Posted on 08/09/2006 1:17:33 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows
Could this be the world's smallest cat? The Guinness Book of Records is waiting until this little Munchkin kitten is fully grown to decide if he is a record breaker.
But Heed is well on track. At 14 weeks old he is just 3 1/4 inches tall, and weighs just over 2lbs.
Current record holder, Mr Peebles from Illinois, stands at 6.1 inches tall, and weighs 3.1 lbs. At eight weeks old, Heed could hide behind a tin can and he is still shorter than a roll of toilet paper.
His owner, Tiffani Kjeldergaard, 40, of Potrero, San Diego, explained: "Munchkins are a breed that have the same mutant gene as little people. But they usually weigh 3-5 lbs and stand at around 6 inches.
"Heed was one of a litter of seven and was the only one with this gene. His mother is a Munchkin and his father is a normal sized cat.
"We called him Heed because he was born with a big head and a tiny body and it reminded us of a line in a Mike Myers film called So I Married an Axe Murderer where he shouts in a Scottish accent, 'Look at the size of his heed!'"
Tiffani and her husband Stefan, a computer programmer, planned to have the whole litter adopted, but delayed the rehoming when the kittens all had a tummy bug.
"Then I noticed that Heed was not growing" said Tiffani. "When the others recovered we decided to hold onto him, in case he was still sick. We thought we might lose him." But Heed was soon in good health.
"He eats all day long," Tiffani said. "He even has a pot belly." Tiffani, who breeds cats, birds and horses, and also has a pet llama, contacted the Guinness Book of Records.
"They have sent me the documentation, so fingers crossed.
"Heed is a great little cat. He loves to rub noses with me when he's nervous, but I take him out everywhere with me and he loves it. He'll definitely be staying with us. This guy is kind of cool."
Thanks to Hazcat for finding this story!
I want that cat he looks like my old Mr. Ed
Looks delicious in a pan with a little butter and some garlic.
Their little arms and legs even have "dwarflike" bow and musclebuilder look
I am slain.
I cannot bear the subject of Munchkins. I saw a number of them years ago at a TICA cat show. They caught on, of course. Plenty of people were willing to pay breeders a lot of money in order to own a "novelty cat." That phrase alone is disgusting to me.
I have never been in favor of breeding deformed animals. I never will be.
For the record, The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) -- which is our premiere cat association -- is diametrically opposed to the breeding of Munchkins. Good call on their part.
3 1/2 inches tall? We have rats bigger than that!
OMG HE IS SO CUTE!!! He looks a bit like my cat!
Oh I'd love a wee little kitty like that!
Well, that takes you off my Christmas list.
I have two tuxedo kitties. My younger looks a lot like Heed, but without the serious expression.
Heed is SO cute- he looks tough! I had three tuxedos but I lost two in my divorce so now I just have one. :)
Are they otherwise unhealthy? I've never heard of them as a breed or attempted breed, but "toy" dog breeds are good companions for the elderly.
I'm sorry. Best cure is to go out and adopt another one.
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