Polydactyl cat (extra toes)?

Question

we recently found a stray kitten and we later noticed that he has extra toes. does anyone know anything about polydactyl cat??

do the extra toes affect him?

what about getting him declawed?

an info would be appreciated.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg128/stayc828/100_2499.jpg

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg128/stayc828/100_2502.jpg

Answer 1

Awwwww.... super cute!

Tons of great info at messy-beast on poly cats!

http://www.messybeast.com/poly-cats.html

and

http://www.declawing.com/

Answer 2

It's very common in cats. It shouldn't cause any problems. But please don't declaw. It's inhumane and completely unnecessary. Nails are easily trimmed, and most cats will somewhat easily adapt to a scratching post. If all else fails, then you can simply use Soft Claws. Nail caps are low maintenance and affordable.

Answer 3

Polydactyl cats are called "Hemingway cats" because Ernest Hemingway kept several on his estate. It's very interesting to read about. Also, please read this:

http://www.geocities.com/declawing/

I'm getting my cat declawed this week. It is your decision only, and you shouldn't let people on here tell you what to do. Just think of all the cats brought back to shelters because they've scratched up someone's furniture. If it was so horrible, vets wouldn't do it.

Answer 4

what a cutie! the toes are just his mark, his unique thing about who he is. nothing to worry about, puhlease do not declaw, very unkind and unnecessary even to many vets. usually they offer phony nail tabs that go on the claws, or you can learn to gently snip the nails when long, teach how to use a post, etc. that's better to learn than declaw, it really is cruel and to be avoided if at all possible. he's so cute! don't worry about the toes, just more of him to love.

Answer 5

Although they can be beautiful, and just as agile as any other cat, this is a result of inner breeding.

Answer 6

being polydactyl doesn't usually affect kitties too much. one of mine had extra toes and extra claws on each toe, and i've seen a number of these kitties over the years in our clinic. about the only thing we've ever noticed is that if the nail can't be retracted on its own (and stays exposed all the time) then it will catch on things easier and may tear off. sometimes they curl under & into the pad if it gets too long.

if he's a candidate for declawing is up to the vet. it may involve higher charges if the extra toes make it a more involved surgery. with my own cat, since i don't advocate doing this surgery in general, usually,keeping the nails trimmed every couple weeks took care of the problem fine.

according to a chinese friend, these cats are extra good luck to own. he's lucky he found a home with you, so i guess that works. :-)

Answer 7

We've had two cat's that were born with extra toes -- both with seven on each front foot and five on the back. We haven't really had any problems pertaining to the toes themselves, but as it was mentioned, they do have a tendency to become ingrown -- especially if Kitty doesn't spend a lot of time outside.

One possible difficulty though can be their ability to retract them. It's nothing serious or life threatening, but it can be a good reason to keep them away from lace or other delicate fabrics.

Otherwise, the only difference we've seen in our Polydactyl cats is that they make more noise walking across hardwood floors.

Answer 8

I have a polydactyl cat and he is a real lover. The extra toes don't seem to affect him at all, except for making him even more adorable than he already is. Sometimes if there is an extra digit outside where the dewclaw is, the dewclaw can be prone to becoming ingrown and you must keep it clipped.

PLEASE do not declaw your cats, polydactyl or not. It's not just removing the claw, it removes the whole end joint of his fingers! It is extremely painful and can cause many problems down the road.

Answer 9

Yeah, I had a kitten with 7 toes and one paw he kept getting the extra claw caught on things. So he'd sit down and sceam bloody murder until someone helped him lol

I wouldn't declaw, trim maybe. :)

Answer 10

A polydactyl cat has different amounts of toes on each foot- 4, 5, 6, and 7.