
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 7, 1994                   TAG: 9407070106
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                                LENGTH: Medium

BREEDER: STUBBY-LEGGED CATS `JUST NEW KITTY ON THE BLOCK'

Penny Squires doesn't think of her stubby-legged cats as freaks, even though their 3-inch front legs make them look something like a feline version of a dachshund.

``They are not deformed,'' said Squires, who is breeding the animals and will sell one for about $350. ``They are just the new kitty on the block.''

She calls them ``Munchkins'' - although the breed is not officially recognized - and said they are ``a normal mutation.''

``Believe you me, they're conversation pieces,'' she said.

But veterinarian Paul D. Rowan warned against deliberately breeding animals with genetic mutations, because the animals could have health problems. He said short-leggedness in animals usually is a condition accompanied by premature aging of the discs in the spine.

``Recessive genetic characteristics are generally not healthy,'' Rowan said. ``[Tailless] Manx cats, for instance, often have a condition that makes them incontinent. ... Persian cats with their squished-up noses often have breathing problems, nasal obstructions and problems with tearing of the eyes.''

Squires said her cats are quick.

``You know how a regular cat will have to stop before it runs under a bed?'' she asked. ``Well, the Munchkins are so low they don't have to slow down. They're as fast as a ferret.''

And they don't trouble the cook, she said. ``They can't jump onto kitchen counters. Their legs are just too short.''

So far, Squires has eight Munchkins and a litter on the way.

``Aren't they cute?'' she said, dangling a string in front of 3-week-old triplets Bonnie, Clyde and Angel. ``Most everyone who sees them thinks they are adorable.''

The kittens' mother is a normal-legged calico that was bred with a Munchkin male. The litter produced five kittens, but the two normal kittens died shortly after birth.

Squires said she has taken several Munchkins to cat shows, where they received mixed reviews. Some judges loved them, and others found them disgusting. ``It varies a lot from judge to judge,'' she said.

According to Squires, there are about 100 Munchkin cats in the United States and about a dozen breeders who are lobbying for official recognition.

Rowan said he has never treated one.

According to Munchkin literature, short-legged cats were first discovered about 40 years ago in Russia. Another colony was found in Louisiana in the 1980s.

by CNB