Any health problems associated with Hemingway cats?

I'm thinking about adopting a Hemingway (polydactyl, I believe) kitten. Are there any health problems associated with this condition? Do they ever have any problems getting around, jumping, etc?

She has 7 toes on each front paw and 4 on each of the back! So cute!

Thanks!

The only problem you'll have is half the people you meet will say "ewww what's wrong with your cat", and the other half will think it's THE cutest thing in the world and constantly want to play with their paws

I believe you just have to watch their claws and make sure they're regularly clipped as they can get snagged on carpet easier since the extra toes are in a different position than "normal". I believe the claws can sometimes grow right around as well, and grow back into the nail pad, but it's not very common.

So like I said, just trim regularly, and post lots of photos here of your poly kitten when you get it!!!!!!

The only problem you might run into involves the extra nails/toes. You HAVE to be sure they are kept trimmed and don't miss them when cutting. If you do, they could grow back into the pad and then have to be taken out (declawed) on those toes.

I've also encountered that polydactal cats tend to have thicker (almost double) claws on the extra toes - so be very careful with them!

No... I have a polydactyl. He is almost 6 and no issues, well he is a little fat but thats possible with any cat... Have a blast with your poly, they are awesome little creatures (yeah I call em creatures)... Here is my poly Tiger... he has 6 toes on each front and one major dewclaw on his hind leg. Everytime I look at my kitten I consider her the freak because she has no thumbs I love those thumbs.



Here's a thumbs up for ya...

Tiger is adorable.
He looks like he's wearing mittens!

Thank you... His paws are huge!

The above posts are correct--because they(usually) cannot scrape off the extra claws on a scratching post, they can grow right back into the paw, so keep an eye on it and clip clip clip!

In my experience, depending on the type of polydactyly, the extra thumb actually allows for MORE dexterity. Trina's my little polydactyly culprit--she used to open cupboards and other random things that normal cats wouldn't be able to easily, and then Toby and her would both go exploring and knock stuff over sometimes. Had to train her not to, but it was pretty funny for awhile there.

Oh, fun fact: Sailors used to consider polydactyly cats very lucky on sea voyages. Because of their extra dexterity, they were great mousers for ships!

There's one form of polydactyly that's really detrimental to cats health(ever hear of twisty cats?) but as long as you're getting her fixed, that's not even a concern. =) So have fun! I <3 my little mitten-kittens!

Definitely clip the inner claw between her regular digits and thumb. I have had to take my poor baby to the vet because his claw grew into the pad (hadn't been cut for a long time b4 i got him) it was painful to poor tiger. Now we check it on a weekly basis to avoid that happening again. I personally do not trim his nails (he wont sit for me) but sure is a pain when trying to get that claw in between the thumb and regular digits!

Thanks for all the responses! Good to hear that there are no real health problems- I'll be sure to keep a look out on the toe nails.

Love the pictures of Tiger too!

My cat actually sits by his animal carrier when its time to trim his nails, my poly cat has one extra toe on each foot because he is mostly white and has black feet it sometimes looks like he has socks on.

Vets don't often do this but some can trim and cauterize the nail at the cutecle, i dont recommend it if your cat likes the daily nail file or the weekly tip cutting. But the vet did it because the cat broke a toe on the wrong type of post. Takes sitting with my cat every day and trim two or 3 nails. Also have to be careful when kitty goes climbing but he is real good at avoiding troubles. His 28 toed sibling though the vet trims her nails free on two of her 4 yearly visits.

While playing with cat play with paws to make sure nails move together and retract. If one doesnt plz have vet look at it.

Do all polydactyls have the "in-between" extra claws missing the tendons and ligaments, or does it vary from cat to cat? Thank you.