EDMONTON 鈥� Bitsy the cat was born with nine lives, six legs and one loving heart.
Christine Koltun says the one-year-old cat is well on her way to having a new lease on life after a recent surgery to remove three of the legs.
"I'm just so happy for her," said Koltun, the founder and executive director of the Edmonton-based cat rescue Furget Me Not.
"Very grateful that we could help her."
Koltun said her organization met Bitsy, named after the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" nursery rhyme, after staff got an email last month about a stray cat with extra legs growing out of her side.
Koltun was baffled.
She had seen cats with paws like lobster claws and "vampire kitties" breaking out in sores in the sun, she said, but never a feline with extra limbs.
"There's no way that there's a cat with extra legs. Cats only have four legs," she said. "Then I got the pictures and went, 'Oh, my God! This cat has extra legs.'"
Koltun sprang into action. She brought the cat home and almost immediately realized that Bitsy was an affectionate, extremely loving and people-oriented kitty.
As it turned out, Bitsy absorbed a littermate while she was in the womb, gaining two extra legs and a second pelvis that grew as she did.
One of the main four legs didn't work and also needed to be removed.
At first, Koltun said, she wasn't sure if Bitsy could be helped.
"I had a little bit of a cry when I first brought her in. Because it was just so overwhelming thinking, 'Where is this going to take us? Will we be able to help her? Will we be able to fix this?'"
Veterinarians at Windermere Veterinary Hospital took X-rays and determined surgery would significantly improve the cat's quality of life.
After a procedure that took a little more than two hours, Koltun said Bitsy is recovering well.
"Within less than a day, Betsy was up using the litterbox, drinking the water all by herself. So we really couldn't have asked for a better outcome," she said.
Bitsy still has stitches and is taking some pain medicine but is slowly being weaned off, Koltun added.
She said a staff member at the vet clinic has been fostering the feline and may keep her.
"We're really happy for both of them that they've formed this amazing bond, and we're hoping that Bitsy's story ends up with getting to stay with her foster mom."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
