Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter



CAT Tracks for May 28, 2009
SUPERCAT?

You've seen it all in the electronic pages of CAT Tracks...

We print education stories...we print current events...and, yes, we print stories from the Twilight Zone (aka CSD #1).

Then, there are the stories that are just downright weird...

Even though well-armed with a quirky sense of humor, I'll have to confess that I'm "speechless"...just don't know how to handle the story below.

So, without further ado...


From the MSNBC.com Website


Link to Original Story

Cat in China grows a pair of wings

Feline was born normal but developed appendages at age 1, family says

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a … cat?

A kitty in Chongqing, China, is getting some extra-special attention these days: The furry feline has developed wings! Though born looking completely normal, once the cat hit the age of 1, he began growing wing-shaped appendages on either side of his spine, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reports.

While some think the bony limbs may be a mutation of some kind — or even a Siamese twin growing inside the cat — others speculate it's a genetic change perhaps caused by chemicals ingested by the kitty's mother while she was pregnant.

According to the cat's owners, he doesn't seem to mind his new wings — and he’s loving the attention he's received because of them!

Strange as the case may sound, winged felines are not unheard of. Back in August 2008, the U.K. Telegraph reported that tomcats in China's Sichuan province developed wing-like growths on their backs.

Veterinary experts said then that despite the hard inner core, the "wings" don't harm cats' quality of life or safety. According to the Telegraph's report, scientists believe the appendages developed due to grooming habits, a genetic defect or a hereditary skin condition.


Okay, okay...we knew I couldn't contain myself!

As I was e-mailing this post into CATland, my "quirkyness" fought free..."took flight", so to speak.

It was the date of the "winged appearance"...August 2008...the beginning of the current school year...the beginning of a full school year in which CATs would exercise patience above and beyond the call of duty.

It was the date upon which this story would "appear" to me...the morning of the BOE's ratification vote...a "sign", if you will. When long-deprived CATs may finally emerge with a new contract.


You've heard the sayings about events that just never seemed possible...

You know...

"When donkeys fly"..."When pigs fly".

Well, CATs...we're ready!!!