No, he’s not Supercat, but apparently a fuzzy feline in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing began sprouting triangular, fur-covered “wings” out of his back when he was about a year old.
Some speculate the strange growths are the result of a mutation caused by chemicals the cat’s mother was exposed to before giving birth. It’s certainly possible, since the heavily industrialized city of Chongqing is packed with chemical, metal, and automobile factories pumping out acid rain and air pollution. In fact, as of 2004 the city was the second most polluted worldwide. And it’s taking its toll: Environmental authorities suspect chemical contaminations were behind the deaths of thousands of fish in the Fujiang River in Chongqing a few months ago.
Others say the so-called wings are actually growths from an embryo that never completely separated from the cat before birth – in other words, the cat’s, er, Siamese twin.
We’re holding out on a verdict, but one thing’s for sure: There’s no need to keep an eye out for flying kitties. A cat’s heavy bones and muscular body mean that even with wings, there’s no way it can ever take to the sky.
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May 28th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
i for one welcome our flying cat overlords.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
its an interesting mutation i cant help but ask are we seeing evolution first hand here???
May 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
bigger more powerful wings are required. lolcat. must. take. flight.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
They look more like ears to me. Sonar kitty?
May 28th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Poor thing!
If it’s an individual, though, and there aren’t any parallel cases around, there’s probably not too much point worrying about some kind of epidemic. When you start seeing lots of poor kitties with strange growths, not to mention other species, then you should start worrying.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Apologies. The above website is not mine, so don’t bother to follow the link. I don’t know what happened.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:32 am
@ Anthony: No you’re not. Evolution of large mammals is constantly happening right before our eyes. It never stops, it just happens at a rate that can not be measured in real time. Perhaps in several hundred years, scientists might detect some very tiny evolutionary changes in some species when comparing with historic records dating back to now, or looking through historic DNA banks. This cat has a mutation or perhaps an unseparated twin, it’s not sporting evolving wings.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
[...] We’ve yet to see any video of this bizarre feline, and there are still a lot of questions, but the predominant theories seem to be either: A) The “wings” are due to an absorbed twin, or B) We’re looking at a chemical-induced mutation. Discover Magazine points out the possible link to pollution. [...]
May 31st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I want one!
June 4th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Too heavy to fly perhaps, but gliding…
Cripes, it’s bad enough getting your ankles ninja’d upon by kitteh, but now you’ll have to look out for your head…
June 6th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Can’t be evolution. These flaps, whatever they are, would be a distinct disadvantage to the cat if it were in the wild, not living in a home eating out of bowls…predators could more easily catch it, they’d cause rustling in brush, alerting small prey, aerodynamically unsound, etc.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
It’s only evolution in the sense of microevolution, that is genes rearranging themselves. No new genetic information is being picked up and no new animal is evolving. That’s why micro-evo does NOT prove the whole molecules-to-man thing.
June 6th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
The idea that man has come from randomness is foolishness at best. Look around. Things don’t go from disorder to order. Mutations ALWAYS cause problems. Micro evolution is selection of already existing DNA.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:16 am
[...] In the Chinese city of Chongqing, some kitties are growing small fur-covered wings on their backs. Flying cats! We’re doomed. But luckily for humanity, the little wings are too small to for flight. [...]
June 30th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
[...] Content: Discoblog: Is Pollution in China Causing Cats to Grow “Wings?” Discoblog: Could Beijing’s Polluted Air Sicken Olympic Spectators? Discoblog: The Air Over [...]
July 12th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I’ll believe cats can develop wings when pigs fly.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Beware the Teenage Mutant Ninja Cat.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
thats pretty interesting lol. thanks for the info. -rick
October 28th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
[...] southwest Chinese city of Chongqing began sprouting triangular, fur-covered wings out of his back check it out here Posted in [...]
December 12th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
everyone knows that all cats ever wanted to do is fly. that’s why they kill and eat birds.
jealousy.