Cat with 27 toes - YouTube Cat with 27 toes Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 15, 2011 Normal cats have a total of 18 toes, with five toes on each front paw and four toes on each hind paw; polydactyl cats may have as many as seven digits on their front and/or hind paws. Tiger, a Canadian polydactyl cat with 27 toes, was recognised by Guinness World Records as having the highest number of toes on a cat.[1] (However, unofficially, this title goes to Mooch, a 28-toed American polydactyl cat from the New England state of Maine. Mooch's owners, Bob & Becky Duval, have submitted evidence to the Guinness Book of Records.[2]) Various combinations of anywhere from four to seven toes per paw are common, and the number of toes on either the front or rear paws is typically the same.

Polydactyly is most commonly found on the front paws only, it is rare for a cat to have polydactyl hind paws only, and polydactyly of all four paws is even less common. The nickname "double-pawed cat" is a misnomer since there is a specific double paw condition, although this condition may be interrelated with polydactyly.[3] Feline radial hypoplasia (see squitten) is a mimic of polydactyly and is considered a severe condition. Radial hypoplasia may cause the formation of extra jointed toes, but it is not a result of the Pd gene normally associated with polydactyls. It thus does not cause the "mitten cat" or "thumb cat" condition where the extra toes occur separated from the normal ones just like a dewclaw, usually associated with an additional pad which makes them look like an underdeveloped foot sticking out near the base of the normal toes. Rather, radial hypoplasia-related extra toes are immediately adjacent to the normal ones, giving the cat overly large, flat feet — colloquially known as "patty feet" or "hamburger feet".

Though this looks less serious than true polydactyly (as the feet appear "normal" apart from having one or two extra toes), breeding such cats will eventually result in severely crippled offspring. Cats used in polydactyl breeding programs can be screened by x-ray for indicators of radial hypoplasia, and cats suspected to have radial hypoplasia should not be used for breeding. This type of polydactyly is not life-threatening and usually not even debilitating to a cat. Some polydactyl kittens initially have more difficulty in learning to walk than normal animals; however in some cases polydactyly appears to improve the dexterity of the animal. For example, a common variation with six toes on the front paws, with two opposing digits on each (comparable in use to human thumbs), enables the cat to learn and perform feats of manual dexterity generally not observed in non-polydactyl cats, such as opening latches or catching objects with a single paw. Cats usually "file down" their nails, thereby removing the outer layer. However, some of the claws of polydactyl cats are in awkward positions, so they are not able to trim them down by scratching.

If proper trimming is not done, then these claws could grow into the cat's flesh and cause infection. Harry has a fantastic life he lives with four other cats who all adore him and a dog, the fact that he is pure white makes him even more unique than ever. We would challenge anybody to find another cat like him, we adore him :-) Category 5 Fascinating Facts About Polydactyl Cats - Catster 5 Fascinating Facts About Polydactyl Cats Cats with extra toes have a freaky awesomeness that we just love. Thanks, evolution! Angela Lutz | May 1st 2013 Also: Lifestyle Texts from Mittens: The Cold Edition Some friends of mine have a polydactyl cat named Dougus, whom I affectionately call “The Toes.” He certainly earns the name: With six toes on each foot, he is well above average — and he’s off the charts in good looks and charm as well. Polydactyly is not unusual in cats, so Dougus is hardly alone in his freaky awesomeness. Here are five fascinating facts about six-(or-more)-toed cats. 1.

Polydactyly is a genetic abnormality Count your kitty’s toes. Odds are she has a total of 18, with five toes on each front paw and four on each rear. If your kitty is polydactyl, however, she might have as many as eight toes on any given paw. The word is Greek in origin, with “poly” meaning “many” and “daktylos” meaning “digits.” Most polydactyls have extra toes on their front paws, which sometimes resemble thumbs and make your kitty look as though she’s wearing adorable mittens. These extra digits are not opposable, which means your polydactyl cat will not be able to start feeding herself at 5 a.m. 2. Polydactyls are also known as Hemingway cats When a ship captain gave a white polydactyl cat named Snowball to writer Ernest Hemingway, the captain kicked off a pretty fantastic obsession for one of history’s most prolific cat guys. At Hemingway’s island home off Key West, FL, he collected more than 50 cats, almost half of whom had extra toes.

Thanks to his obsession, today polydactyls are frequently called “Hemingway cats.” As Catster’s Dorian Wagner did, you can visit the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum , where the cat colony still thrives — and some of the kitties are descendents of Snowball, Hemingway’s original polydactyl. Bonus fact: Polydactyls are such a big deal that they’ve made it all the way to the White House: President Theodore Roosevelt had a six-toed first kitty named Slippers. 3. The world record for the most toes on a cat is 28 The Internet cannot agree on which polydactyl kitty actually has the most toes. According to Guinness Records , the title belongs to Jake, a ginger tabby from Canada. He boasts seven toes on each paw, for a grand total of 28. Each toe has its own claw, pad, and bone structure. The rumor mill also tells of a 32-toed cat named Mickey Mouse who lived in the ’70s. But instead of polydactyly, he might have had a condition known as “double paws,” in which each paw is actually comprised of two fused mirror-image paws.

