WEST MILFORD Everyone likes to make a wish on their birthday and Mona, a cat at the West Milford Animal Shelter, is no exception. Although her exact birthday is unknown,she wanted to join in when one of the shelter's volunteers was celebrating her birthday with other volunteers.
Mona was given a cupcake of her own and her birthday wish was for a new home and family. Mona did not have a candle to blow outbut she did enjoy the frosting on her yellow cupcake.
Mona is one of the free-roaming cats at the shelter and she likes to hang out on top of the refrigerator. She is an eight-year-old tiger cat that isnot only spayed and up-to-date with all inoculations, she also comes with something extra - toes.
Mona is apolydactyl cat, also know as a "mitten cat" or a "Hemingway cat". The writer, Ernest Hemingway lived on a small island off KeyWest, Florida, with a colony of about 50 cats. About half of the cats had extra toes. This special feature was considered lucky by sailors, who thoughtthe extra toes gave the cats better sea legs and made them better mouse catchers.
Polydactyl cats were brought over from England during colonial times and these special cats are still more common in the eastern section of the United Statesthan in other areas. The word polydactyl is Greek for many fingers.
Help make Mona's birthday wish come true - come and take her - and her extra toes - home with you.
The fee to adopt Mona is $35. The shelter is locatedon Lysosky Drive, behind the recycling center. For information call 973-728-2859 or visit www.westmilfordanimalshelter.org.