Just Say No to Abuse Declaring War on Terrorism. If you've ever seen one, you know they're different. These cats have more to them than your average house cat.
Extra toes are one fairly common occurance in most cats' genetic backrounds.
Some estimate 1 in every 1000 kittens is born with extra toes, though really it depends entirely on the genes of the parents. 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 . Having extra toes is a known genetic trait and breeding two polydactyl cats will increase the odds of getting polydatcyl kittens. It is a genetic defect and may be associated with other conditions as well.