Dwarf cat Kaju in expert hands

 ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Kaju, a Turkish street cat who was diagnosed with a rare condition called dwarfism, is still under the care of veterinary doctors and draws fans who visit its home at an Ankara animal hospital.

Dwarfism makes Kaju shorter and smaller than ordinary cats. Another famous dwarf cat is social media sensation “Lil Bub,” a small American tabby cat known for her protruding tongue.

At 2.5 years old, Kaju measures 10 centimeters long and weighs only 1.5 kilograms. 

Kaju was taken to the hospital when he was six months old and has been under treatment there for two years. 

“It is doing pretty well. We don’t know if it’s happy or not. He can’t talk, but we know it from his growling,” said Tarkan Özçetin Özçetin, one of Kazu’s veterinary doctors. “Appetite is good, too.” 

Özçetin said that Kaju was the first dwarf cat he had encountered in his 26-year professional life. He said he and the other veterinarian at the hospital thought Kaju was a very young kitten when they first saw him. 

“We knew about cat dwarfism, but we had never seen such a cat,” Özçetin said. “As time went by, we saw that the cat did not grow up and then realized its dwarfism after examinations. It makes some normal movements more difficult than for other cats.” 

Özçetin said that they typically found homes for stray cats who are taken to the hospital. 

“But this cat needs special care because of dwarfism. We can only give this cat to people who promise that they will meet this care,” he said.