my cat had a litter of kittens 4 of them,i have raised cats for over 20 years never have i seen this before,some have 5 toes in front,some have six toes in front,which i have seen before,but not 6 toes in back feet (???) will they be ok?
2007-02-14 15:53:42 · 14 answers · asked by zolacrazyfemale 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
It is extremely common for cats to have more than 5 toes on their feet. The medical term for this condition is "polydactyly." I have seen some cats with 8 toes on all of their feet!
Lucky you! Cats with more than 5 toes per paw are awful cute! :)
2007-02-14 15:56:24 · answer #1 · answered by mochalatteinacup 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My aunt has a cat that is a polydactyl. They have more than the normal amount of toes on some paws. A normal cat has 5 toes in the front, and 4 in the back. When my aunt was choosing her kitten from the liter, all of the litter was polydactyl. There is no harm in it, in fact, I think that it makes a cat even prettier! They have big, majestic paws. There in no harm to the cat with the extra toes. This is a good article about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyl_cat
2007-02-15 11:53:40 · answer #2 · answered by Kodak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My Edge (RIP) had 8 toes on the front and back paws and he was fine! He looked so cute because it looked like he had thumbs/second paw attached to each of the front paws. He was fine, the only problem we ever encountered is that we would sometimes HAVE to trim his claws as some of the smaller toes, the claws would grow a little awkward. He lived to what we think was 15+ years (though we didn't know his true age and at some point the vet said he was at least 10).
2007-02-15 15:03:59 · answer #3 · answered by Jenny M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very common, and not a cause for concern. It's called polydactylism, which means "extra toes". It's genetic. If mom has normal feet, I'll bet the dad had extra toes. I've seen as many as 9 toes on the front and 7 on back.
Ernest Hemingway had polydactyl cats too.
2007-02-14 17:35:43 · answer #4 · answered by lizzy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ive had several polydactyl cats over the years....its pretty common. One kitten had NINE toes on one of her front feet ( 8 on the other and 7 on each rear foot ) it looked like she had GIANT mittens on ! The siamese mix I have now has 6 on each front foot and 5 on each back.....the only issue she has is that her fifth toe on each front paw is hidden in the crux and her claw doesnt shed properly. I have to trim these two regularly or they curl around and stick in her foot. You might want to keep an eye out for this. POLY cats are COOL !
2007-02-14 17:50:03 · answer #5 · answered by RedHairedTempest 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For some reason, I had a litter deposited at my house years ago. All the kittens had 6 toes on every paw. I'd guess its not that uncommon.
2007-02-14 16:03:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes your kits will be okay...nothing to worry about, we used to have a orange tabby cat that had 6 toes on all four feet plus on top of that he was double jointed. He was a really cool cat that lived for nearly 13 years.
2007-02-14 17:59:16 · answer #7 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes they will!!! my Friend had a Persian cross that had 6 on each front + 7 on one rear + 6 on the other rear! he lived to be 20+ years old!
how awesome for you!
do your research, you'll find a lot of people have had the "wonder" cats happen! they are just another anomaly, cherish and enjoy them!
I will warn, just for safety sake, if there are problems, surgery is a low grade issue. however, the younger the cat the easier the surgery, as declawing.
2007-02-14 16:00:53 · answer #8 · answered by bearfox_traders 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh yes, they will be fine. We currently have two cats with extra toes, not even related. If anything on as a kitten had to have one removed, but other then that they are fine. ; )
2007-02-14 16:18:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
do you have any six toed cats in your neighborhood? it is perfectly normal . the genetic defect called polydactyl can be transmitted to kittens from a parent. Hope this helps
2007-02-14 18:31:07 · answer #10 · answered by Flame 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