Extra-Toes Cat / Hemingway Polydactyls for Adoption in Chestertown, MD

Cats don't have fingers in the human sense, but they do have digits, which are their toes. Each front paw has five, including the dewclaw, and each back paw has four. Their toes contain bones similar to our finger bones, ending in retractable claws. Polydactyl cats simply have more of these digits than usual.

Cats with extra toes are called polydactyl cats. They also go by many nicknames, including Hemingway cats, after Ernest Hemingway's six-toed cats, as well as mitten cats, thumb cats, snowshoe cats, boxing cats and, in New England, Boston thumb cats. All of these names describe the same harmless genetic trait rather than a breed.

Polydactyly in cats is caused by a genetic mutation inherited as a dominant trait, so a kitten needs only one copy from one parent. In the common form, a small change in a DNA region that controls the sonic hedgehog gene alters how the paws develop before birth, adding toes. It is not caused by diet, injury or the environment.

Polydactyl cats are uncommon overall but not rare everywhere. They are noticeably more common along the East Coast of North America, especially New England and Atlantic Canada, and in parts of southwest England and Wales, where ship cats carried the gene. Because the trait is dominant, it can spread quickly in local cat populations.

No, polydactyl cats are not inbred. Polydactyly is caused by a dominant gene, so a kitten only needs one parent with the trait to inherit it, and about half the kittens of an affected cat may have extra toes. Its high frequency in some regions comes from ship cats spreading the gene, not from inbreeding.

Most polydactyl cats have one or two extra toes on each front paw, giving them six or seven toes there instead of five, and some also have extra toes on the back paws. Paws can carry up to about nine toes. The Guinness World Record is 29 toes on one cat, set in 2026.

Most indoor cats benefit from regular nail trims, often every few weeks, to prevent snagging, scratching injuries and overgrowth. Outdoor and very active cats may wear claws down more. Polydactyl cats need extra attention because their extra claws often don't touch the ground or scratching posts, so they can curl into the paw pads if not trimmed.

Extra toes are uncommon but perfectly normal for a polydactyl cat. The trait is an inherited genetic variation present at birth, and the common form causes no pain or health problems. In some areas, such as parts of New England, it is fairly frequent. Any sudden swelling or change in a paw is a different matter and needs a vet.

Most polydactyl cats don't have health problems from their extra toes. The main issue is claw care, since extra claws can grow into the paw pads if not trimmed. A rare, unrelated condition called radial hypoplasia can cause limb deformities and is sometimes confused with polydactyly. A veterinarian can check a cat's paws and gait.

An extra toe bean on a polydactyl cat cushions an extra toe, just like the cat's other digital pads. Toe beans absorb shock, provide traction, help the cat sense texture and contain sweat and scent glands. On a thumb-like extra digit, the pad may help some cats grip toys or climb, though it has no special separate purpose.

Any cat breed can carry the gene for extra toes, though most polydactyls are domestic shorthairs and longhairs. The trait has long been associated with the Maine Coon, and TICA accepts polydactyl Maine Coons, Pixie-bobs and Highlanders. Most other registries don't accept polydactyl show cats, but that has no effect on them as pets.

When a cat has extra toes, it means it inherited polydactyly, a genetic trait that adds digits during development before birth. The common form is harmless and is passed down from at least one parent. Folklore has long called these cats lucky, and sailors prized them as mousers, but extra toes don't change a cat's personality.

The extra toe on a cat doesn't have an official special name, but people often call it a thumb, especially when it sits on the inner side of the front paw. Veterinarians describe it as an extra digit, and the condition is called polydactyly. The normal fifth toe high on a cat's front leg is called the dewclaw.

Cats have a toe higher up on the inside of each front leg because that is the dewclaw, the first digit, which all cats normally have. It doesn't touch the ground but helps them grip prey and climb. In polydactyl cats, extra toes often appear next to the dewclaw, making it look like a thumb.

No, cats cannot grow extra toes later in life. Polydactyly is congenital, which means the extra toes are formed before birth and are present when the kitten is born. A new growth, swelling or lump on an adult cat's paw is not an extra toe and should be examined by a veterinarian, as it could be an injury, infection or tumor.

Yes, cats can have extra toes on their back paws, though it is less common than on the front paws. Many polydactyl cats have extra toes on the front paws only, while others have them on all four. Cats with extra toes on the back paws alone are relatively unusual. The pattern varies from cat to cat.

A cat with an extra toe often has front paws that look wide, round and oversized, sometimes compared to mittens, snowshoes or baseball gloves. The extra toe may sit beside the dewclaw like a thumb or simply widen the paw. You may also count extra toe beans and claws underneath. Otherwise the cat looks like any other.

Many people name extra-toed cats after the trait or its famous fan, such as Hemingway, Ernest, Papa, Snow White, Mittens, Boots, Thumbs, Bigfoot or Paws. Others choose names from Hemingway novels and characters. Whatever you choose, the cat's personality is often the best inspiration, so getting to know your new cat first can help.

Not in the strict sense. Hemingway cat is a common nickname for any polydactyl cat, so in everyday use all extra-toed cats can be called Hemingway cats. Only the cats living at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, and their line, are directly linked to his six-toed cat Snow White. Most polydactyls share only the trait.

Polydactyl cats are called Hemingway cats because the writer Ernest Hemingway famously kept them. A ship's captain gave him a six-toed white cat named Snow White, and many of her descendants, including plenty with extra toes, still live at his former home in Key West, Florida, which helped make the nickname popular worldwide.