NICHOLE AND MICKEY

NICHOLE AND MICKEY
Originally uploaded by rikkis_refuge

Nichole is a manx kitty. When they "make" manxes they breed out that last necessary vertebrae at the end of the spine and beginning of the tail. The nerves run thru here that help to control the bladder and the rectum. Often this area is really messed up. Some literature I've read says that up to 25% of manx kittens are so messed up down there that they are murdered at a few days or a week old. One heck of a price to pay to get a cat without a tail. Many others have or will develop potty problems. Now if you don't mind you kitty dripping a little poop around it's no problem. But most folks object to this.

It's interesting that the inborn damage we see in the manxes we have are identical to the damage we see in some cats who've had rear end trauma resulting in a tail amputation and often a lot of other reconstructive surgery. Once you take somebody apart - it's awfully hard to get it together so it all works right again. It's a real miracle that the majority are fixed up just fine. Vincent, though he didn't lose his entire tail, has potty problems as a result of his accident. Taco and Sunshine both had trauma that has left them not working quite right down there.

Mickey is an old man who just had some pretty extensive dental surgery and is still in recovering from that. He has the hots for cute little Nichole.