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This is Islay (eye-la), my hermaphrodite cat!
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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They're gorgeous!! I'm curious, what do you mean by hermaphrodite?
Both parts. Islay has both testicles and a uterus. We call her a she (since our other cat is a boy so it’s just easier if one is he and one is she), but technically she’s a they. Unfortunately it’ll be very expensive to get her fixed because of it.
I always assumed that sort of situation would render them sterile. It probably varies but the more you know!
Well, I suppose fixing has hormonal consequences too and not just reproductive, now that I think about it.
More often than not, cats with both parts tend to develop cancer as a result of it, apparently. That’s according to the vet anyway. But yeah I think they tend to be sterile in most cases.
Having another whole system to develop something cancerous probably doesn't help, but that's interesting. I'm guessing it could cause unusual stresses on the body throughout aging too. I hope fixing/spaying mitigates the risk! Such a pretty one, and extra enigmatic.