think, and I can't have pets where I live. Must be time to move.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. you already have a pet bug on my computer screen...

do you really want other pets?

[Hekate]

2. Gorgeous baby, but as a shelter cat s/he will be neutered before adoption....

So that will rather take care of that, won't it? Might be more expensive surgery due to the hermaphrodism -- also the heart murmur needing regular checkups might make it difficult to place.

But what the heck, I know that animal rescue people are highly motivated, so the little one will find a home. What a cutie.

PS: I guess you can tell I am not overly sentimental about the sexual identity of pets. All my cats and dogs have been spayed/neutered. The reason the animal shelters are full to overflowing is people failing to do that.

[REP]

5. To be THAT person ...

First, I agree 1000000% about spaying and neutering. Everyone here is sterilized, including me.

The pedantic thing: spaying or neutering doesn't render dogs and cats genderless anymore than a woman with a hysterectomy or a man with testicular cancer is genderless. Animals retain their external genitalia and remain male or female - just sterile. I know it's a weird trivial thing to have a strong opinion about ... but I do. Not enough to fight about it though!

[womanofthehills]

7. After reading all the research, I did not neuter my dog till he was a yr old

Many studies out there say a dogs sex hormones are responsible for the length of the dogs legs. His hormones tell his legs to stop growing and dogs that are neutered too early have longer legs than they should and often hip problems as they get older.

[jillan]

3. Look at that sweet face! I wish I could adopt every single animal that needs a home.

Each one breaks my heart.

[Skittles]

9. I am trying to adopt a stray right now

my old cat just will NOT have it.....I have trying to let them sniff each other through the door but......

[ladyVet]

12. I'm the same way, Jillan. I'd have 'em crammed in everywhere, if I could.

But sanity prevails, and I'm hoping to not end up with more than three new kittens in the latest batch. Tried to get one of the first ones taken for neutering, but she freaked and I've got a heck of a war wound to show for it. Hope to get her rescheduled soon. Then get her mama, when she's done with the new babies.

Egad, it's a mess. If anyone in central NC wants a kitten, I'll have some shortly, once they're weaned.

[Festivito]

4. Relieved not to be in North Carolina! Or, not relieved? eom

[dembotoz]

11. a special litter box?

[Festivito]

13. Genders pecific. eom

[ReRe]

6. I would call him or her:

Honeybunny.

[Skittles]

8. that is a beautiful cat

yes INDEED

[meow2u3]

14. Looks like this kitty will have to be spayed AND neutered

Yikes! An intersex kitty! You don't find those every day.

I wonder if the cat ended up intersex because they're really two kittens in one body, a chimera.