Most cats have a total of 18 toes — five on each of their front feet
and four on each of the back. But some felines are born with extra toes. Those kitties are
polydactyl, a Greek term meaning many digits or toes.
Since polydactyl cats are so fascinating and cool looking, we paired fun facts about polydactylism with adorable photos of our readers’ extra-toed kitties. Check out the photo gallery below to learn more.
Fact No. 1: They're also known as Hemingway cats.
You may have heard polydactyls called “Hemingway cats,” a reference to the legendary American writer Ernest
Hemingway, who preferred polydactyl cats. His first cat, Snowball, had six
toes, and today, about 50 of the cat’s descendants still live on Hemingway’s
historic property in Key West.
Reader photo: Sweet Pollyanna, who has the perfect name for a polydactyl, folds her paws.
Fact No. 2: They've been around a long time.
The
first record of cats like Snowball is from 1868, and they were mostly found in
the Northeastern U.S. and Nova Scotia. Polydactyl cats were often found on
ships because sailors believed they were good luck and thought the extra toes gave them
better balance while on the high seas.
Reader photo: "This is my polydactyl named Finn!" writes his proud owner. "Six thumbs total in front and three in the back! I've never seen a cat with dewclaws in the back, especially with multiple!"
Fact No. 3: It's sometimes genetic.
Some
cats have extra toes because they inherit a gene that codes for polydactylism. According to veterinarian Dr. Arnold
Plotnick of Manhattan Cat Specialists in New
York, if one parent is polydactyl and the other has normal feet, 40 to 50 percent of
the kittens will also have extra toes.
Reader photo: This beauty, whose name is Jill, is one of two polydactyls living in her home. She has seven toes on each of her front paws.
Fact No. 4: Sometimes they look like they have thumbs.
Most
polydactyl cats have toes that look like their other toes, just more of them. But in some cats, the
dewclaw is so big that it looks like a thumb. They're known as thumb cat polydactyls.
Reader photo: Emme, a "chubby" and playful calico, was adopted with her sister. "She's awesome!" writes her owner.
Fact No. 5: There's a world record-holding polydactyl.
The Guinness World Record holder for the most toes on a cat was named Jake, who had a shocking 28 toes.
Reader photo: Sweet Corduroy has a different number of toes on each foot! Seven and six toes on each of his front feet and five and four in the back.
Fact No. 6: There's been at least one in the White House.
President Theodore Roosevelt’s poly kitty, Slippers, was one of the first feline residents of the White House.
Reader photo: Joey shows off his feet during a ride in his owner's sweatshirt pouch.
Fact No.7: Maine Coons once had a high incidence of polydactylism.
In the past, the original Maine Coon cats had about a 40 percent chance of having extra toes. But that's no longer the case, and no cat breed has more or less chance of being polydactyl.
Reader photo: Wow! Ernie's got some big paws for a little kitty.
