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Have you ever heard of a polydactyl cat? Maybe you’ve heard them referred to as Hemingway cats or mitten cats. These are special kitties that have an interesting quirk - extra toes.
Cats normally have five toes on their front paws and four on the back. But sometimes, due to a genetic trait that’s inherited, polydactyl cats can have six or more toes on their front feet, and occasionally extras on the back feet as well.
We sometimes have polydactyl cats at EHS, and we can confirm that the extra digits don’t cause the felines any issues, although it’s important to keep the nails trimmed to avoid them getting snagged. In fact, these cats were once thought to be extra skilled at catching rodents which made them popular onboard ships. They were also thought to be good luck by sailors.
The reason they’re sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats is because the famous author was quite fond of them after a friend (who was a sea captain) gave him a polydactyl kitten. Descendents of this kitten can still be found roaming the grounds of the Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Florida.
There are three main types of polydactylism in cats. The most common are extra digits on the inside of the paw, which can look like a thumb, and extra digits on the outside of the paw, which can look like an extra pinky toe. More rare is to have an extra digit in the middle of the paw.
Another interesting fact about these cats is that they’re most commonly found in parts of the United Kingdom and in areas along the east coast of Canada and the United States. It’s not clear why, but a theory is that the ships travelling from the UK brought them to North America and some ended up staying behind.