Oregon Shelter Takes in 'Rare' Intersex Tortoiseshell Kitten: 'Like Spotting a Unicorn'

A rare kitten has ended up at a humane society in Oregon – and staff compared it to seeing a unicorn!

The “tiny” one-pound kitten, named Cinder, “is a tortoiseshell male cat who is also a hermaphrodite,” the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO) said in a Facebook post, along with photos of the intersex cat.

The nonprofit said Cinder’s “striking” color and pattern are usually only found in female cats. His hermaphroditism is more accurately described as “Feline Sexual Development Disorder” or DSD.

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Even marking a kitten as male is “difficult,” according to Crystal Bloodworth, medical director at HSCO who has performed “tens of thousands of surgeries on cats” during her career — and has “seen only one other male and only a few kittens of true hermaphrodite animals. ”

However, the director noted, “Given the binary nature of animals and people’s perception of animals, we chose male.”

Cinder the kitten.

Central Oregon Humane Society

After arriving at the humane society in late April, Cinder was classified as a female, named Cindi, and taken to a foster home, where she was “a typical loving, adventurous and playful kitten.”

Five weeks later, the cat arrived at the clinic for spay surgery, during which Bloodworth discovered that the animal had no uterus or ovaries. HSCO’s veterinary team found and removed two testicles, and after surgery, Cindi became Cinder.

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Shelter staff believe Cinder is “very likely a cat with three XXY sex chromosomes,” because “two X chromosomes allow for tortoiseshell color and a Y chromosome allows for testicles,” HSCO said.

Cinder the kitten.

Central Oregon Humane Society

Bloodworth said that if a veterinarian examined Cinder as an adult, the cat would likely be considered a female “because the external genitalia closely resemble a female, not to mention the fact that the cat is tortoiseshell in color,” according to the organization.

“The kitten didn’t have a uterus or ovaries, it had testicles and what looks like a vulva,” Bloodworth added.

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HSCO Clinic Manager Bailey Shelton said Cinder’s arrival – the kitten was part of a litter abandoned by her owner – was “like spotting a unicorn!”

Cinder the kitten.

Central Oregon Humane Society

“Even though I’ve only been in veterinary medicine for nine years, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” she continued. “They always said how rare the male turtles were back at the school, but seeing one in person is something else.”

Another HSCO employee, Annie Pulzone, echoed Shelton’s reaction, adding that she had only seen one other XXY cat in her 10-year career. “It’s always fun to see these types of animals in career,” Pulzone said, “because they’re so rare.”

According to a statement from HSCO obtained by PEOPLE, the family adopted Cinder on June 7. The kitten’s new home includes an ambitious veterinarian. The adoptive parents told the shelter that Cinder is “funny, quirky and sweet” and that she is “full of masculine energy, with the attitude of a turtle.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education