Unilateral forelimb partial aphalangia in a kitten

Congenital limb deformities are rarely reported in the cat. The macroscopic and radiographic features of aphalangia are described in a 2-month-old male kitten showing a shortened limb that ended, at the level of the carpus, in a stump without digits. A nail was present at the level of the first phalanx and on the palmar surface only two footpads were present. The radiographs showed an absence of phalanges. The first metacarpal and the proximal and distal phalanges of digit 1 were present. The deformed metacarpal bones were reduced in length; the carpal bones were incompletely ossified. This defect is a rare condition in many animal species. To the author's knowledge, the congenital fore limb deformity described here is the first documented case in a cat.