Sunny

Our volunteer hoped she was reading her paper incorrectly, but there it was. Someone was advertising "baby bobcat for sale" in the local paper. Out in Hedgesville, West Virginia, you see some odd things for sale in the classifieds, but this was a first. She decided to investigate. After a series of communications with the people advertising this animal, she went out to meet him.

What she saw made her take him on the spot.

A tiny, frail yellow kitten, stood blinking his eyes in the bright light of the Food Lion parking lot. His tail was missing, but it looked oddly truncated, as if it had been injured and amputated, or, as is sometimes seen, as if his tail had been tied off with rubber bands until it dropped off. It was clear that this kitten had been kept in dark place, perhaps a cellar -- he was clearly unused to bright daylight. He stood, frozen, overwhelmed by the sights around him, as well as a little afraid of his captors. They seemed indifferent to his plight, and it seemed clear that this shivering little creature was nothing more to them than a profound disappointment -- they had purchased him as an exotic bobcat, and they were beginning to suspect that this little waif was nothing more than an unusual little cat.

Our volunteer persuaded the sellers to give her this little guy, and she brought him home to her house. She named him Sunny, part for the bright and brilliant color of his coat and part as a promise that his life would be a lot better from now on. (The "truth in advertising" contingent of our group wanted to call him Bob, but cooler heads prevailed.)

We took him to our vet, who said he was 99.99% sure that Sunny's tail was simply not present (he was born that way), it had not been amputated. Likewise, he got a clean bill of health. His foster mom reports that he is a nice guy, very happy and champing at the bit to explore more of his world. He is litterbox trained and, his foster reports, a perfect angel 90 percent of the time, which is just about what you'd expect from any kitten. He is a social little chap and will seek out affection and leap enthusiastically into his foster mom's lap, and he is clearly beginning to view life as a very different proposition than he used to.

As to his breed, he has been tentatively identified as resembling a Japanese bobtail cat -- he has the delicate frame, triangular head, longer rear legs and smallish size. He will remain quite small and elegant, and unique in appearance.

We think he would be a great only cat, and we'd like to place him in a quieter household. Otherwise, the sky's the limit for little Sunny, who although an outright failure as a wild cat, is on the road to quiet greatness as a companion animal.