Having extra toes is complicated! 4. Polydactyly is common in Maine Coons Historically, polydactyly was a useful trait for Maine Coon cats. For a breed originating in snowy Maine, doublewide paws with extra digits functioned as natural snowshoes. At one time, as many as 40 percent of all Maine Coons had extra toes. Though the trait is no longer as predominant in the breed, Maine Coon polydactyls are still recognized as an official breed by many cat fanciers. 5. Polydactyl cats were once considered good luck at sea Back in the day, polydactyl cats got their sea legs by accompanying fishermen on many journeys. And they earned their keep — they were rumored to be excellent mouse hunters, and their extra toes gave them better balance on ships that encountered rough waters. The cats’ many travels might explain their widespread presence today, predominantly in the United States, Canada, England, and Wales. Read more by Angela Lutz: Do Cats Have 3 Toes or 4? - Pets Pets Do Cats Have 3 Toes or 4?

by Rob Harris You can get to the fifth little piggy on your cat's front paws, but usually not on the back ones. Counting your kitty's toes seems simple enough -- until you take a closer look at her paws. Most cats have a different number of toes on their front and back paws. To complicate things, some cats have extra toes. Functional Toes Although your kitty has four toes on each back foot and five on each front foot, she doesn't use one of the five front toes. This gives her an even four-for-four functional toes on the front and back. The functional toes have claws that retract when they're not in use, helping them to stay sharp and unbroken for when they're needed -- or kneading, as the case may be. Dew Claws The fifth toes on the front feet are the dew claws. These are on the inside of the foot, a little bit above the others. The dew claws don't touch the ground, and normally they are not retractable. Keep an eye on your feline friend's dew claws, because they can get snagged on things, and your kitty can be hurt when she tries to pull away.

Also, because she doesn't use the claw at her scratching post, it usually needs clipping more often than her other claws to prevent it from growing in a circle and back into her toe. Pads Your cat has more pads than toes, which can be confusing when you're trying to count toes. On the front feet, she has seven pads -- one for each toe, a big pad in the middle, and a tiny one a bit higher on the wrist. These sensitive pads help your kitty be sneaky, but they also help announce her presence. When she scratches on a tree or your favorite recliner, the pads release a scent that tells other cats she was there first. Extra Toes Made famous by Ernest Hemingway, and still living famously on his estate, polydactyl cats have extra toes on their front paws. Usually, it's just one extra toe per paw, but you might occasionally see two or three extras. If you count your kitty's toes and keep going past five, a genetic mutation that is often found in some cat lines is involved. The extra toes typically are fully functional, although it's common for them to have nails that grow at odd angles and that require frequent trimmings.

Polydactyl Cats: The Charm of Big Feet | Mental Floss Polydactyl Cats: The Charm of Big Feet simplyleftbehind.blogspot.com/ Like us on Facebook Look at those big feet! This is a polydactyl cat , born with more than the regulation number of toes. Polydactylism can affect any animal with toes, but the genetic anomaly is relatively common in domestic cats, which normally have five toes on the front paws and four toes on their back paws. Photograph by Flickr user Actor212 . Photograph by Marc Averette . Polydactylism (literally "many-fingered") is a genetic mutation that is passed down via a dominant gene. The trait is found most often in western England, Wales, and the eastern parts of the United States and Canada. They are historically sought out as ship's cats , which explains their prevalence on "both sides of the pond." We don't know which side they originated on. However, the mutation can arise spontaneously in any cat population, so all polydactyls are not necessarily related to each other. Photograph by Flickr user Meredith Leigh Collins .

The condition is usually benign, and cats rarely suffer from having extra toes in and of itself. There is a genetic condition called feline radial hypoplasia in which extra toes are common. Radial hypoplasia causes other birth defects in addition to polydactly, such as underdeveloped or twisted forelegs, which is a genuine disability, and such cats should be neutered to prevent passing on the abnormality. But those cases are in the minority. Photograph by Flickr user Jessica Feis . Polydacts were popularized by author (and cat lover) Ernest Hemingway, who was given a six-toed cat by a sea captain named Stanley Dexter in the 1930s. Hemingway loved the cat he named Snowball . About 60 cats still live at the Hemingway Estate in Key West, where they are fed and protected as a historical treasure. About half are polydacts, possibly the decendents of Hemingway's cat. Another famous polydactyl was a cat owned by President Theodore Roosevelt named Slippers . See a picture of Slippers . The Roosevelts had a veritable zoo in the White House, and Slippers was not the only cat.

