A homeless kitten who is up for adoption at a Tyneside rehoming centre is the first to be seen by an animal charity's vets who is neither male nor female.
Hope, a tabby and white cat originally thought to be female when admitted to a Cats Protection rescue centre in Warrington, was found to have no external sex organs. Vets said they have seen hermaphrodite cats, who have both male and female sex organs, but they are extremely rare.
However, Hope has no sex organs at all - externally or internally. Cats Protection's senior field veterinary officer Fiona Brockbank said it appears to be a case of agenesis - the failure of an organ to develop - which neither she not her colleagues have ever seen before.
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The charity has carried out tests which have shown Hope will not be affected by the condition and they are now waiting to be adopted at the Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre in Felling, Gateshead. Ms Brockbank said: "We carried out a procedure to look for sex organs but there’s nothing apparent inside or out.
"There’s an outside possibility of some ectopic ovarian tissue hiding away internally but we think this is extremely unlikely. This is so rare that there isn’t really a commonly used term for this condition, but it is effectively sexual organ agenesis – where agenesis is the lack or failure of development in relation to body organs.
"This is not something we’ve come across before at Cats Protection. While this means we don’t have any previous cases to base our knowledge of how this will affect Hope in the future, we spent time monitoring this cat to ensure they can urinate and defecate appropriately before they were considered ready for rehoming."
15-week-old Hope is described as a playful kitten who endeared themselves to staff and volunteers at the centres in Warrington and Gateshead. Beni Benstead, Tyneside Adoption manager, said: "Discovering Hope’s special status has been an exciting time as none of us have seen this before or are likely to again.
"Hope has been a delight to care for and it is fantastic that they are now ready to be adopted. We know they will bring someone many years of fun and companionship. We would also be extremely grateful to hear updates on our Tyneside superstar."
A Cats Protection spokeswoman said that Hope was first brought into the centre with their mother and three siblings by a busy family who did not think they would be able to give them the attention they needed. Hope is now vaccinated and microchipped, and insurer Petplan has confirmed they will not need any special coverage.
To find out more about adopting animals at Cats Protection's Tyneside Adoption Centre, visit the website.
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