And a Huge Thank You to Laura for designing such a touching and special signature for Kirby. Kirby is one of my most special kitties, and he was born with a condition called "radial aplasia" which translates to absence of bone in the forearm. It is a genetic mutation of the polydactyl (better known as double-pawed) gene. Kirby and his littermates were turned over to a kill shelter that has since closed it's doors due to budget cuts. I spotted him and his sister in the backroom where the public's not allowed, and wanted both.His sister's legs were as crippled as Kirby's and she looked like my Sweet Pea, white with grey on her head. The shelter staff who I'd known for several years wondered why on earth "I'd want a cat like that..when there's so many healthy ones in need of homes"? I already had another radial aplasia cat who was rescued from the streets emaciated, not neutered and terrified (RIP Sweet Willy) and was in awe of how much he could do. The vet for the shelter, who is also one of my vets, apparently was up there doing a health check on all the incoming cats, and peeked at Kirby and his sister and put in a good word for me. Kirby's sister never made it out alive though, she had runny eyes and was declared unhealthy.
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It happened one other time, and thankfully he hasn't had any problems since. He needed time to build up his hind quarters as they are his main means of transportation. He leaps 4 feet with no problem, and reminds me of a kangaroo! And he also has crash pads beside the bed to pad his legs while jumping down. He's a very sweet boy! 
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