Photograph by Flickr user gillicious . Some polydactyl cats present "mitten paws," which occurs when the extra toes are attached on the medial side , or "thumb" side of the paw. This can lead to a cat that appears to have opposable thumbs. Some cats have learned to manipulate the extra digits like a human thumb. Cats have been known to use this ability to pull stunts that amaze their owners, such as opening latches and windows. I haven't found any case of a polydactyl cat successfully using a can opener, but there's always a first time. You know they are working on it! Photograph by Flickr user Liren Chen . Cats that have multiple toes that aren't "mitten paws" just appear to have big feet, which are called "snowshoe paws" or "pancake feet." They might remind you of the Canada lynx , which normally has extra large paws (even without extra toes) which enables them to travel on top of snow.

Polydactyl Cats: Hemingway's Favorite Felines With Extra Toes Email Tom Salyer / Alamy Regular cats have five toes on their front feet and four on their back, for a total of 18. But polydactyl [pronounced pol-ee-dak-til] cats boast more toes, usually on their front feet. If the word "polydactyl" sounds like Greek to you, that’s because it is — the Greek root poly means "many" and daktylos means "digits or toes." The record holder for most toes was a kitty named Jake, who had a whopping 28. American writer Ernest Hemingway was a lover of polydactyl cats. He was given his first polydactyl cat, a white six-toed feline named Snowball, by a ship's captain; today, nearly 50 of Snowball's descendants still live at the Hemingway Home in Key West . Polydactyl cats are known by many names, including “Hemingway cats,” a reference to Snowball and her famous owner.

They are also referred to as “mitten cats,” “big-foot cats” and “six-toed cats” — or even “cats with thumbs.” Interesting Facts The first scientific record of polydactyls is from 1868. They were mostly found in the northeastern United States and Nova Scotia. One theory is that the first mitten kittens were brought to America by English Puritans in the 1600s. President Theodore Roosevelt’s poly kitty Slippers was one of the first cats to purr around the White House. Polydactyl cats often found their way onto boats because sailors believed they were good luck. They were widely recognized as top-notch mousers, and their extra toes were rumored to give them better balance while sailing the high seas. Common Questions New York veterinarian Dr. Arnold Plotnick of Manhattan Cat Specialists tells us a little more about polydactyl cats, including his own, Mittens. Why do some cats have more toes than others? Some cats have extra toes because they inherit a gene that codes for polydactylism.

If one parent is polydactyl and one parent has normal feet, then 40 to 50 percent of the kittens will also be polydactyl. What is thumb cat polydactyly? Most polydactyl cats have extra toes that look like the other toes — there are just more of them. Thumb cat polydactyly is a condition where the first digit, or the dewclaw, is so large that it resembles a thumb. My cat, Mittens, has huge “thumbs” on both front feet. Which cats are more likely to be polydactyl? Right now, there’s no certain breed of cat that is more or less prone to being polydactyl. However, in the past, the original Maine Coon cats had a high incidence of polydactylism — about 40 percent. Have you ever owned a polydactyl cat? Tell us about it in the comments below.

More on Vetstreet: Polydactyl Cats: The Felines With Extra Toes | The Huffington Post Polydactyl Cats: The Felines With Extra Toes 07/21/2013 11:22 am ET From Vetstreet: Regular cats have five toes on their front feet and four on their back, for a total of 18. But polydactyl [pronounced pol-ee-dak-til] cats boast more toes, usually on their front feet. If the word "polydactyl" sounds like Greek to you, that’s because it is — the Greek root poly means "many" and daktylos means "digits or toes." The record holder for most toes was a kitty named Jake, who had a whopping 28. American writer Ernest Hemingway was a lover of polydactyl cats. He was given his first polydactyl cat, a white six-toed feline named Snowball, by a ship's captain; today, nearly 50 of Snowball's descendants still live at the Hemingway Home in Key Wes t.

Polydactyl cats are known by many names, including “Hemingway cats,” a reference to Snowball and her famous owner. They are also referred to as “mitten cats,” “big-foot cats” and “six-toed cats” — or even “cats with thumbs.” Interesting Facts The first scientific record of polydactyls is from 1868. They were mostly found in the northwestern United States and Nova Scotia. One theory is that the first mitten kittens were brought to America by English Puritans in the 1600s. President Theodore Roosevelt’s poly kitty Slippers was one of the first cats to purr around the White House. Polydactyl cats often found their way onto boats because sailors believed they were good luck. They were widely recognized as top-notch mousers, and their extra toes were rumored to give them better balance while sailing the high seas. Common Questions New York veterinarian Dr. Arnold Plotnick of Manhattan Cat Specialists tells us a little more about polydactyl cats, including his own, Mittens. Why do some cats have more toes than others? Some cats have extra toes because they inherit a gene that codes for polydactylism.

If one parent is polydactyl and one parent has normal feet, then 40 to 50 percent of the kittens will also be polydactyl. What is thumb cat polydactyly? Most polydactyl cats have extra toes that look like the other toes — there are just more of them. Thumb cat polydactyly is a condition where the first digit, or the dewclaw, is so large that it resembles a thumb. My cat, Mittens, has huge “thumbs” on both front feet. Which cats are more likely to be polydactyl? Right now, there’s no certain breed of cat that is more or less prone to being polydactyl. However, in the past, the original Maine Coon cats had a high incidence of polydactylism — about 40 percent. More on Vetstreet: 5 Facts About Your Cat’s Paws - Catster Share this image 5 Facts About Your Cat’s Paws ThereÔÇÖs a lot more to those cute little feet than razor-sharp claws. Learn about color, walking style, communication, and more.

JaneA Kelley | Oct 18th 2012 Also: Lifestyle Meet Frank Lloyd White, the Cat Who Runs New York City You might think of your cat’s paws in the same way you think about your feet: They’re for standing and walking and not much else. But your cat’s paws are engineered to help her be the best predator she can be — and, of course, for maximum cuteness, too. Here are some things you should know about cat paws. 1. Cats walk on tiptoe Your cat is a digitigrade walker, which means that instead of walking on her heels and the balls of the feet like we do, she walks on the balls of the feet and the fingertips. The small size of her paws and the softness of her pads make it easy for her to move silently through all kinds of terrain. 2. Cats’ paw pads are tough and tender The skin pads on your cat’s paws are strong enough to offer protection from punctures when she’s walking on rough terrain, but they don’t offer much insulation against extreme temperatures. Why?

Because nature made a trade-off so she can hunt effectively: Her paw pads are loaded with touch receptors that allow her to evaluate the texture, location, and liveliness of her prey. Another effect of your cat’s exquisite sensitivity to touch? She can very quickly detect how hot or cold a surface is. 3. Cats leave “paw mail” with their touch Cats have glands tucked between their paw pads that secrete oil with a scent only cats can detect. When your cat scratches a surface such as a scratching post, a tree, or your couch, she deposits some of her scent — almost like a graffiti tag that reads "Fluffy was here!" 4. Cats sweat through their paws If you’ve ever taken a nervous cat to the vet and seen little paw marks on the exam table, that’s your cat’s sweat. Not only do the sweat glands on their paw pads help them keep their body temperature balanced, the glands go into overdrive when a cat is very anxious. 5. Paw pads are as colorful as fur The pigment that colors your cat’s fur also colors her skin, so when you look at your cat’s paw pads, you’ll see that they’re often the same colors as your cat.

Black cats have black pads, gray cats have grayish pads, orange cats have orange pads, and when it comes to multicolored cats, anything goes. My gray tabby and white cat, Thomas, has four black pads and one white pad on his front feet, for example. What color are your cat’s paw pads? Do you know of any other cool facts about cats’ paws? Let us know in a comment. FELINE MEDICAL CURIOSITIES: TOES, PAWS AND CLAWS FELINE MEDICAL CURIOSITIES: LEGS, PAWS AND TAIL Extra or Abnormal Toes and Paws, Double Foot, Split Foot and Horned Paws Copyright 2001 - 2010, Sarah Hartwell Note: Contrary to suggestions on some bulletin boards, the images here are not photoshop. With the exception of those labelled as artist's impressions these are photos of medical conditions. This page is intended as a medical reference. Offsite links to images on these pages is not supported - bandwidth costs money!

POLYDACTYLY: EXTRA TOES & DOUBLE PAWS A full article on the various types and causes of polydactyly in cats can be found at Polydactyl Cats . Only a summary appears here. The normal cat's front paw has 4 toes and one dewclaw (rudimentary toe or thumb not reaching the ground) making 5 toes in total. The back paw has 4 toes, giving a total of 18 toes. A polydactyl has one, two or more extra toes on one or more feet. There are different forms of polydactyly caused by a variety of genes that affect the foot in different ways. Some result in extra toes, others give extra dew-claws or turn the dew-claw from a rudimentary toe into a proper toe. The most common form is pre-axial polydactyl (mitten foot) where the extra toe(s) is on the thumb side of the foot. This is a simple autosomal dominant gene (not linked to gender, the cat only needs one copy of the gene for the effect to show) with no adverse side-effects.

Usually only the front feet are affected, but sometimes the catï¿½s hind feet have extra toes as well. In Victorian times (mid-to-late 19th century), polydactyl cats were considered very lucky, especially by sailors, which explains the high incidence of such cats on the east coast of the United States. As well as being said to give better grip on board ships, polydactyly is claimed to help the cat in walking across snow - natural snowshoes. A more damaging form affects the leg as well as the foot and is called "triphalangeal pollex-radial hypoplasia" (Twisty Cat mutation). This gives the thumb (pollex) an extra joint and 3 bones (tri-phalangeal) instead of 2, making it resemble a human finger rather than a rudimentary dew-claw. The triphalangeal thumb may be duplicated giving two thumbs. The toe next to it may also be duplicated.

In its mild form, only the paw is affected and the only way to tell it apart from regular polydactylism is through X-ray to see whether the dew-claw has become a toe with extra bones (radial hypoplasia trait) or whether it is still a dew-claw (regular polydactyly). Its severe form produces radial hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the main forearm bone) or radial aplasia (complete absence of the main forearm bone) also known as radial agenesis ("main forearm bone not created") or simply as the Twisty Cat mutation. Cats with radial hypoplasia (RH) have greatly shortened forelegs but normal length hind legs. They often sit upright on their haunches looking like a rabbit or squirrel. Their shortened forelimbs may be too short to use for walking so the cat must hop like a rabbit or kangaroo. The habit of sitting upright results in reports of "squittens" (squirrel-kitten hybrids). The record number of toes found on a cat is 32 (8 on each paw) reported in October 1974.

This was a male cat called "Mickey Mouse" owned by Mrs Renee Delgade of Westlake Village, California, USA. This cat may have had double-paws where each paw is actually 2 fused mirror image paws. This condition is seen in humans where there is a central thumb with four fingers either side of it (making a natural baseball catcher's glove!). There have been reports of a cat where all 4 paws are doubled. When the cat "sat to attention" it appeared to have 8 paws in a row. There are other reports of double-paws where the paw splits into two lobes; each lobe having 3 or 4 toes. During early development, the tip of the limb-buds fork to produce 2 mirror-image paws which may be set at right angles to each other (the photo is an artist impression only). A female cat named "Triple" owned by Mr and Mrs Bertram Bobnock of Iron River, Michigan, USA in 1976, had 30 toes, but these are arranged on 5 legs and 6 paws!

The back left leg has 2 complete lower leg extensions from the hock down, and one of those lower legs had 2 paws. This is either due to the conjoined twin condition or possibly a birth defect which caused the growing tip of the limb bud to split into two and each part of the fork continued to develop into a limb. It would have forked twice, once as it got to the hock and one side would have forked again when it began to grow the paw. A pure-bred Siamese named "Big Foot" (see photo) and owned by Miss Joan Conerly of Wauchula, Florida, USA in 1978, had 26 toes (7 on each front paw, 6 on each back paw). His mother had 22 toes, his sister had 22 toes and a brother had 24 toes showing it to be an inherited trait. In May 2002 Jennifer Beierle wrote about a litter of kittens whose total of toes exceeds that of Big Foot and his litter-mates. Her non-polydactyl cat got pregnant by an unknown tomcat and produced 10 kittens. Seven were polydactyls.

Two kittens had 26 toes, two had 23 toes, two had 22, one had 21, and two kittens had the normal 18 toes. This includes one kitten with 7-toed double-paws in front and 6 toes on hind paws and one kitten with double dewclaws on the hind paws (which do not normally have dewclaws at all). Photos of some of these kittens' paws can be seen at Polydactyl Cats along with photos of other polydactyls and other paw oddities. There are several reports of cats with 28 toes (the current record), but currently none that exceed this number. A 2003 report of a cat with 32 toes at an American rescue shelter has not been verified, photos suggest it is more likely to be 22 toes. SYNDACTYLY AND ECTRODACTYLY - SPLIT FOOT Syndactyly (hypodactyly) is the opposite of polydactyly. Instead of having additional toes, two or more toes are fused.

In the most familiar form, Ectrodactyly or split foot, the cat's forefeet (rarely the hind feet) have two toes giving it the appearance of a crab or lobster claw. In humans, the condition is sometimes known as "lobster-hand". The other digits have either been suppressed altogether or each of the cat's toes is made up of two or more fused digits. A paper by A G Searle (in "Annals of Eugenics" Vol. 17, Part 4, pp. 279-283, 1953) discussed the lobster-claw condition in cats; Searle noted that the anomaly was usually inherited as a dominant, and had suggested that the right side was often more severely affected than the left. Syndactyly is rarer than polydactyly so I was interested to receive details of a cat with 4 affected paws. Each paw resembles a crab's pincer (hence the common name of "Lobster Claw Syndrome"), having only 2 toes which are semi-opposable. The cat even uses them as pincers to hold toys and small objects.

The toes are apparently oriented one facing upwards and one facing downwards (i.e. a degree of twisting). Syndactyly varies from webbed toes to fused digits. The fused digits can be simple with the digits connected only by skin, or it can be complicated with the bones, tissues and claws fused. It occurs when the cells between each toe do not die during embryo development and the toes do not separate (these cells are normally programmed to die during digit formation). Like polydactyly, the condition rarely causes problems so long as the claws are kept clipped. The cat can still run and climb. The only time I have seen a lobster-clawed cat was with a feral cat in a trap-neuter-release program. This may not have caused problems to the cat in the wild (on a farm), but it caused problems in temporary captivity as the claws kept getting caught on the wire mesh. The actual claws were slightly overgrown due to problems with stropping them. In pet cats this can easily be rectified by frequent claw clipping. Where the two toes are made of fused digits, the claws may form superclaws in the same way as described earlier.

There is also the possibility that the cleft between the toes extends further than is normal into the paw itself. Small objects, thorns etc may become trapped between the toes. If the toes splay apart e.g. when the cat has jumped down from a high platform, there is the small chance that the claws will spread apart under its weight and the skin between them may tear. These problems are not common and cats with split foot rarely suffer any real disability. In May 2005, Stephanie Rubeck of Newark, Ohio, sent this picture of her 4 week old kitten "Faith" who has syndactyly of the left front paw. The vet refused to see the kitten until she reached 6 weeks old on the grounds that a defective kitten would be rejected by the mother and not survive that long. Syndactyly is a minor (cosmetic) defect that does not affect suckling or threaten long-term survival. Faith is one of a litter of two and her brother is solid black with no abnormalities. At 4 weeks, Faith had a few problems walking, mainly when trying to turn around or turn to the left, but should soon learn to compensate.

Her climbing abilities are not impaired and the photo shows Faith playing on the couch with her brother. Theo's left paw. Photos copyright 2006, Carly Tuck Theo is 2 years old in February 2007. Neither Theo's mother nor father had any deformities. His father was the local tomcat (a very big black cat) and his mother was a pet cat. Theo had two sisters and one brother (one ginger, one tabby and one black), all with normal paws. Theo was taken to the vets after Carly got him when he was a few months old. Carly wondered if the claw hanging away from the paw could be cut off so it didn't hinder him. The vet explained that in order to have done that, Theo should have had the surgery as a very young kitten. Theo had already adapted to his deformity and the vet explained that he'd have little trouble using that paw (but would operate if Theo did experience problems). Theo walked and jumped without any problems, but sometimes sprints using only 3 legs and holding the other paw off the ground so it doesn't slow him!

Oddly, he likes to sit with his left paw up as though it is in a sling and sometimes likes to wave it as though batting at something. Carly says he also has a strange obsession where he digs at things with the deformed paw, especially the corners of sheets of paper or plastic bags. Possibly he feels the need to stimulate the paw, or possibly it is related to unusual nerve signals related to the deformity. Zack, belonging to Carrie, is a neutered 5 year old male with syndactyly of both front paws. He has two toes on one front paw (including a superclaw) and three toes on the other, not counting the dew claws. Zack cannot retract any of his front claws. In addition, his front feet are very short compared to his hind feet and the toes lack some finger joints. When standing, he looks as if he's on the very tips of his front toes. Short toes is known as brachydactyly. Zack has few if any mobility issues. He can walk, run, jump, scratch, and knead normally. He's never shown much aptitude for climbing - or much inclination to climb (and therefore has the freedom of an enclosed yard).

Carrie trims Zack's claws on a weekly basis. He doesn't use his front claws for fighting or scratching in self-defence, preferring to grab-and-bite instead and to bat with his paws when play-fighting. He also uses use his front paws to manipulate toys, open cabinets, etc and is not inconvenienced by the length or number toes. These photos and x-rays have been sent by Carla Reiss whose cat Bimmer has a deformed foot. The x-rays were provided by The Center for Advanced Veterinary Care in Manchester, NH, USA. Each side of the deformed foot has two digits, plus additional claws here and there. The wrist is not properly formed, with the tibia and fibula being uneven lengths. The digits, some associated with the tibia and some with the fibula, criss-cross. Carlaï¿½s vet, Deborah Kelloway, said she had never seen as gross a deformity of a catï¿½s foot. It is rather like a lobster claw and he can grasp with it. He walks and runs with the leg held out in front of him. Some of the claws look normal, while others look more like fleshy growths pointing in all directions.

