'Jimothy' the deformed Seattle raccoon creeps out residents as vet issues calm
A vet has reassured Seattle residents over a strange creature which has been spotted multiple times in the city.
At first glance the animal doesn't look like anything that you might expect to find in Seattle, or even on Earth.
It's short, with the proportions making the body appear almost square, with four limbs and what appears to be a short stumpy tail.
But it's the grey fur which is a clue to the creature's true identity - a raccoon who has been affectionately nicknamed Jimothy by Seattle residents.
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Jimothy has been spotted several times in Seattle, with videos of him going about his business going viral on social media.
Some are even tracking Jimothy online as he is spotted in back gardens and even up on balconies around the US city, with his appearance resembling some sort of supernatural creature or cryptid.
But although glimpsing Jimothy while walking home late at night might leave someone wondering if they'd encountered something otherworldly, Jimothy is no more dangerous than any other raccoon.
That is, he's mostly harmless if left alone, but it would be a bad idea to try and pet him.
Kiana Hall, 33, is a person who has encountered Jimothy late at night when she was taking an evening stroll with her partner.
“I got very confused at what I was seeing. I just have never seen any other animal like it,” she said.
Kiana added: “I just hope Jimothy continues to live his life freely and I hope he can be healthy.”
No-one has been able to make a formal diagnosis for Jimothy as he's just been living his life, but it's thought that he has a truncated spine, meaning that his backbone is much shorter than a raccoon would normally be.
Medical expert Marcie Logsdon has suggested that the fact that Jimothy is able to go about his business suggests that he has a good prognosis.
“The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting,” she said, The Sun reported.
“I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient.”
And of course, she recommended that residents don't try to interfere or interact with Jimothy and he should be 'left to his own devices', adding that 'respectful sharing needs to remain just that'.
“Raccoons are amazing because they have done an amazing job at adapting to and sharing urban and suburban areas,” she said.
One fan also posted an Instagram video of Jimothy to their channel, sharing him running along a yard and up some steps.
They wrote: “For our 13th anniversary, [we] were graced with the presence of Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome. Praise Jimothy!!”
In fact, Jimothy has become so popular that he has even had his own subreddit started on Reddit where people share updates, videos, encounters, and even artwork of him.
Others shared updates and sightings of Jimothy, with one clip even showing him clambering up a tree, while others show him on people's porches and in their backyards.
Kit Roberts