Polydactyl Cats
These cats are common in our area. Polydactyly is a common trait among
cats, particularly it seems, among Celtic cats and cats on part of America's Eastern coast and South West Britain. This distribution
may well be linked.
Polydactyly (six or seven toes) varies from the classic "mitten cat" through to
cats which simply have more toes than normal, but no "thumb". A correspondent to the New Scientist noted that the
innermost extra toes on the front paws are often opposable and some cats use them with quite startling proficiency to manipulate
small objects with almost human dexterity. Some owners of polydactyl cats joke that their cats are more intelligent because
of this and represent the next stage in feline evolution - the ability to open cartons and cans unaided.
Polydactyl
cats are said to be virtually non-existent in Europe, because "unusual looking cats" were destroyed due to witchcraft
superstitions, practically eliminating the trait.
Polydactyl cats were considered "lucky" by sailors.
Sailors also believed polydactyl cats to be superior mousers and ratters. Employed as ships' ratters and lucky mascots, they
would have reached America with early British settlers hence their greater frequency in Eastern states.
The
normal cat's front paw has 4 toes and one dewclaw (rudimentary toe or thumb which does not touch the ground) while the back
paw has 4 toes. A polydactyl will usually have one or two extra toes on each foot. Most polydactyl cats have a form of pre-axial
(i.e. situated in front of the axis of a limb) polydactyly with the extra toes appearing on the thumb side of the foot.
Polydactyl cats are known by various names - "mitten cats", "thumb cats", "six-finger cats"
and "Hemingway cats".
The latter is because of writer Ernest Hemingway who made his home on the small
island of Key West, Florida. He shared the island with nearly 50 cats, including a 6-toed polydactyl given to him by a ship
captain; the cats bred and the polydactyl trait became common, hence polydactyls are often known as "Hemingway Cats".
Another story suggests that the cat given to Hemingway was a female double-pawed cat and that the polydactyl
cats on the island came from 19th Century ships' cats.
The high rate of polydactyl cats in Boston, USA has also
led to the nickname "Boston Thumb Cats". The nickname "double-pawed" cat is a misnomer since there is
a specific double paw condition.
