A Cat With 5 Legs Lives in Tennessee—And Here's the X-Ray to Prove It

A five-legged cat has become a social media sensation after her owner began sharing videos of the unique feline in action.

Lu, or Leggy Lu as she's known on TikTok, is in desperate need of surgery after being diagnosed with cancer. Facing sky-high bills to cover this care, her owner, Julia Williford from Tennessee, began sharing clips of her special cat online in the hopes of drumming up support.

According to the ASPCA, 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters in the U.S. every year. Some of these cats may well be blind, others possibly paraplegic but few, if any, are likely to share Lu's unique attributes.

Williford told Newsweek she adopted the five-legged feline from a shelter in New York City. "I wasn't planning on adopting a cat, just because I was finishing college and didn't have any idea what direction my life was going in," she said.

Having completed her foster care orientation, Williford soon came across a picture of Lu. She didn't need much convincing to take her on, but it was not without its challenges. "She was terrified for the first few days," Williford admits. "But once she came out of her shell and I learned how sweet and silly and cuddly she was, I knew I could never let her go."

Lu was rescued from the home of an animal hoarder. No one is entirely sure how she ended up being born with five legs either.

"No vet has ever told me what they think happened," Williford said. "Based on my own research it seems like the most likely cause would be her mother coming into contact with toxins or carcinogens while she was pregnant, but again, that's just my speculation."

Lu's extra leg is positioned just in front of her right limb and serves as a kind of back center leg. Lu has no muscle control over the leg while the limb is much longer than her four others with all of the joints fused together, meaning it sticks straight out.

Although this additional leg tends to be the main focus, Williford said it is probably the "least of her problems" in terms of mobility and overall health.

Lu has a heart murmur while her extra limb makes moving around tricky.

"Because her back legs don't work normally, she can't run or jump the same as other cats," she explained. "Lu used to be able to pull herself up onto the couch and bed with her front legs, but with age she can't do that anymore."

This limited mobility also makes it difficult for Lu to keep clean, meaning Williford is required to give her baths on a regular basis—something her cat companion is not too happy about.

Despite these difficulties, Williford loves her Leggy Lu. "I always said I wouldn't adopt a cat unless it was super cuddly and friendly," she said. "It's the biggest reason I decided to keep her. She always wants to be right next to me. Sometimes I fall asleep holding her paw."

Lu's interests included "watching the birds, sitting on the porch, and chilling in the grass in the backyard": while she struck up a friendship with her owner's other cat, Oliver.

"When I adopted her, the shelter told me to keep her an only child because other animals would likely bully a differently abled cat, but that couldn't be farther from the reality," she said. "The cats have bonded over their mutual hatred of my dog, Enzo."

Although Lu lives a relatively blissful existence, she's in need of urgent care having been recently diagnosed with mammary cancer.

Due to her unique nature, Lu must be operated on by surgeons from the University of Tennessee Small Animal Hospital. Once the mammary glands have been removed, Lu will require chemotherapy to stop the potential spread of the cancer.

Unfortunately, all of that requires deep pockets and with Williford struggling to stump up the cash, she decided to start posting about Lu on TikTok. A GoFundMe has also been created.

"I was looking at $10,000 worth of bills this year, and I felt absolutely helpless," she explained. "But I knew that if there ever was a cat destined to be famous, it's her. I had a feeling that TikTok would kick start her fame, because there's something so charming and silly about her, even before you notice the extra leg."

One of Leggy Lu's videos has already garnered over 15 million views while another detailing some of the frequently asked questions Williford receives about her has proven similarly popular.

Animal fans on TikTok were quick to comment on Lu's unique appendages. "Did she steal the leg from my three-legged cat?" one asked, with another writing: "in her previous life she was a starfish." Another viewer dubbed Lu "spidercat" though most seemed focused on how "cute and fluffy" she is.

Williford has been blown away by the response and only hopes it will lead to Lu getting the happy ending she so richly deserves.

"I always knew she was a star but now the world knows," she said. "I'm just so happy that I hopefully have an audience that is willing to help me keep her healthy for many years to come."

Lu is currently on a waiting list to have her surgery and recently had an X-ray to determine how far the cancer has spread. Williford and Lu's followers now face an anxious wait to see if she is healthy enough to undergo surgery.

Lu's story comes hot on the heels of Mochi, the cat who was left with no ears, no tail and three paws after suffering from necrosis as a kitten. Fortunately, like Lu, this feline has bounced back from that initial adversity.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.