Retarded Kitten FAQ
A few weeks ago I mentioned mendaciloquent's retarded kitten, and some of you were curious. To clear things up for you, I sent him some questions via e-mail which he was kind enough to answer.
1) How is the kitten retarded?
She has cerebellar hypoplasia. She lacks fine motor control, gait coordination, etc. Since all cats are stupid, the condition does not affect her intelligence. She can clean herself and use the litter box.
2) Though the kitten is well past the point of kittenhood, it is still considered a kitten. Why?
Mostly because of her small size. She is smaller than an adult cat.
3) How would you rate the softness of the retarded kitten as compared with the non-retarded cat?
She is much softer. For a long time we feared that her fur would become more coarse with adulthood, but it hasn't. She has remained extremely soft.
4) There are rumors that the retarded kitten smells better than the non-retarded cat. Is this true? And do certain parts of the retarded kitten smell better than others?
The retarded kitten smells very good, although the goodness varies depending on several factors, such as: how recently has she washed? And did she nap in the sun after washing? Sun-warmed kitten appears to smell better than kitten not warmed by the sun.
There is a patch of white fur above the kitten's stomach that is both particularly soft and fragrant. It's a little bit like the smell of warm laundry just taken out of the dryer.
5) Anything else?
I would add two things. The first is that the kitten can hunt. Watching her chase and kill something is both funny and sort of pathetic.
I would also mention that she does go outdoors and, when excited, can actually cover ground pretty quickly. Her gait when agitated is a kind of exaggerated prancing hop that is pretty hysterical to watch. It's a little weird to be working outside and see, in the distance, a small cat leaping across a field in a completely unnatural way. It kind of makes me sick.
1) How is the kitten retarded?
She has cerebellar hypoplasia. She lacks fine motor control, gait coordination, etc. Since all cats are stupid, the condition does not affect her intelligence. She can clean herself and use the litter box.
2) Though the kitten is well past the point of kittenhood, it is still considered a kitten. Why?
Mostly because of her small size. She is smaller than an adult cat.
3) How would you rate the softness of the retarded kitten as compared with the non-retarded cat?
She is much softer. For a long time we feared that her fur would become more coarse with adulthood, but it hasn't. She has remained extremely soft.
4) There are rumors that the retarded kitten smells better than the non-retarded cat. Is this true? And do certain parts of the retarded kitten smell better than others?
The retarded kitten smells very good, although the goodness varies depending on several factors, such as: how recently has she washed? And did she nap in the sun after washing? Sun-warmed kitten appears to smell better than kitten not warmed by the sun.
There is a patch of white fur above the kitten's stomach that is both particularly soft and fragrant. It's a little bit like the smell of warm laundry just taken out of the dryer.
5) Anything else?
I would add two things. The first is that the kitten can hunt. Watching her chase and kill something is both funny and sort of pathetic.
I would also mention that she does go outdoors and, when excited, can actually cover ground pretty quickly. Her gait when agitated is a kind of exaggerated prancing hop that is pretty hysterical to watch. It's a little weird to be working outside and see, in the distance, a small cat leaping across a field in a completely unnatural way. It kind of makes me sick.