Out of the Cage! (Holiday 2006)

Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action: Tiny Rescued Kitten to Celebrate First Birthday at Christmas

Four-week-old Carmella weighed only ounces when Tammy Cross took her, and four two-day-old orphaned kittens, from an Animal Care & Control (AC&C) shelter in February this year. She was one of several cats who came into the shelter following a disastrous fire in the Bronx that left dozens of families homeless.

Well-known for her remarkable success with bottle-baby kittens, Tammy fed and nursed the kittens until they could eat on their own. The four younger kittens grew larger and stronger. But not Carmella.

The four healthy kittens were eventually adopted out by Tammy to wonderful and loving homes in the neighborhood, but Tammy continued to care for tiny Carmella, who, although long recovered from her initial eye infection, was not growing larger. Tammy took her to Dr. Patrick Cotter, a veterinarian on Manhattan's upper east side who has treated hundreds of animals from many of the city's rescue groups. According to Tammy, even Dr. Cotter was amazed by the kitten's tiny size. He diagnosed Carmella as suffering from hypothyroidism, an extremely rare condition in cats, which resulted in Carmella's unusually tiny size. At seven months old, she weighed in at only 1.75 pounds. Upon further research, it seems that the rare condition of hyperthyroidism is closely associated with dwarfism. However, Carmella's body isn't disfigured or out of proportion; only her front paws are slightly malformed.

Nearly a year after her diagnosis, Carmella has gained approximately a pound, leveling out at two pounds, seven ounces. "Given that the smallest living cat documented on record weighs three pounds, Carmella just might be the tiniest little cat in the world," says Tammy.

As she approaches her first birthday this holiday season, Carmella remains in Tammy's care and is doing well — romping through the apartment and scaling the side of the bed like a mountain climber, since she's too tiny to leap the distance. Although she eats well (according to Tammy, she loves Cheetos!), Carmella will remain tiny her entire life. But she is enjoying her tiny self, and Tammy is extremely attached to her.

It's not surprising that Tammy succeeded in helping Carmella survive being orphaned at such an early age and dealing with a rare medical condition. Tammy, who currently is in nursing school, has been caring for bottle-babies for sixteen years, tending only to critically ill and orphaned kittens under eight weeks old. Her care of these special little orphans eventually led Tammy to create Kitten Little Rescue, which this year became a member of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. As a result, Tammy qualified for funding from the Picasso Veterinary Fund to pay for some of Carmella's medical tests and care.

Tammy says she's looking forward to celebrating Carmella's first birthday on Christmas. "She's a little miracle," says Tammy. And what could be more perfect than celebrating a miracle at Christmastime?

You can celebrate miracles this holiday season and help make miracles like Carmella's story continue to happen by giving a gift of love to the Picasso Veterinary Fund. The fund, created by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore and administered by the Mayor's Alliance, helps pay for extraordinary medical treatment for sick and injured animals that arrive at NYC's Animal Care & Control shelters and are taken in by Mayor's Alliance member rescue groups and shelters to find them loving homes.

To donate to the fund, or read more about some of the many animals whose lives it has helped save, click here.