Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know of any forum to discuss these cuties?

No, but I was at Hemmingway's House in Key West last year and met many of the resident cats...
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Anyone else out there that is raising them? I have 4 that I am raising and they have proven to be some of the most intelligent kitties. They actually use that 6th toe like a thumb!

Cats with thumbs? Sounds a little scary! Hope you'll meet some other polydactyl fans here!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

They're fairly common. I've never heard of anyone breeding them, but I have run across them at our SPCA, etc. Esentially, they have an extra digit or digits. Hemmingway's are the most popular as his cats stay on the residence. I can't remember the story, but he loved cats. I don't believe he specifically went looking for a cat with an extra digit, but brought one into his home early on and with all the litters thru the years, many of his cats have extra digits.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Went to the Hemmingway House site:

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is home to approximately sixty cats. Normal cats have five front toes and four back toes. About half of the cats at the museum are polydactyl, which means they have extra toes. Most cats have extra toes on their front feet and sometimes on their back feet as well. Sometimes it looks as if they are wearing mittens because they appear to have a thumb on their paw.

Ernest Hemingway was given a six-toed cat by a ship's captain and some of the cats who live on the museum grounds are descendants of that original cat. Key West is a small island and it is possible that many of the cats on the island are related. Our cats are not a particular breed, but appear to be a combination of various breeds-sort of "Heinz 57" if you will. They are all shapes, sizes, colors and personalities.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

The things Polydactyls can do are pretty amazing..but then again, cats are pretty amazing creatures to start with..

It would be interesting to hear from folk that have polys about some of the things they are capable of...
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PHTessie

OK, so this has got to be one of the cutest photos I have ever seen! Thumbs on a cat! And adorable coloring, too. I had a cat with "double paws" once - an Abby/Tabby mix with eight toes on each front paw. Strange because she was very svelte and long like a true abby - except for her feet, they looked like she had fur mukaluks on!

Thanks for the reply. This little girls name is "Mustafa" She is super smart!

Shortly after I adopted my boys from the SPCA many years ago, I met another cat there (I dropped food off regularly). A beautiful affectionate gray tabby kitten. He was probably about four months old. I fell in love with him. It was the closest I've ever come to adopting another cat into my family, but I had made a firm decision that two was enough for my budget (for good vet care and food), apartment size, etc... I've held firm all these years, but just about buckled on the gray tabby. He had six toes on each of his two front paws. Just as I was about to adopt him, my friend's sister heard me talk about how affectionate he was, etc., so she wound up adopting him. Otherwise, I just might have broken down... After that, I started dropping off the food at the front desk and leaving without looking at the cats... Too dangerous and I'd have 600 by now.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey