Hoverkittens are a diminutive variant of the normal housecat that lack rear legs and have somehow gained the ability to hover between an inch and a few feet above the ground. These happy little creatures have been seen in Goldshire for millenniums, going as far back as the reign of Duchess and Kaiseress Jadie, who wrote endlessly about the little balls of fur. They are extremely are playful, even moreso than normal kittens. After observing the behavior of hoverkittens for some time, researchers came to the conclusion that it has nothing to do with an alerted state of mind and is the simple and natural result of the equation of: natural cat playfullness + ability to hover = endless fun.
Other than the lack of rear legs and the hovering ability, few biological differences between hoverkittens and normal house cats exist. Hoverkittens tend to breed considerably less, having usually only one or two offspring in a litter. They also tend to live a bit longer and have an average healthy lifespan of 25 years.
Hoverkittens are bred and sold as pets, though the trade is regulated; families adopting a hoverkitten need to register with a small but organized wing of the ducal government and can expect at least one unannounced inspection of the premises in its lifetime to ensure a healthy and friendly habitat. There are always small underground illegal hoverkitten breeding rings, but the low birthrate of hoverkittens and the vigilance of the ducal police keeps unethical treatment of the animals to a minimum.
Goldshire Palace has had a family of hoverkittens within its walls ever since the palace was built. The duke's personal hoverkitten is named Astral and has recently picked up the bad habit of pulling computer cords out of the walls.
There have been several attempts to use hoverkittens for military use. Many programs have attempted to attach recording devices around the neck of a hoverkitten, but the kittens always manage to get them off. To date, the most effective military use for hoverkittens is to simply deliver a couple of them where enemy soldiers are likely to run across them. The hoverkittens are usually so charming that the soldiers end up wasting a huge amount of time playing with them, making them primed for an ambush.
Can you blame them? Look at the little guys! Ain't they cute!
