Unusual cats no one wanted may become lifesaver

DECATUR, Ala. — Mitchell Morris needs a new boat motor and a new heart. Now he's counting on his 13 cats to help him get them.

An unlucky number?

"It might be lucky this time," said his wife, Robbie, glancing at a basket of 10 kittens they believe are part bobcat.

Three mama cats lounge in the Morrises' pink and white barn. But there'll be no more barn mice for these special kitties, Morris says, because he's been promised "thousands of dollars" for them by a breeder in Washington state. They are getting Delta tickets for flights to new homes across the U.S.

Seattle-area breeder Carol Ann Brewer, who got Pixie-Bobs approved as a breed, believes Morris' cats are the part-bobcat breed, each worth $300 to $1,500. She and other breeders want to preserve this cross between a cat and a bobcat.

"We're very excited about it," Brewer said. The breed is in high demand, she added.

At first, Morris had little luck giving the cats away and planned to take them to the animal shelter, where they might have been euthanized.

"But something held me back — I just thought there was something special about these cats," he said.

He did some research online and found photos of the Pixie-Bob breed "that looked just like Rufus," the wild cat he believes is the kittens' father.

After he put a few words on an Internet site about cats, a bidding war started as dozens of people called and e-mailed, wanting to buy the cats.

Morris, 44, has heart trouble and said that besides getting a new boat motor, he could use the money for prescriptions and hospital bills. He hopes to get in shape to make the heart-transplant waiting list.