Our Little Man

What a beautiful lad he is, indeed! I knew a 3-legged cat called Fluffy, who lived up to his name!

I'm not sure that your Dudley is a Burmese, but breed is often irrelevant. The majority of the world's cats aren't actually pedigree. But all are cats, and that's all that matters.

Hi Tracy. It's truly amazing how cats adjust to their disabilities. I'm sure your Dudley Moore is just as agile as Michael's Charlie - and he did impress me a lot. I've also seen videos of Gwen Cooper's blind cat Homer, who manages quite well without his sight.
I of course see things as an outsider, but you who live with these cats probably don't think that much about it in the daily life.
The Little Man has very beseeching eyes and he no doubt uses that to the full. Also as he is studying your every move, he will end up knowing everything about you. You have gotten yourself a great little man there. :-)

Charlie and my other cat are both moggies. Charles is black and my lady cat, who is 18 years old, is black and white (tuxedo style).

Yes, Charles has a very strong lower back (it feels very hard) and his tail also supports him when he goes into meerkat position which he does a lot. He gets attention when he goes into meerkat mode! He knows that.

Hi Teddy! Hi Michael!

Oh my goodness Michael, it was so awesome for me to get to see another cat with three legs! Charlie looks (and sounds) like an awesome little man also! I went and watched your videos, and really found them so interesting!

Teddy, to answer your question, Dudley was not born with three legs. He definitely lost one, although we don't know how nor did the shelter as he came to them that way. However, I was told that if a vet had taken the leg, they would have taken the shoulder also, and Dudley does still have his front left shoulder.

Michael - interestingly enough, while Dud walks similarly to Charlie, he doesn't walk quite as low to the ground. He positions his remaining leg towards the middle of his body and this allows him to remain more upright when running (although still lower than 4 legged cats). He does widen his back legs a bit I think, for added balance, but he also has the most prehensile tail of any cat I've ever had. It's quite muscular. He definitely uses it to help with balance also, and curls it around my arm and leg to help with his balance when leaning against me. I also wonder if having just that little extra weight on that side by having his shoulder helps give him a little more upright balance? It's interesting to consider and watch, anyway. :) I'll have to try and catch some video of Dud at some point to share.

Are both of your cats Burmese?

He seems nice, like the perfect adorable cat. But Micheal and Tracy, why do they have three legs, an accident that took one or are there some cats born like that? My previous cat had ablue eye and the other green and I thought it was cute, other people thought it was spooky!

Hi Tracy, Dud Man sounds like my Charlie. Charlie has three legs and he gazes at me adoringly can't fathom why but it is nice and it brings the best out of me.

Charlie also has a strange voice - indeed range of voices.

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed it. I made a post about Charles.