When a woman decided to take in a pregnant cat found living in a Walmart car park, she began to wonder what had happened to her tail.
Justine, a feline fosterer, noticed the ginger cat had a “short crooked tail” and initially thought it had gotten injured on the streets. PETA notes that feral cats often have short lifespans due to untreated contagious diseases.
“We thought she had broken her tail while being a feral kitten in the wild as it’s a good three to four inches shorter than a normal cat tail,” Justine, from Tennessee told Newsweek.
But when the cat, called Meow Meow, gave birth to her litter, it became clear that her unique tail wasn’t battle-damaged. The footage shows a “perfect comparison” with the kittens’ tails, which are a mixture of normal and short.
The internet has been left in awe and the clip had racked up over 604,000 views at the time of writing.
Justine, who doesn’t wish to share her surname, said: “I was so surprised seeing some of their short tails.
“We knew instantly that it was a trait from their mom and not an injury!
“I am excited to see how the tails grow over the next few months.”
Newsweek reached out to Dr. Anna Foreman, a veterinarian, to find out more about the deformity.
Foreman, who is based in the U.K. and works for Everypaw Pet Insurance, said: “Tail length, much like leg length in chondrodystrophic breeds such as dachshunds and nose length in brachycephalic breeds such as French bulldogs, is an inherited trait from mother/father to their offspring.
“Extremes of these are achieved via selective breeding – choosing parents based on ‘desirable’ traits. Sometimes developmental abnormalities can lead to a cat having a very short or no tail too – this is not an inherited trait but rather a mutation. These cats can be bred to pass on these mutations.”
So far, the video shared on April, 12, (@queenjustine39) has amassed over 102,000 likes and almost 400 comments.
“Cat genetics are fascinating,” said one user.
Another said: “Genuinely kitten tails are probably one of my favorite things.”
“Look like a little dinosaur tails,” said another user.
A fourth commenter said: “I needed this in my life today. So cute.”
Newsweek has previously highlighted the intrigue surrounding cat genetics, featuring articles about viral videos that showcase unique feline conditions. These stories include a cat with a particularly rare genetic trait that amazed many, and another that sparked widespread speculation.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post Woman Thinks Cat Has Broken Tail, Then Kittens Reveal Truth About Her DNA appeared first on Newsweek.