Posted on 10/28/2010 12:18:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Warning: the video of Fainting Goat Kittens that you are about to see has induced crying in more than one member of the Urlesque stuff. We may be Urlbots, but we're only human!
What's a Fainting Goat Kitten? You've probably heard of goats that faint at loud noises and remain paralyzed on the ground for a few minutes at a time. Well, their condition is called myotonia congenita, better known as "Fainting Goat Syndrome," and it turns out that cats can have it, too.
So, Charlie and Spike are two kittens with Fainting Goat disease, which makes them unique and adorable, but also makes running and playing like normal kittens impossible for them. In fact, three days after their owners posted this cute but extremely sad video, Spike (the black and white kitten) passed away as a result of respiratory failure. Knowing that their condition makes the kittens' lives so fragile transforms the video from just cute to cute and heartbreaking.
And of course, some pranksters have creatively edited the sound in the video to propose a more disturbing explanation for the kittens falling over. This one made me pretty uncomfortable, but my kitty-loving girlfriend thought it was kind of funny. Watch at your own risk.
Thanks I haven’thad a good chuckle like that in some time.
-Dog person
pflv
It’s sad that one of the kittens has died from this disorder, but the version of the video with the ‘gun cocking / gun-shot’ soundtrack is just plain funny. I’m sorry, I know I’m probably sick in the head or something but I could not stop laughing at it.
But I DO hope this whole goat / kitten disease analogy thing does not motivate someone to make a movie about “Men Who Stare at Cats”.
My goodness...I feel terrible...I can’t stop laughing at the gunshot video!
I know. I know.
[We’re probably both going to the hot place when we die, aren’t we?]
the music....from "The Year of Living Dangerously" was a plus...
I know it’s sick; it’s terrible! But still I laughed....”something about the duality of man, sir”
With that being said, I didn't see these kittens fainting, instead I saw them being placed on a highly polished wood floor and the intimidation in their eyes.
What likely happened in the original video is that once on the slippery floor that the kittens were obviously afraid of, the artifical noise used to startle them caused them to react and attempt to bolt but not having any traction of the floor, they simply fell down.......
Watch the video real close and observe their hind paws. In virtually every instance you will see them slip on the floor which results in them falling down.
And by the way, they also appear to have been declawed...........
Since they were kittens, if they were indeed declawed, it is quit likely that the surgery was very recent to the video being taken which would explain why they are approaching the floor with extreme trepidation........
Have you seen this video?
Poor kittehs.
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