polydactyl

Question
my neighbor has a polydactyl cat.

the cat has an extra toe on all 4 feet.

is polydactyl detrimental to the cat's health? is it caused by inbreeding or disease or something? will he be ok? he is about 7 months old and very sweet.

I've never seen or had a cat with extra toes

Answer
Kayla,

As a rule polydactyls with an extra toe or two on each paw are usually not a problem.  If there are too many extra toes the cat can have trouble walking. Polydactylism is a genetic mutation that is not uncommon in North American cats. There is much polydactylism in the Cats that reside in Ernest Hemmingway's house in Key West, FL.

The problem with breeding too many polydactyl cats to each other is that the number of toes seems to steadily increase, to the detriment of the kittens. So, polydactylism is something to be bred carefully.

Best regards... Norm.