Extra Toes



Because I'm a- Lady, That's Why
Purred: Wed Feb 6, '13 7:24pm PST 
Miss Tobi is polydactyl. Not so bad that she can't walk correctly, thank goodness- I've seen some poor kitties like that. She has five toes on her back feet and a "thumb" in the front. I finally got a picture of her extra toes today, and upon sharing it with my friend I was told that her cat was double-pawed in the front, and had an extra toe on one foot in the back. I've come across quite a few cats with extra digits, and the number seems to be increasing lately. This got me thinking- where did the polydactyl deformity come from? I'm pretty sure it's genetic, but I'm curious what the root of it is. Does anyone have any idea?

♥- Roxy- ♥

Polydactyl Maine- Coons Rule!
Purred: Wed Feb 6, '13 11:12pm PST 
I wouldn't say it is a "deformity"-- a variation, maybe, or you could call it a mutation (in fact many things including different coat colors or patterns could be mutations). The most common form of polydactyly does not interfere with normal function, in fact in many cats the extra toes actually are beneficial, they can be better at climbing and grabbing things, if they have the "thumb" configuration it is almost like an opposable thumb!
I do not think you could say it originated any one place, as there are a number of different forms of polydactyly and different genes for it.

You can read a more about it here if you are interested:

Edited by author Wed Feb 6, '13 11:13pm PST



Purred: Fri Feb 8, '13 2:21pm PST 
My sisfur and I are both polydactl kitties. We like to use our paws to pick things up! It is important to keep an eye on the nails of a cat with extra toes though, because sometimes the nails will overgrow because of how are paws are structured.


polydactyl and- proud
Purred: Fri Feb 22, '13 5:45pm PST 
I'm polydactyl, and it actually looks like I have 2 paws on each front leg. I have 8 toes on one and 7 toes on the other. I'm not dclawed, but I had to get a few claw taken off because they grew funny.