(I'm writing this on Monday. Since the dog and cat breeds discussed aren't super-fashionable, I'm guessing they'll still be available for adoption on Tuesday morning.)
Serena's sole-survivor kitten may or may not be able to finish growing up--some kittens who show the Manx gene aren't, and this one also shows the kinky-tail gene from Serena's remote Siamese ancestors. Presumably its father, a local rescued tomcat, is some sort of distant cousin to its mother. The tomcat I regularly greet as Tar Baby was adopted by an absentee landlord and is fed at least every other day, but, unlike the cat he was brought in to replace, he's social enough to want to hang out with Serena--and torment Drudge--more days than not. He could hardly care less how many mice are living in his official owners' barn. He is large, I've estimated eighteen pounds, but hardly the giant local people make him sound like.
But his baby son has had all the milk he could get out of his mother, who is also a cat of some magnitude, about twelve pounds, and produces a generous supply...and he's grown fast. From nose to hind paws (never mind his poor little turned-under stub of a tail) he stretched to 11 inches when he was exactly three weeks old. He's been encouraged to learn to wait six or eight hours between meals, and does that with no fuss. Serena has encouraged him to climb out of the little nest in which she's been rearing him and scamper around the office for exercise. I didn't intend to encourage him, but he never misses a chance to snuggle up beside me and demand to be played with. Most three-week-old kittens are less active so it's amusing to watch his play reflexes develop. He does not yet follow objects trailed along the ground in front of him. He still tends to react to tickling by flopping over and inviting me to clean his bottom, though not because he actually wants that done. He still understands a stroke along one side as steering him, and moves in the direction indicated.
I left him in charge of the office this morning, Serena having assured me that in any emergency she could go in to the rescue.
He does not yet have a name in human language. He has to survive for three months to claim the name of "Miracle." Meanwhile it's not clear whether he knows that "baby," "kitten," "itty-bitty kitty cat," "squeaker," or "little bit" refer to him, or just that, generally, he's allowed to come out and play when I'm in the office. In any case he's a friendly little thing.
He will be adoptable when he's been neutered. If I'd had the opportunity to talk to Moses, I would've demanded that "Thou shalt not suffer a Manx cat to breed" be in the Bible. It's just so painful for humans and mother cats to watch Manx kittens die. This one's siblings did go out like little lights when exposed to "New Roundup," but typically defective Manx kittens suffer before they die from failing to develop essential inside parts. Or, for those who think their odd-shaped, bobtailed or tailless hindquarters are so cute, people who let Manx cats breed should get the privilege of mopping up after those cute little defective urinary systems that cause some of them to dribble everywhere they go, or leading the ones with the cute little eyes that never open all through their lives.
But nothing seems wrong with this one's little baby-blue eyes, and Serena says his digestive system is, so far, super-efficient. She bounces in and out a few times during each feeding to limit his milk intake and says it takes three minutes or less to extract the cheese.
Are viable Manx kittens available for adoption in New York, Washington, and Atlanta by now? It may be too soon to ask, but let's see...I suspect that most of the Manx and other kittens that have the missing-or-incomplete-tail gene are accidents. With this breed/type the only humane way to get kittens is to adopt them from shelters with pro-extinction policies. We need cats and dogs, right below us humans in the food chain, but we need the ones with non-lethal genes.
Zipcode 10101: Bugsy (and Kit) from Walnutport
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/bugsy-76398779/pa/walnutport/furry-feet-rescue-pa508/
Kit looks more like Serena's kitten, but has a complete tail. Both "Tuxies" are described as sweet pets. Both are male. Reasonable adoption fees probably mean you have to pay separately for neutering. The shelter doesn't demand that they be adopted together but does want them to stay within an hour's drive from where they now are.
Zipcode 20202: Candy Cane from Rixeyville
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/candy-cane-75161373/va/rixeyville/jeepin-for-paws-va916/
He's not really a kitten any more. His web page has not been rewritten as the system has bumped him up to "young." This last spring's kitten is still bouncy, playful, and snuggly.
Zipcode 30303: Eclair from Kennesaw
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/eclair-76844368/ga/kennesaw/purr-nation-cat-alliance-ga853/
Eclair's adoption fee is on the high side because it includes a substantial veterinary bill. She's been checked. The only effect the Manx gene should have on her is expected to be making her look "more special." She likes to play; they recommend adopting her with another kitten if you don't already live with one. (Serena, who was a sole survivor kitten, says it's ESSENTIAL that all kittens have other kittens to play with!)
All Manx cats have a wider build than most American Shorthair cats have. This is not part of their deformity. They share their wide sturdy frames with healthy British Shorthairs. Most of them are just on the large side of average size, but a few just keep growing back to the original size of wild cats--two or three times the size of most house cats. It is not possible to tell from the size of a Manx kitten how big it will grow up to be, if it grows up at all. Big kittens can become small cats; average-sized kittens can become oversized cats. People who live with oversized cats say they're still gentle house pets; certainly our Graybelle was.
Bonus Kitten: Brussel Sprout
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/brussel-sprout-76803186/dc/washington/final-victory-animal-rescue-sc497/
Brussel Sprout is listed for adoption in Virginia and Washington (DC), but is actually in South Carolina.
Now for the dogs...At least once a year we have to feature a dog breed that is also known for its sturdy body shape, and that is disproportionately represented in shelters...the Pit Bull Terrier. These dogs' ancestors were bred to fight, to amuse people who thought it was amusing to watch animals fight. Like most animals, they'll fight if they think they need to. Much more than most animals, they are strong for their size and very very determined. Like most animals, they can become accustomed to a peaceful life where things are done out of love and nobody ever needs to fight. Nobody should be breeding more Pit Bulls, they get dumped into shelters because so many landlords won't rent to people who own them, but if you have a safe place where you can keep one for the ten or even fifteen years it may live, you might want to rescue one.
The dogs shown below are Pit Bull mixes. Though they may have been discriminated against because of their breed type, they are warranted by shelter staff to be gentle pets. You could do things like training them to destroy a paper bag you throw when you say, "Hey look--here comes N" (where N represents the name of a person by whom you don't want to be visited), but these Pit Bulls seem to have been designed to be better suited to teaching people that they don't need to fear every Pit Bull Terrier on Earth.
Zipcode 10101: Walter from NYC
They say he's a cuddly pet with a soft coat. Snuggling is his favorite thing but he also likes to walk around the big city with a human, and plays nicely with other dogs. He's described as big for a terrier. Might there be a bit of retriever in his ancestry?
Zipcode 20202: Delaney from DC
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/delaney-75133563/dc/washington/humane-rescue-alliance-foster-homes-dc03/
Another mix of Pit Bull and something larger and mellower, possibly retriever, Delaney can show stress when kept among other animals but is said to be a clever, obedient pet, good at Sitting, Staying, and Finding Toys. He's described as "super sweet and goofy," willing to stay in and snuggle all day or go out with you. He likes resting on a couch or bed beside his human.
Zipcode 30303: Umbrella from Atlanta
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/umbrella-76793838/ga/atlanta/fulton-county-animal-services-ga217/
Not much is known yet about this little fellow, but someone who's used to living with cute, sweet, innocent, stubborn pups ought to love him. For a dog he looks remarkably like Serena's surprise kitten.
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