From Vetstreet:[1]


Regular cats[2] have five toes on their front feet and four on their back, for a total of 18. But polydactyl [pronounced pol-ee-dak-til] cats boast more toes, usually on their front feet.


If the word "polydactyl" sounds like Greek to you, that’s because it is — the Greek root poly means "many" and daktylos means "digits or toes." The record holder for most toes was a kitty named Jake, who had a whopping 28.


American writer Ernest Hemingway was a lover of polydactyl cats. He was given his first polydactyl cat, a white six-toed feline named Snowball, by a ship's captain; today, nearly 50 of Snowball's descendants still live at the Hemingway Home in Key Wes[3] t. Polydactyl cats are known by many names, including “Hemingway cats,” a reference to Snowball and her famous owner. They are also referred to as “mitten cats,” “big-foot cats” and “six-toed cats” — or even “cats with thumbs.”


Interesting Facts



  • The first scientific record of polydactyls is from 1868. They were mostly found in the northwestern United States and Nova Scotia. One theory is that the first mitten kittens were brought to America by English Puritans in the 1600s.



  • President Theodore Roosevelt’s poly kitty Slippers was one of the first cats to purr around the White House.



  • Polydactyl cats often found their way onto boats because sailors believed they were good luck. They were widely recognized as top-notch mousers, and their extra toes were rumored to give them better balance while sailing the high seas.


Common Questions

New York veterinarian Dr. Arnold Plotnick of Manhattan Cat Specialists[4] tells us a little more about polydactyl cats, including his own, Mittens.


Why do some cats have more toes than others?


Some cats have extra toes because they inherit a gene that codes for polydactylism. If one parent is polydactyl and one parent has normal feet, then 40 to 50 percent of the kittens will also be polydactyl.


What is thumb cat polydactyly?


Most polydactyl cats have extra toes that look like the other toes — there are just more of them. Thumb cat polydactyly is a condition where the first digit, or the dewclaw, is so large that it resembles a thumb. My cat, Mittens, has huge “thumbs” on both front feet.


Which cats are more likely to be polydactyl?


Right now, there’s no certain breed of cat that is more or less prone to being polydactyl. However, in the past, the original Maine Coon[5] cats had a high incidence of polydactylism — about 40 percent.


More on Vetstreet:

What Pets Would Say If They Could Talk

10 Cats and Dogs With Magical Origins

9 Products to Help Keep Your Pet Cool This Summer

Experts Rank the Best Dogs for First-Time Owners[6] [7] [8] [9]



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  • Two stray kittens pose for a photograph at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on August 18, 2009 in London, England. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is seeing a sharp rise in the number of cats requiring a home with 143 of the 145 shelter's pens full. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)




  • Milly, a 13-week-old kitten waits with her brother Charlie (L) to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester which is facing an urgent cash crisis and possible closure on July 27, 2010 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)




  • A kitten plays with a squirrel, which was rescued off the streets in Envigado, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 16, 2010. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Blondie, a bichon dog, looks at her adopted ten day old kitten, Yako, which was found in a rubbish bin, in Rabat 24 April 2001. Although the dog has had no pups of her own, she has no trouble feeding the kitten. (A DA/AFP/Getty Images)




  • A kitten is pictured on December 5, 2009 during a cat exibition in Moscow. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images)




  • A stray kitten is posed for a photograph at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on August 18, 2009 in London, England. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is seeing a sharp rise in the number of cats requiring a home with 143 of the 145 shelter's pens full. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)




  • A cat and her kitten play with a squirrel, which was rescued off the streets, in Envigado, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 16, 2010. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Kittens are pictured in a bucket, before the arrival of Britain's Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in London on October 27, 2010. The Duchess opened the new cattery during her visit to the animal refuge, which is celebrating it's 150th anniversary this year. (Chris Jackson/AFP/Getty Images)




  • A volunteer displays a newly-born cat delivered by a rescued stray cat at the home of cat lover Duo Zirong on July 10, 2007 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)




  • Two less than a week old kittens of a jungle cat (lebis Chaus) lie inside the forest department office in Mumbai, 11 June 2007. Three abondoned kittens, found in the jungles of Aarey milk colony, on the outskirts of the city, were later handed over to the forest authorities, likely to be released in the Borivali national park in Mumbai. (PAL PILLAI/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Boggles, a stray kitten, one of the lucky animals at the Barnes Hill RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre, has found a caring home on 4 April 2007, Birmingham, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)




  • Milly, a 13-week-old kitten looks through the glass of her pen as she waits to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester, which is facing an urgent cash crisis and possible closure on July 27, 2010 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)