I’m sure you already know the meaning, but if you don’t know the exact term, a polydactyl cat is a cat with extra toes on its paws. Ernest Hemingway was a huge fan of these cats, and if you were to visit his home, which has been made into a museum in Key West, Florida, you’d see clowders of cats with extra toes roaming all around.
Many people have a soft spot in their hearts for these extra-toed cats. But did you know there are many fun facts about polydactyl cats? And since I love sharing cat facts with the world, I’ve rounded up some of the best polydactyl cat facts to enjoy!
Polydactyl Cats are Not a Breed
The term for these cats comes from Greek, poly (many) and daktylos (fingers or toes). These cats’ big paws often make it appear as if they’re wearing mittens. This explains why so many call them mitten cats or kittens. “Thumb cats” is another term you might hear. And with all those toebeans, it should be no surprise that many cat people are cuckoo for these extra-toed felines.
Meet Jake: The Guinness Book World Record HolderโPlus Another Famous Polydactyl Named Jake!
The average feline has five toes on its front and four on its back paws, for a total of 18 toes. But Jake, an adorable ginger tabby cat from Ontario, Canada, holds the world record as the cat with the most toes. On September 4, 2002, a veterinarian confirmed that this rescue cat had 28 toes.
Jake walks around with seven toes on each paw. Although he had a rough start in life, he lives a great life now with his humans and other cat mates at home.
For Jake, the polydactyl cat with 24 toes, his owner told me that he’sย “a ‘trip’ and a great cat” and that they are so lucky to have him. If you’d like to keep up with 20-toes Jake’s adventures and all-around adorableness, you canย followย him here on Facebook. (Sadly, Jake has since passed since the original writing of this article.)
Here’s a polydactyl toe fact: It’sย rareย for aย polydactyl cat to have extra toes on their hind paws only, and rarer still to have extra toes on all four paws.
How Polydactyl Cats Occur
Polydactylism comes as a result of a dominant mutant gene (Pd). Cats are not the only mammals to have this condition. The polydactyl anomaly can also be found in chickens, horses, mice, dogs, and humans. As the gene for polydactylism is dominant, offspring will likely inherit this condition. If both of the parents of the offspring are polydactyls, then it’s almost sure that the offspring will inherit the gene.
Although this condition can happen in any breed of cat, it seems that Maine Coons are the breed which polydactyl cats are most common. At one time, as many as 40% of Maine Coon cats were polydactyl. Despite this, many cat fanciers still recognized them and didn’t disqualify them for having the extra toes. And still do not disqualify them from doing so to this day.
Hemingway Cats
As many know, Ernest Hemingway was a great lover of all things cats, particularly those of the polydactyl kind. Snow White was a little white polydactyl kitten that Ernest received as a present from a ship captain. From then, the author’s fate as the most famous advocate of these extra-toed kitties was forever sealed. His Key West home is a popular tourist attraction today and is kept in pristine condition. The cats not only roam freely but spend their days being admired by countless tourists.
Want to soak up some sun and some felines? Well, they’ve got enough paws and extra thumbs to go around at the late famous author’s home in the Florida Keys.ย To be more precise, there are polydactyl cats aplenty,ย roughly 40-50 six-toed catsย that call this lovely landmark home. Visit their website here for more details.
Polydactyl fun fact: These cats were once considered to be good luck and often brought onboard ships that went out to sea across the Atlantic. This is likely to explain their widespread presence in Canada, the United States, Wales, and England. Given their wider paws, these cats were able to get better footing on the high seas.
Fun extra-toed history fact: President Theodore Roosevelt was also a lover of these cats. He even had one in the White House.ย Slippers was a bluish-gray tabby with six toes on each paw and a favorite among Roosevelt’s many pets. The president loved Slippers so much that he was allowed to attend formal dinners. After his family left the White House in 1909, he resigned from official duties.
Did you learn anything new about our extra-toed feline friends? Please share this article with other cat lovers so they can learn something, too!
