Polydactyl cats have extra toes, often on all four feet. Here’s what you should know about this charming characteristic.

By Karen Commings

Larry Houck, a cat owner from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has a neutered male cat with more than the normal five toes on his front feet, a condition called polydactyly (“poly” meaning multiple and “dactyly” referring to the fingers and toes). Houck named his cat Rocky, after the movie character, because the cat’s three extra toes on each front paw make him look like he’s wearing boxing gloves. Like Rocky, most polydactyl cats have an endearing, even comical quality.

Polydactyl cats are often referred to as mitten cats or Hemingway cats after the plethora of extra-toed cats owned by the writer Ernest Hemingway at his home in Key West, Florida. In fact, descendants…

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