Could my cat be mentally retarded?

Question

I wonder if my tortoiseshell kitten could be retarded?

She has a extremely long tail,
large floppy gremlin ears,
she has a long skinny neck,
her eyes look strange (human-like but slightly lazy & sunken in), and her belly looks like a pot-belly pig.

She pisses on things (floor; herself while walking around; even her twin sister)
She eats all the food at once (cares less about her sisters needs)
She knees my boobs and licks my face raw @ night.
She don't chase toys, her hand-paw coordination is WAY off!! She only plays with her twin sis who takes it easy with her and lets her win often.
She gets spooked often (over little or NOTHING at all)
Her sis seams to look out for her.
Her twin sis meows (& she comes) and bosses her around and she listens.
Never covers her poop up.
Never listens to us (her sis does).
She either over loves us or just plain crabby.
She has a hard time cleaning herself.

Has anyone had a retarded cat? Is it possible? How do you know for sure?

Answer 1

Here's a link to a resolved question about someone with the same problem, except that their vet told them their cat was mentally retarded.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060920171123AArE64c

Answer 2

What she is doesn't matter--she's how she is.

The main question is do you love her and will you help her when she's having a hard time? Will you let her know that you're going to treat her gentle and be there for her.

Cats don't 'share' or watch out for their siblings. That part is normal. Many cats don't cover up the poop till later (or not at all, depends on if the mom taught them what to do). She may be hard of hearing or doesn't see any cause & effect to listening to humans.

What seems to be a concern is the pot belly, she could have worms which won't let her get the nutrition she needs from the food she eats. Cats & kittens shouldn't be pot bellied, it's a bad sign something is wrong. A vet would need a stool sample (poop) to see what parasite is in her and treat accordingly.

Answer 3

She is only a baby, some of this will go away. Take her to the doc, though, because it is possible that she has worms, in which case she's acting funny because she is sick. I have a kitten who didn't clean herself, but her brother has taught her and she is always clean now. While he looks out for her, she is oblivious. If you have somebody watching your back all the time, you don't worry about it. She was wobbling and we thought she was brain damaged, but it turns out there was goop in her ears. We clean them and she doesn't wobble.

If she has a vision or hearing problem, she is spooked because her senses are off. I have a blind guy like that. He gets scared really easily.

You and sis have to train her to use the litter box, she may not know. She may also be too young to see that she has to listen to you.

See the vet, that's the only way to know for sure what's up.

Answer 4

Yes, your cat is probably retarded. Her 'looks' don't have anything to do with it, but the 'sunken eyes' may be a 'telling sign.' The biggest PROBLEM for you is that she doesn't have much control ... but if you love her, and her sister is there to 'watch over her' when you aren't there, then I'd say that she should 'live' with you until she dies. Just PLEASE make sure that she is 'fixed' and that she NEVER goes outside ... even in a harness and leash ... because the 'big world' could really confuse her and she could 'bolt' and be killed easily. There is another thing that could be wrong though ... she could be 'partially deaf' so that she can 'hear' her sister's meows, but can't hear YOU ... I've had cats like that, and they were 'sort of stupid' because they couldn't hear properly. Just love your kitty and give her a good home ... or if you can't take it, then please find her a REALLY GOOD HOME if you give her away.

Answer 5

well if shes still a kitten, most of those things would be normal.
all cats are different, the first 5 things could be unique to her.
is she litter trained yet? when i first got my cat, 15 years ago, when he was just a few weeks old, he would urinate on everything.
my cat also would eat as much food as he could, regardless of his brother.
she's showing you affection by licking you. she doesnt realize that youre sleeping.
my cat will only chase toys when hes in a certain mood. we have a cat-nip filled mouse that he'll just walk by at times, and other times he thinks its a real mouse. he actually hides behind the couch, gets as low as possible, does a little butt-shake, and pounces. its very entertaining =)
cats spook extremely easy. they have excellent hearing. she could be hearing a noise that you cant hear, and it could spook her.
"her sis seems to look out for her"...well isnt that what family is for =)
my cat covers up his poop when he feels like it, which isnt very often.
my cat knows his name, but never listens to what we say. (unless trained very well, cats usually dont understand what people say, and they usually just dont care!)
"either loves us or is just plain crabby"..shes a female! its expected of us =)
"hard time cleaning herself" you also said she had a pot-belly. my cat is a PIG. he couldnt clean the bottom half of his body becase he was just too fat. we put him on a diet, he slimmed up, and cleans himself every chance he gets.

the best way to find out if she has an illness is to wait until she has grown up a bit, if she still seems strange, then she very well could.
your best bet is to ask your vet.

Answer 6

WOW! That is definetly the laugh of the day. It is absolutely possible to have a retarded cat, because brain issues are not species biased. I suggest taking her to the vet just to verify your concerns, and who knows, this could a fixable problem. But sitting around and watching it get worse will not help anything.

Answer 7

animals could be retarded yes,but they need to see the vet more often than normal pets . i once had a retarded kitten who was also blind but taking care of them and seein them happy could make ur day ! . ask the vet cuz he would know what she needs more than any body else , and about her twin sis ,u just keep your eyes on them both cuz she might hurt her without meaning it .take care of her and good luck

Answer 8

Come on J.J. the humane society would never intentionally adopt out a retarded cat, although they may be guilty of adopting out special little kitties with special needs. It appears that you have a special little kitty.

Answer 9

Have her checked for her hearing. Some have hearing lose same as we do, Feed them seperately, close her up when the other is eating . She should lose that tummy faster. There is a problem ask your vet about it I'm sure he can help.

Answer 10

i dont now id see a vet some pets just look wierd it doesent mean its retarded