Missing toes

Hello,

I am looking at a Maine Coon kitten which the breeder has told us has missing toes on one of his front paws. He has the pad, middle toe and side toe. Not paricularly experienced in such matters, will it make a difference or should we steer clear?

Thanks

What concerns me about this is the possibility of inbreeding.  Are  you able to look at the pedigree of the kitten?  Although some amount of line-breeding (breeding back to father or grandfather) is common, in order to breed for specific trains, and minimal amounts don't harm the breed, in-breeding,  breeding across lines (brothers and sister) is a huge no no, as is too much line breeding.  Check the pedigree.  Also ask about having a wellness check.  There may be hidden problems, 

Should the missing toes be the only issue with this kitten, be aware that it may develop some arthritis later in life due to the natural gait being altered.  JUST this should not mean to abandon this adoption.  MOST of us will develop some arthritis later in life,   This kitten simply may do it earlier than most.

I'm iffy on this one.  I'd insist on a vet check by my own vet or certification of wellness and absence of internal issues by her vet (and check his credentials online) BEFORE the sale is completed.

OK, real experts, that's my commonsense opinion.  What all did I miss?

Thanks, arthiritis was what immediately sprung to my mind as a potential issue along with the prospect of this being one of many issues.

The kitten has already been checked over by the vet and will be going again before he leaves the breeder.

As far as I know we should be able to check he pedigree, we will speak to the breeder about this but not sure if it will make sense to me!

I would check the various cat registries and associations (CFA, TICA, ACFA, Main Coon Breeders and Fanciers, etc) to make sure the breeder is a legit one. Also ask for references, especially those in the cat showing world who would be more familiar with the breeder and the cats shown. If the breeder doesn't show cats, I'd be very way of the possibility that the person is "backyard breeder" and has no idea of breeding cats properly and responsibly. Missing toes could be a result of bad genetics and there may be other genetic related issues the kitten may already have (may not be visible) and / or or develop later in life.

Is this your vet or the breeder's vet?  It might make a difference.  I'm betting that almost all vets are conscientious and ethical, but am too much of a realist to think that they all are.  Get a heath check by a vet that you trust, implicitly.  When you look at the pedigree (it will pretty much look like a family tree), you are looking to make sure that the same names do not show up on BOTH sides of the tree more than once or twice, and the further back in the line, the better.

How were the toes lost? If the mother bit them off or the umbilical cord constricted them, or if it was due to an accident later on, that would be different than if it were a genetic issue, kwim? Something to ask about.