Polydactyl Cat

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Mike - 27 Jan 2008 16:46 GMT

Here's a BBC story about a cat in the UK who has two too many toes!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6741167.stm

Mike in Illinois

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Ivor Jones - 27 Jan 2008 17:11 GMT

: : Here's a BBC story about a cat in the UK who has two
: : too many toes!
: :
: : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6741167.stm
: :
: : Mike in Illinois

Polydactyl cats are more common than most people realise. We've had
several through our centre over the years, although I must admit it's been
a year or so since I last saw one.

Here's Wesley, who had 6 toes on his front feet, not certain about the
back as it's been a while. It looks like he's got thumbs :-)

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/g6urp/Cats%20Protection%20cats%20N%20to
%20Z/?action=view&current=4e30re2.jpg

Or if the link breaks try http://preview.tinyurl.com/2ba3xp

Ivor

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Mike - 27 Jan 2008 19:26 GMT

I think this whole genetics business is quite interesting, no? The video
associated with the story has an RSPCA lady talking about how there seems to
be a concentration of seven-toed cats in a specific area of Britain. I'm
guessing that the gene pool for genetic aberrations would tend to be
concentrated in one area. Cats don't roam all over the country, after all.

My sister has a Cornish Rex. From what I've read this weird breed was first
found in a barn in Cornwall in the 50's. This is the weirdest looking and
behaving cat I've ever seen. It always walks and moves in slow motion, like
it's swimming through molasses, and looks like a mix between a cat and a
'possum and some kind of alien rabbit. Here are pix of some Cornish Rex's I
found. See how wrinkly their skin is? That's exactly right. It feels like
suede. This cat is soooooo friendly. It will slo-mo walk over to you, climb
up on you, if it can, and no matter how many times you say NO it just keeps
on keepin' on.

http://www.bethel.edu/~mcnste/hobbies/sphynxcats/threesphynx.jpg

My Isis has stripes that extend back from her eyes on both sides of her
face. I was puzzling over how her genes caused those parallel markings.

Mike in Illinois

> Polydactyl cats are more common than most people realise. We've had
> several through our centre over the years, although I must admit it's been
> a year or so since I last saw one.
>
> Here's Wesley, who had 6 toes on his front feet, not certain about the
> back as it's been a while. It looks like he's got thumbs :-)

> : : Here's a BBC story about a cat in the UK who has two
> : : too many toes!
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Ivor

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Ivor Jones - 27 Jan 2008 19:36 GMT

: : My sister has a Cornish Rex. From what I've read this
: : weird breed was first found in a barn in Cornwall in
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
: :
: : http://www.bethel.edu/~mcnste/hobbies/sphynxcats/threesphynx.jpg

They're Sphynxes, not Cornish Rexes. Rex cats have a very close curled
coat:

http://www.cornish-rex.co.uk/history%20of%20cornish.htm

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/cat_breed_profile.asp?cbid=35

There is also a variant called the Devon Rex (Devon is next to Cornwall in
SW England, for those over the water..!)

http://www.devon-rex.co.uk/

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Devon_Rex.htm

Ivor

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Nicolaas Hawkins - 27 Jan 2008 20:31 GMT

> My sister has a Cornish Rex. From what I've read this weird breed was first
> found in a barn in Cornwall in the 50's. This is the weirdest looking and
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> http://www.bethel.edu/~mcnste/hobbies/sphynxcats/threesphynx.jpg

With ears like they have, there has GOT to be some BAT genes in the mix
somewhere!

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Nicolaas.

... You are making progress . . . if each mistake is a new one!

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Baldoni - 27 Jan 2008 18:19 GMT

Mike was thinking very hard :

> Here's a BBC story about a cat in the UK who has two too many toes!
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6741167.stm
>
> Mike in Illinois

It is quite common in the UK but maybe not that many extra.

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Count Baldoni

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blkcatgal - 27 Jan 2008 22:30 GMT

My cat has 24 toes...7 on each of his front paws and 5 on each of the back.
I think his feet are so cute! Here's his photo:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x17/blkcatgal/000_0310.jpg

S.

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**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ **
---

> Here's a BBC story about a cat in the UK who has two too many toes!
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6741167.stm
>
> Mike in Illinois

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Diana - 28 Jan 2008 01:55 GMT

> My cat has 24 toes...7 on each of his front paws and 5 on each of the back.
> I think his feet are so cute! Here's his photo:
> http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x17/blkcatgal/000_0310.jpg
>
> S.

Beautiful cat! I don't know what percentage of cats are polydactyls, but
I don't think it's terribly rare. I knew a friends' cat (named Lucky)
who--like yours--had seven toes on each front paw. And there's the
whole huge clan of polydactyls in Key West, FL, that started with Ernest
Hemmingway's cats. Interesting, aren't they?

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Baldoni - 28 Jan 2008 10:43 GMT

Diana was thinking very hard :

>> My cat has 24 toes...7 on each of his front paws and 5 on each of the back.
>> I think his feet are so cute! Here's his photo:
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> whole huge clan of polydactyls in Key West, FL, that started with Ernest
> Hemmingway's cats. Interesting, aren't they?

My Uncle and Aunt had one of these cats and they took him to America
when they emigrated in 1990. I imagine he would have been castrated so
could not have passed any of his genes on to the local cat population
in Connecticut.

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Count Baldoni

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Ivor Jones - 28 Jan 2008 01:56 GMT

: : My cat has 24 toes...7 on each of his front paws and 5
: : on each of the back. I think his feet are so cute!
: : Here's his photo:
: : http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x17/blkcatgal/000_0310.jpg
: :
: : S.

Wow, big feet..!

Ivor

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