Cats normally have five toes on each front paw and four toes on each hind foot for a total of 18 toes. If a cat has more than 18 toes, then the cat is polydactyl. Usually extra toes are found on the front paws and some people refer to these as "double-pawed" cats. Having extra toes is a known genetic trait and breeding two polydactyl cats will increase the odds of getting polydatcyl kittens. Breeding for these "double-pawed" cats, however, is not advised. It is a genetic defect and may be associated with other conditions as well. Extra toes pose no medical problem other than the nails do not wear evenly and ingrown nails may result. This can be prevented with frequent nail trimmings. Sometimes a claw will exist where no toe is there to support it and therefore cannot be retracted. Those types may need to be removed by a vet since they easily become hooked and are not easy to unhook.
Some people have become quite dedicated to the polydactyls. Even some of the famous people's cats have had six toes. Teddy Roosevelt's extra-toed cat, Slippers, occupied the White House during his presidency. "Princess Six Toes" was one of the 60 beloved felines kept by Ernest Hemingway and her photo appeared in the New York Times and other national magazines. Ernest Hemingway's cat became so famous that many thought all his cats were polydactyl, and some still call polydactyls "Hemingway cats." There are at least two internet clubs for polydactyls. Their websites are very informative. Visit them at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills... and http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Curb/7...
Fascination with the genetics behind polydactyly has taken it to some extreme levels. Some of you may remember the "Twisty cats" scandal of a few years ago. For those who didn't know about it, a 'breeder' in Texas decided to breed polydactyls for the more extreme results of the defect. It created cats with missing bones and joints in their forearms and feet along with other deformities. Soon the outrage over this type of breeding for defect shut down her breeding operation. More than 85% of our readers who took the poll (at the time) said: "It's cruelty and no more should be bred." For more information on this issue, visit the CFA info page on it. Also, this bulletin board still has some of the lively discussions that started after they became more famous.
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