‘Nobody had ever even heard of this’: Bitsy the six-pawed Edmonton cat recovering after surgery to remove extra legs

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Warning: this story contains images some readers may find disturbing.

It was one of the strangest messages Christine Koltun has received in two decades of rescuing cats — a plea from a concerned citizen seeking help for a stray tabby with too many legs.

“I read the email like four times,” said Koltun. “I thought, ‘What is this person seeing that they think could be a cat with extra legs?’”

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Turns out, it was indeed a cat with extra legs.

A few weeks later, that cat has a name — and a new lease on life.

Bitsy, a nod to her once-slightly-arachnid appearance, is recovering at an Edmonton veterinary clinic after surgery to remove her second pelvis and three non-functioning legs.

Now a “tripod,” the one-year-old is already rolling around, using the litter box and acting every bit like a normal cat, Koltun said.

Koltun, who runs the Edmonton-based cat rescue Furget Me Not, first learned of Bitsy in late April from a resident in northwest Edmonton’s Wellington neighbourhood. The resident said the cat appeared in her backyard out of nowhere, dragging a trio of scraped-up hind legs.

“It was very obvious that we had to get her inside immediately, both because of predators and people,” Koltun said.

Catching Bitsy proved easy. She was surprisingly friendly and social, and — despite the sorry state of her non-functioning legs — had a healthy coat and teeth.

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Koltun registered Bitsy with Animal Care and Control, but no one had reported her missing.

Bitsy was then assessed by staff at Windermere Veterinary Hospital. They concluded the extra pelvis likely came from a twin Bitsy absorbed in the womb. The legs attached to the pelvis did not work, including her hind left leg, which was facing backwards.

While euthanasia was discussed, doctors believed Bitsy would have a good quality of life if her malformed limbs were removed.

“We had two separate vets look at it,” Koltun said. “Everybody agreed we could safely and cleanly amputate that whole piece right off of her, and she would be a tripod and be free of this mass that had been hanging off of her her whole life, causing her so much pain.”

Veterinary doctor Dani Wood performed the surgery May 5. Courtney Stevens, a registered veterinary technologist who assisted, said Bitsy will spend 10-14 days recovering at the clinic before going home with her foster mom.

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Her recovery has been remarkable, Stevens said.

“She’s doing fantastic,” she said. “She’s eating really well, her energy’s coming back, she isn’t uncomfortable at all. She’s super purr-y and love-y and otherwise seems very happy, very comfortable.”

Stevens said the extra limbs likely stemmed from a genetic disorder or a birth defect possibly resulting from in-breeding.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before, so it was definitely a huge shock when she came in, but it was really awesome we were able to help her out.”

“Spaying and neutering is so important,” she added.

Second reported Edmonton case

Another six-legged Edmonton cat, Pauly, made the news in 2015 after he was found with two small legs attached to his sternum. Like in Bitsy’s case, a veterinarian concluded Pauly had absorbed a twin in utero.

The veterinarian said Pauly’s condition affects about one in every 10,000 cats, though Koltun had never heard of another case before Bitsy.

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“Typically, these babies don’t survive,” she said. “They either come out stillborn, or the mom doesn’t make it because she can’t deliver. So to see an adult cat like this, they say one in 10,000 statistically, but none of our vets, nobody at animal control, nobody had ever even heard of this, let alone seen a cat like (Bitsy).”

Pauly’s case was also less extreme, Koltun said, noting Bitsy had “like one-quarter of another cat” attached to her.

While we’ll likely never know for sure, Koltun believes Bitsy had an owner who cared for her before she ended up on the streets. If that’s the case, she does not judge that person harshly.

“It was a shock, and even I felt overwhelmed with where to even start,” said Koltun of first seeing Bitsy. “For a private citizen, just having this cat as a pet, I don’t really blame them for not even knowing where to begin.”

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“There’s no question she was loved,” she added.

Furget Me Not is currently fundraising to cover the cost of Bitsy’s surgery, with plans to eventually make her available for adoption.

jwakefield@postmedia.com

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@jonnywakefield.bsky.social

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