Six-toed cats

Polydactyl cat at Ernest Hemingway home in Key West Florida

Recently I saw a local ad where a woman had some six-toed cats she was trying to sell.  This was the second time she’d placed an ad, because she wasn’t getting much of a response.  I’m surprised.  I would have bought one if I could, but I already have two cats, and my landlord only allows two pets.

Six-toed cats, or Polydactyl cats, are not common.  Cats normally have four toes on each paw, with the front paws having a fifth dewclaw, or thumb.  Polydactyl cats refer to any cat that has more toes than normal, although six is the most common.

Usually when a cat is polydactyl, only the front paws have the extra toes.  Extra toes on all four paws is less common, and being polydactyl on the rear paws only is very rare.

The word “polydactyl” is Latin, meaning “many digits”.  A polydactyl cat is not deformed. Polydactylism is congenital, and is not life-threatening.  Polydactyl kittens may initially have trouble learning to walk and climb, but as they get older, polydactyl cats may exhibit signs of manual dexterity not normally seen in cats.  Often, the extra toes act as opposable thumbs, allowing polydactyl cats to grasp objects such as door handles.

Polydactyl cats are also known as “Hemingway cats”, because writer Ernest Hemingway owned many six-toed felines.  He received his first polydactyl cat as a gift from a ship’s captain.  Upon Hemingway’s death in 1961, his Key West Florida home became a museum and home for his cats and their descendants.  Nearly half of the approximately 60 cats that live at the museum are polydactyl.

Polydactyl cats are most common in the Eastern United States and in Southwest England.  Many Maine Coon cats are polydactyl, and there is also an American Polydactyl Cat breed.

Photo credit: Averette on en.wikimedia

July 8th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Breeds | (0)