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Well, I did it again. :doh: And will probably get chewed a bit when the hubs gets home, since his garage was taken over yet again by the feline variety. :crackup: He'll have to get over it, cuz what can you do when a little old lady comes to your door with a cat that needs a home?? 
Upset because her 40 something son who lives with her wants to call the cops to come and shoot this poor cat. 
Dorris drove 15 miles to our county seat (which is 7 miles from me) to see if the pound could take him, but they only take dogs now. So she came next to my house. I don't believe she's supposed to be driving that far anymore either! She was determined to save this poor cat.......and now he's mine. 
This cat can only be around a year old, but he's absolutely HUGE!! He's got huge ears and huge mitten paws with seven toes on each foot. The markings are grey tabby with white on his muzzle and legs. And he's got longer hair on his tummy and tail. A beautiful boy! He looks healthy too. I think Dorris has been feeding him for a while outside on her porch. And boy, oh boy, does he love the loving! Wonder if I can get him neutered (I'm pretty sure those are still intact, unfortunately) and smuggle him indoors 
..........................
I'll try to take a few :photo: and post them later!
& :hug:
Tracy
Posts: 1,277Congrats on your new kitty, and of course, good luck with the hubby when he finds out! Seven toes? 
Can't wait to see some pics. 
I will definitely get some :photo: :photo: taken this afternoon, so check back later girls! I'll try to get some showing his feet.
About the 7 toes .........this is a polydactyl, or Hemmingway cat (I know that much about him anyway 
). They have a gene (or is it a lack of one?) that causes extra toes on their feet. We have a few others out in the barn, but they all have just the one extra toe on each foot.....the more common variety of polydactyl. Kinda looks like a big, extra thumb or mittens/boxing gloves. Which is why they are sometimes called Mitten cats too. Anyway, this guy has at least 7 toes on each foot. They look huge!
I was just out in the garage holding him. He just soaks it up! I'm really having an urge to let him live in the house with us ...........
Kassie Bears TM/Creations of MysticismHi Tracy hon,
that is just so wonderful you could help this cat. What a wonderful sweetie you are. I know what you are taking about when it comes to your hubby. My hubby just rolls his eyes at me now and just does not even try to talk to me about what I do to help animals. :crackup:
and I just love him for that...
hugs dear girl
kassie
Tracy, you are a softy like me !! I couldn't have said no either. You are a real blessing to this kitty !!! Can't wait to see the pictures. I love cats with the extra toes. They are so cool.
I am a total sucker for an animal in need. 
The old ladies around here know this, I think. :crackup: :crackup: Dorris has now gotten me twice......the last one lives in the house and is spoiled rotten. The vet assistant....another lady around 80........has gotten me too and that cat lives inside also. "Tracy, I have something to show you". Well, of course it's a cat in need of a home that will not survive otherwise. And I bring them home....can't help myself! There's also several barn cats that have come to me this way. Did I say I'm a sucker?......it's true, but I don't regret a bit of it!! Darren might 'regret' it, but that's too bad! :crackup: Love me, love my critters ....................
Here's some :photo: of ??............haven't thought of a name for him yet. Any ideas anyone?
These were really hard to get as he couldn't stay still for me for long.......always wanting petted and wrapping himself around my legs. Anyway, I got one close up of his very dirty front feet. It sort of shows the extra toesies.
Pumpkin & Pickle BearsAww, he is super cute!!
How about the name Toby?
Posts: 1,277Aww, he's really cute! His paws look so big with those extra toes. I saw a polydactal cat once but he only had 6. Well, I hope you get away with bringing him in the house. How 'bout Ernie for a name, short for Ernest.
I'm a sucker for cats, too. About 2 or 3 days after we moved to our new house I found a cat hiding in the bushes. I lured her our with food and now she's a permanent fixture. She does have to stay outside though. I was actually surprised that Daniel said she could come in, but my indoor cat does not like any other cats in the house. I tried a couple times before, but it never worked out. We also have another cat that comes over about once or twice a week for food. I bought him his own dishes for on the porch.
PottersHouse BearsHe is adorable. Thank you for taking him in. I also am a softie. That is why I am now feeding about a gzillion cats. They all come here for a meal. I don't turn any of them down. There is food and a big barn they can sleep in. Many times cats get a raw deal in this world.
Delartful BearsWhat a gorgeous kitty - lovely smile for the camera also!
Lucky girl!
Danni
Chaska, MinnesotaTracy: Good for you, rescuing a kitty. When I was a teenager I found an abandoned cat by the tennis court. I brought him home and named him "meow". Not sure my father would approve of adopting a kitty, mother put him in the garage until we could bring up the kitty issue. The next morning, mother comes into my room paniced saying "that cat keeps meowing and your father is in the living room wondering where that noise coming form. Well the cat was out of the bag (so to speak) and I went into the garage and brought the cat into the living room. Well the rest of the story goes, my dad fell in love with "meow" and loved him until the day he passed away. Meow turned out to be his cat.
Michelle
Past Time BearsGosh, what a terrific cat, Tracy . . . love those feet! You got a good deal!
Thanks girls! :hug: Love the name suggestions. I have added them to the possibilities! Can't decide yet until I get to know his personality better. I have to tell you though that he is SUCH a lover........and I have already fallen in love! This cat hugs me when I hold him. He really seems to be a very special feline...........just as Dorris described him to me today. If I don't talk myself out of it by tomorrow, I am going to make a vet appointment for him for neutering. I want to keep this guy in the house with me. I think he would do just fine.........and maybe Darren won't notice him among the other three already inside.