He really isn't impeded by his leg and he lives a grand life with Carla, Steve and six other cats. Bimmer is said to be a sweet boy and inseparable from another cat, Audi. SYNDACTYLY - OTHER FUSED TOES While the lobster-paw condition may be genetic or congenital, other forms of syndactyly are probably congential (non-inherited). Fused central toes also occur (these seem more likely on the hind paws). Anastopoulos Thanos of Sparti, Greece provided images and details of a different form of fused toes: "A few months ago I adopted a pair of stray kittens found on the street outside my house. 1female and 1male. They have developed a liking to the indoors. The reason for this email is an anomaly on the hind paws of the female cat ("Zooka", see photos). If Iï¿½m right its called syndactyl, a union of the ï¿½toesï¿½. It does not appear on the front legs of the cat. The number of nails is correct but the cushion is united. The bone structure feels to the touch normal. The affected nails seem to have problem retracting.

It does not hinder the catï¿½s movement other than a "clicking" sound due to the nails hitting the floor tiles. I am not thinking of seeking medical or surgical treatment because the cat shows no distress over it." Fused centre hind toes Raimi Cyan Rayfield is another case of fused central digits. There were two feral sister cats whom each had a litter of kittens two days apart. The shleter in Seattle, WA, USA fostered all 12. One of the kittens, Raimi, has a fusion of the center pads and the nails forming a "superclaw" which does not retract. The inner digit (not the dew claw) nail turns outward on the same paw. Only one paw is affected. There appears to be a little pad in between the fused pads as if a third pad was partially formed. (Photos and information from Amy Russell, a cat foster parent for a non-kill shelter in Seattle, WA USA) In June 2008, Stine ï¿½degï¿½rd came across this instance of fused toes in a Birman kitten where the 2nd and 3rd toe on the left hind foot were fused. No related cats have this defect.

Because it occurs on one hind foot and not both hind foot, this is a developmental anomaly and not a genetic defect. Somehow the developing limb bud misinterpreted instructions or may have been damaged rsulting in two toes fused together. Nikki Raver provided this photo of her syndactyl grey kitten, Eugene. On Monday April 16, 2007 a stray tortie cat that had "adopted" her family gave birth to 3 kittens. The final and smallest kitten to be born had deformed front paws. The other 2 kittens have normal paws. The photo was tekn when Eugene was less than a day old. His right paw is more severely deformed than the left paw. The left paw (harder to see in the photo) has the correct number of toes, but 2 are fused at the bottom, one is misshappen, and the toes point in opposite directions as though they are divided with 2 going one way and 2 the other (lobster foot). Eugene has no problems nursing. As an adult, he will need his claws clipped as they may snag on soft furnishings and will be harder for him to strop on a cratching post.

Eugene (photo: Nikki Raver) Above is another case of non-symmetrical fused toes. Virginia Gothard (Charlotte, NC, USA) provided this photo of "Mitty", from a litter born in July 2010. Mitty appears to have the dew claw (thumb) and first digit fused and a cleft between the fused digit and the rest of the toes. STUBBY HIND PAW Anlina Sheng's cat, Violet, has a stubby foot and shortened, thick tail. The tail may be a genetic trait as Violet's ancestry is unknown (Scottish Folds sometimes have this trait) while the foot appears to be a congenital condition. Violet was adopted from a shelter aged 8 months old and had a brother and a sister, both normal. Her left foot has a central pad which points straight downward from her leg, rather than being angled toward the back of the foot when at rest. She has some small tufts of greyish fur interspersed between a couple of partially formed toe pads, and the metatarsus on that leg is both slightly shorter and slimmer toward the end of the bones. She's fully mobile and walks, runs and jumps without a problem.

She does have a slightly bowlegged gait to her hind quarters. The lack of toes and claws on the one foot makes climbing slightly more difficult for her, but she manages quite well in most situations. Her tail is about 6 inches long and quite thick and stiff. She can move it and bend it, but it doesn't have the same supple range of motion that other cats' tails do. The vertebrae in her tail are much thicker than in other cats, probably about 50% thicker than most cats' tails. compared to my other cat who is the same size as her. SINGLE HOOK CLAW/PARTIAL FORELIMB Kathey's cat, Hobie, was born with 3 1/2 legs. His front right leg ends in one hook shaped claw. In 2007, Hobie was 5 years old - a huge and very long cat given a clean bill of health by the vet. Kathey got Hobie when he was 6 weeks old. He manages well on 3 1/2 legs and his hind quarters are more developed and muscular than his fore quarters.

Though affectionate and playful, he is less active than many other cats and tends to gain weight because he is not as active as other cats (and also somewhat spoiled!). Hobie Caring for Your Cat's Feet Caring for Your Cat's Feet Cat Feet Structure As we all know, normal cats have four feet, two in the front and two in the back. A cat's two front feet are commonly called paws. On their front paws, normal cats have five toe pads and five claws each. A cat's back feet each have four toe pads and four claws. Cats also have one large paw pad on the bottom of each foot. Both the toe pads and the large pad on each foot may be pink or they may be pigmented. Genetic Abnormalities Some cats have an autosomal dominant genetic trait that causes them to have extra toes. This is called polydactyly. A cat with extra toes on its front paws is the most common form of polydactyly, but extra toes can also be on the back feet. I once had a cat with extra toes on both his front and back feet. In fact, he could almost use his front paws like hands when he was playing with his cat toys .

