My name is Poly!

A volunteer was driving in Westminster and came across a cardboard box sitting underneath a parked truck with three kittens inside. A concerned neighbor had been feeding the kittens for a few weeks while trying to find them somewhere to go with no luck. He said the mother cat had been hit by a car a couple weeks earlier, and her kittens were left. All three kittens were out in the freezing, cold rain trying to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, this compassionate neighbor had too many animals to adopt them himself.

Our vet confirmed they all had mites, mange, and giardia. All three issues have been successfully cured and Marco, Polo and Poly are ready to find new homes.

Poly is a friendly and affectionate cat. He loves people, enjoys pets and cuddles. Poly is also unique in that all four of his paws are polydactyl. This means Poly has six or more toes on each paw, rather than the normal five toes. Cats with polydactyl paws have better balance because they have wider, larger paws allowing them to hunt and climb more efficiently. Another interesting item about polydactyl cats is that they were a favorite of Ernest Hemingway. Mr. Hemingway received a polydactyl feline from a ship’s captain by the name of Snow Ball and subsequently developed a true love for multi-toed cats. His home in Key West, Florida was transformed into a museum after this death and about half of the cats that reside there are polydactyl.

Poly also has conjunctivitis from feline herpes virus (FHV-1) that is being treated with eye drops.FHV-1 is very common, in fact almost all cats are exposed to FHV-1 as kittens, either by their mother or by another cat. Up to 80% of cats develop a hidden (referred to as dormant or latent) infection and become carries of FHV-1 for life. In many cats, this causes no problems. But sometimes feline herpes returns occasionally throughout the cat's life, especially in times of illness or stress. Just as some people get repeated Herpes cold sores, some cats will repeatedly get corneal (eye) ulcers or have chronic (long term) sneezing or nasal congestion.

Since Poly is still a kitten, his immune system is still growing. Our vet believes he may grow out of the symptoms especially if he is taken out of the high stress shelter environment.

Poly is a special boy that really deserves a home! He’d love it even more if his brother Marco (his snuggle buddy) could come along!

Please apply to adopt Poly at www.AALOC.org. Once your application is reviewed and approved we will contact you to make an appointment to visit us at AALOC to meet Poly and get to know him a bit.

Donation of $100 for cat adoption includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and a microchip. Applications require a veterinary reference and home visit. We adopt to residents of Orange County, CA and surrounding areas. Please note: For families with children, we require children to be 10 years of age or older, although exceptions are made depending on the circumstances. For more information on adoption policies visit our cat adoption page at www.aaloc.org. Contact us by e-mail at aaloc@aaloc.org.