Have you ever seen a cat with extra toes, or a cat that looks like it is wearing mittens? Then you've seen a polydactyl cat! Polydactyl cats (not pterodactyl cats) have extra toes because of a genetic mutation that is passed on from one of it's parents, and it's actually pretty common, especially in Western England, Wales, Canada and the Eastern United States. Let's learn more about these cats with double paws!
A common question is how many toes does a polydactyl cat have, and the answer is - it depends on the individual! TheSprucePets.com says that the world record polydactyl cat had 28 toes, 7 on each paw! But, most polydactyl kitties don't have that many toes! In fact, it's rare for cats to have extra toes on all 4 paws. Most often, the front paws are affected, but the back paws can also have extra digits. Rover.com says that only about 10% have more toes on the back feet than on the front feet, and that most often a polydactyl cat will have the same number of toes on both front paws, and the same number of toes on both back paws, but the front and back might have different number of toes! In other words, a 5 fingered cat will probably have 5 "fingers" on both front paws, even if they only have 4 toes on their back paws. The genetic mutation that causes polydactyly can make a cat grow between 5 and 7 toes. In comparison, most cats without polydactyly have 5 toes (including the dewclaw) on their font paws, and 4 on their back paws. So, while you sometimes hear people call them double paw cats, the number of toes may not actually be doubled, and they don't have extra paws, just extra toes!
There are 3 kinds of polydactyly. The first is called preaxial, where the extra toes are on the inside of the paw. Cats with mitten paws are preaxial polydactyl cats. The extra toes on the inside of their paws make them look like they have thumbs, if you've ever heard of a thumb cat or boxing cat, it's probably because they have preaxial polydactyly!
There is also postaxial polydactyl cats, where the extra toes are on the outside of the paw. In this case the extra toes are on the pinky side of the paw instead of the thumb side.
And the 3rd type of double pawed cat is Mesoaxial, where the extra toes are stuck in the center of the paw. Rover.com says this type is very rare.
For the most part, all those extra toes don't cause any health problems for cats, but Rover.com points out that while most polydactyl cats don't have any health problems, there are cats that have syndromic polydactyly, where the genetic changes that cause extra toes can also cause other changes like short or twisted legs that could effect mobility. So, if you see a cat with extra toes that seems to have a problem getting around, it might be time for a trip to the vet to see if they need medical intervention.
For cats with extra toes that don't have syndromic polydactyly the extra digits can in fact can be beneficial. TheSprucePets say that those extra toes on cats with polydactyly can help cats balance better on different surfaces. In fact, Maine Coon cats at one time were known for having extra toes, which came in handy in snowy conditions. Those extra wide paws served as snowshoes and gave them a little more insulation during the winter! If you've ever heard of a snowshoe cat, it is probably because they were a polydactyl cat! Today Maine Coon cats have been bred to get away from them having extra toes, but the spruce pets article says at one time around 40% of Maine Coon cats were polydactyl!
Poly cats are considered to be lucky, and were especially favored by sailors to bring good luck on ships. Those extra wide paws helped them to stay steady on sometimes unsteady surfaces aboard ship, and also made them excellent at taking care of vermin on board. in fact, remember when I said double pawed cats are most common in England, Wales, the East Coast of the US and Canada? Well, cats with polydactyly were so popular on voyages across the Atlantic that it is thought that polydactyls brought from England on ships mated with non-polydactyl cats and passed on the genetic markers for extra toes along the East Coast of the US! Rover.com says that if one parent has polydactyly, there is a 40-50% chance of polydactyl kittens! And of course those polydactyl kitties can then in turn pass it on to their own kittens as well!
One more interesting fact about polydactyls is that they were a favorite of Ernest Hemingway! According to Rover.com a ship's captain brought him one as a gift. Hemingway named her Snow White and that was the start of his love of cats with extra toes! In fact, polydactyl cats are sometimes known as Hemingway cats because of their association with him! And you can still see the descendants of Snow White today! After Hemingway's death in 1961, his home in Key West, Florida was made into a museum and home for his cats. According to the Hemingwayhome website, there are around 60 polydactyl cats there now! Sounds like a bucket list trip to me!
Thank you to Kathy Morales on Unsplash for our cover photo!
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