Polydactyly in cats usually causes no problems. Some long-haired cats have fur growing in between their toes. If it is long enough, the fur sometimes covers part of the foot and gets in the cat's way. If the fur growing between your cat's toes is very long you may want to trim it with scissors so that the fur doesn't get in the cat's way when walking or playing. To trim this fur it is best to use scissors with blunt ends because cats tend to move around a lot anytime you do anything to their paws. Cats' Paw Pads A cat's paw pads are made of rough, hairless skin that is much thicker than the skin on the other parts of its body. Despite their thickness, cats have lots of nerve endings in each pad and they can detect vibration, temperature, and other tactile information through them. Cats also have sweat glands in their paw pads. Cats don't produce sweat on the rest of their bodies like humans do. The paw pads are the only places on a cat that sweats. Cats' Claws Cats claws are made of keratin, which is a protein.

A cat's claws are covered by an outer layer called the sheath, which consists of dead keratin cells. Running through the center of each claw is the quick. The quick contains blood vessels, nerves, and new keratin cells responsible for nail growth. The quick is pink in color because it contains the blood supply. A cats claws grow continuously. As a cat's nails grow, they shed the sheath by scratching on a rough surface. This is why it is important to provide your cat with a scratching post or some other area where your cat is allowed to scratch. Cats can extend and retract their claws at will. Cats use their claws for climbing, catching prey, or defending themselves. Common Foot Problems in Cats Foot pad problems Sometimes a cat's foot becomes injured. This can happen during a fight with another cat or other animal, and sometimes the cat simply steps on something sharp, such as a burr or glass. If possible, it is best to have your veterinarian remove the foreign object from your cat's foot rather than trying to do this yourself. If you need to remove it yourself, you can use tweezers.

Keep in mind that your cat will be in pain and may bite during the removal (which is why it is best to have your trained veterinarian do it). After the object has been removed, the wound can be cleaned with a cotton ball that has been soaked in hydrogen peroxide diluted with water. Even if you are able to remove the foreign object you should take your cat to the vet to make sure its paw doesn't get infected. Any time that a cat's foot pad is damaged there is a risk of infection. Because cats are walking around on the injury all sorts of germs are able to enter, not to mention the bacteria on the object that caused the wound in the first place. Symptoms of an infected paw pad, or an abscess in your cat's foot pad, include holding the paw up and refusing to walk on, or put any weight on it. Another symptom is swelling of the paw. Foot pad infections in cats can be quite severe, but can be treated with antibiotics obtained from your veterinarian. The best way to prevent foot pad injuries in your cat is to keep him or her indoors. Nail Problems in Cats Torn Nails Sometimes cats will get their claws stuck in something and when they jerk their claws loose they tear the nail.

Symptoms of a torn nail are blood around the nail and also limping and refusing to put weight on the foot. Like injured paw pads, torn nails commonly get infected. Remember that your cat is scratching around in the litter box with its injured foot where all kinds of bacteria are present. A cat with a torn nail needs to see a veterinarian. Typically, your veterinarian will prescribe topical antibiotics for a torn nail. If the torn nail is severely infected your vet may also prescribe an oral antibiotic. Usually, the nail will heal in a few weeks. The best way to prevent a torn nail is to trim your cat's nails on a regular basis and also by providing your cat with an adequate scratching post so they routinely remove the outer nail sheath. Nails Embedded in Paw Pad Sometimes when a cat's nails become too long they curl under and embed themselves in your cat's foot pad. Like other foot pad injuries this can be quite painful to your cat. This problem most commonly occurs in older cats that no longer groom themselves very well or exercise very much. Often during grooming cats will removed the outer nail sheath with their teeth or an active cat will use the scratchpost to remove the sheath.

If the outer nail sheath doesn't get removed, it sometimes curls back toward the foot pad and gets embedded in it. You can prevent this from happening by keeping your cat's nails trimmed. If your cat has gotten to the point where the nails are embedded in its paw then it is best to have your veterinarian trim your cat's nails because your cat will be in some pain. If you are able to cut your cat's nails yourself just be careful not to cut down too far. If you cut into the quick, where the nerve endings and blood supply are located it will be quite painful for your cat and your cat will bleed profusely. For tips on trimming your cat's nails and a photo of where the quick is located please see Trimming Cats Claws .

Question: How many toes does a cat have on each front paw?
Answer: Five