POLYDACT MAINE COON INFORMATION
Bailey, a past kitten polydactyl at 5 months old.
When Maine Coons first became a breed about 70 to 90 years ago in Maine, 40 percent of them were polydact, but polydacts Maine Coons are rarer now. Polydact cats were thought to be VERY good luck for sailors, and Buddhist believe they are a bearer of good news. Sadly, Europe basically eradicated any polydact cat because some religious people believed they were tied to witchcraft, and they hunted and killed them in staggering numbers.
Because Maine coon cats originated in Maine’s harsh, snowy conditions, they’ve evolved to have large, insulated paws that serve as tiny, built-in snow boots. And, lucky for Maine coons, polydactyly was very common in the breed—at one time about 40 percent of Maine coons had extra digits but it's now uncommon in the breed. Why's it lucky? Polydactyly gave Maine coons larger, wider paws with more insulation to traverse the snowy conditions.
Polydactyl cats’ toes aren’t just cute—they provide some benefits to kitties, too. Because polydactyl cats have wider, larger paws, they’re better able to balance on various surfaces, climb, hunt, and capture their prey. Sailors believed that the larger paws made them superior hunters.
Polydactyl cats are most commonly found in Western England, Wales, Canada, and the Eastern United States, and their prevalence in those regions is often credited to their days on trans-continental ships. It’s believed that polydactyl cats in England were transported across the Atlantic Ocean where they bred with non-polydactyl cats and proliferated the genetic trait.
Have you ever wondered why polydactyl cats are sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats? Well, it’s because Ernest Hemingway loved them. After he was gifted a white, polydactyl cat named Snow Ball by a ship’s captain, Ernest Hemingway developed a serious affection for these multi-toed kitties.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY LOVED POLYDACT CATS. After his death in 1961, his home in Key West, Florida was transformed into a museum and a home for his beloved cats. Currently, the kitty colony is home to about 50 descendants of his original pack of cats—and about half of them are polydactyl.
Polydactyly is caused by a genetic mutation in a dominant gene and usually results in the formation of anywhere between five to seven toes on a kitty’s paws. The front paws are most often affected by polydactyly, but it can also occur on the hind paws; it’s extremely rare for a cat to have polydactyly on all four paws (so far, mine have always been polydact on all four paws).
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a polydactyl ginger tabby named Jake holds the world record for the most toes. Clocking in at a whopping 28 toes, Jake had seven toes on each paw—with each toe having its own claw, pad and bone structure.
Link: https://www.thesprucepets.com/polydactyl-cats-4175908
Because Maine coon cats originated in Maine’s harsh, snowy conditions, they’ve evolved to have large, insulated paws that serve as tiny, built-in snow boots. And, lucky for Maine coons, polydactyly was very common in the breed—at one time about 40 percent of Maine coons had extra digits but it's now uncommon in the breed. Why's it lucky? Polydactyly gave Maine coons larger, wider paws with more insulation to traverse the snowy conditions.
Polydactyl cats’ toes aren’t just cute—they provide some benefits to kitties, too. Because polydactyl cats have wider, larger paws, they’re better able to balance on various surfaces, climb, hunt, and capture their prey. Sailors believed that the larger paws made them superior hunters.
Polydactyl cats are most commonly found in Western England, Wales, Canada, and the Eastern United States, and their prevalence in those regions is often credited to their days on trans-continental ships. It’s believed that polydactyl cats in England were transported across the Atlantic Ocean where they bred with non-polydactyl cats and proliferated the genetic trait.
Have you ever wondered why polydactyl cats are sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats? Well, it’s because Ernest Hemingway loved them. After he was gifted a white, polydactyl cat named Snow Ball by a ship’s captain, Ernest Hemingway developed a serious affection for these multi-toed kitties.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY LOVED POLYDACT CATS. After his death in 1961, his home in Key West, Florida was transformed into a museum and a home for his beloved cats. Currently, the kitty colony is home to about 50 descendants of his original pack of cats—and about half of them are polydactyl.
Polydactyly is caused by a genetic mutation in a dominant gene and usually results in the formation of anywhere between five to seven toes on a kitty’s paws. The front paws are most often affected by polydactyly, but it can also occur on the hind paws; it’s extremely rare for a cat to have polydactyly on all four paws (so far, mine have always been polydact on all four paws).
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a polydactyl ginger tabby named Jake holds the world record for the most toes. Clocking in at a whopping 28 toes, Jake had seven toes on each paw—with each toe having its own claw, pad and bone structure.
Link: https://www.thesprucepets.com/polydactyl-cats-4175908