Oh, yeah. Anyone here have or know any Maine Coon cats? I've been looking them up, and he has lots of the characteristics of the breed. I'm wondering if I haven't got a polydactyl Maine Coon kitty. Or at least a mix with Maine Coon. 
Tracy, you are such a sweetheart for taking this gorgeous boy in. He is very lucky to have you to be his new Mum. I think most bear people are animal crazy people as well - they just seem to go together. I love it when I hear that some poor little soul has found a good home. Thank you.
Apple Dumpling DesignsHow cute is he...I would be in love with him too!!! Those big ol' feet of his are just meant for big kitty hugs.
Tell Darren to move over...you got a new man in your life!!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Tell Darren to move over...you got a new man in your life!!!
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: Well, if he doesn't stop trying to come between me and my critters 
.........just kidding, but still he better just get over it cuz this animal lover ain't gonna change!
Ooh....Velcro.......that kind of fits him!! :crackup:
He wants in the house with me.......really, really bad. Keeps jumping up and meowing in the window of the garage door. I'm going to have to call the vet office tomorrow. I have no choice.........I've fallen for him and can't make him live in the barn now.
I wub kitties. Lucky you !
Bumpkin Bearsooooo such gorgeous photos, I'm so pleased you've taken him in - he sounds such a love bug My friend has got a maine coon (along with many other cats too!), he is also a very special almost human character. I was talking with her on the phone last night and he was meowing to her in the background! He is a big chap and his tail is also very long, he loves to stretch out along the top of her tv!! I named him Leo (the lion) when he was a kitten because he was such a bundle of fluff when we first saw him that he looked like a little mini lion with a fluffy mane! He has a lovely long coat now.
I hope he settles in nicely to the house and his op goes well!
Hugs to your kitties,
Catherine
x
Fuzzbutt BearsCongrats on the new addition, he's gorgeous!
I can probably answer your Maine coon questions, I live with four coonies and showed Maine coons for a while. Unfortunately, Xander turned out to be too smart for showing and figured out that hissing at judges got him home faster than cuddling with judges. Ripley got her Grand Premiership in CFA though.
It's hard to tell from pictures though whether a kitty is a coon or coon mix or not, especially since at about a year old they tend to go through a gangly teenager stage. Your boy seems to be going through his gangly stage so he isn't showing off the heft and mass that coons are known for -- although it looks like he's got some good bones to start with :). Coons can take as long as three years to mature.
He's got a nice coon face though: square muzzle and great ear placement. No coat right now but you said he's been living outside in the summer so that makes sense. Indoors or over the winter he should develop a thick, silky, double coat. I can't tell from the pictures if he has the fabulous ear tufts (it's really hard to get those to show up in pictures) or fluffs between his toes -- those shouldn't disappear over the summer.
I would guess that you have a coon-mix if not a full-blood coon. Watch for the absurdly wide vocabulary, I think that's the biggest giveaway. Coons don't just meow, they growl, squweak, chirp, warble, mumble, sing etc, etc.
Oh, one word of warning -- I don't know about normal polys but coonie polys learn how to use those thumbs.
-- Erika
Fuzzbut bears
Renae--I've already told you this, but I just love that pic of Henri!! He should be in a calendar or on a poster!!
Thanks for the info on Maine Coons gals. :hug: :hug: A dear friend (Renae :hug: ) told me he could also have Norwegian Forest in him. He's defintely got one or the other. There are too many characteristics there. The ears, the face, the bone structure, the feet, the tail, the fuzzy underside . His feet do have tufts between the toes. I couldn't get a good enough pic of them to show that.......he's too wiggly! His ears do not have the tuft on the tip though. Very furry on the inside, but no tuft. As far as gangly......boy, is he ever! He reminds me of a teenage boy at that stage. He is a bit on the thin side though from homelessness. Not bad, but a little. I can't wait to see him grow and develop. He will be a big, beautiful boy!
I made an appointment for him to be neutered on Monday. After that, he's indoors permanently! :dance: :dance: I will sneak him inside some before that though. So my other cats and the dogs can meet him and vice versa. He's still young enough that I'm sure he will be accepted fine, but it doesn't hurt to do this gradually.
What a handsome boy and I think the name Velcro is perfect!
My grandparent's lived on a farm and frequently got cats dumped on the roadside near their house. Often they were half wild anyway and would live outside. My grandma, being of old farming stock was not big on animals in the house but my grandpa has a soft spot for cats - and over the years one or two would be allowed to sneak in.
My favourite was a beautiful tom who was a gorgeous chocolatey brown/black colour. His fur was the exact colour of marmite, so that's what my Grandpa named him....my grandmother thought he was black like Satan and as kids, we always used to think it was extremely funny to hear her shouting "get out Satan get out" as she chased the cat down the passage back outside! :crackup: :crackup:
A true love story. (sigh) It makes my heart happy. Cats are extraordinary creatures. Blessed are those "adopted" by the feline persuasion.
Warmest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
P.S. God bless wise old ladies. 
:crackup:
My favourite was a beautiful tom who was a gorgeous chocolatey brown/black colour. His fur was the exact colour of marmite, so that's what my Grandpa named him....my grandmother thought he was black like Satan and as kids, we always used to think it was extremely funny to hear her shouting "get out Satan get out" as she chased the cat down the passage back outside!
Love this story Melissa!! I can just about picture your grandmother chasing poor "Satan" out of the house......too funny! :crackup:
P.S. God bless wise old ladies.
Yes, God bless them .........but if they start comparing notes, I'm in big trouble!! :crackup:
Chaska, MinnesotaTracy: If you are still looking for a name and since you said he is a "lover" why not call him "Lovey"? Because he sounds like he is your "Lovey Dove".
Michelle
