What causes polydactyl Maine Coon cats?

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We know that the Maine Coon is predisposed to polydactyly. The Maine Coon cat breed is famous for cats having more than the usual number of toes. In fact, it wasn't until very recently that the polydactyl Maine Coon was accepted by The International Cat Association (TICA). Polydactyl Maine Coons are not accepted by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) as at the date of this post.

Polydactyl MC
Polydactyl MC. Image in public domain.

RELATED: Polydactylism was deliberately bred out of the Maine Coon.

A study report on SAGE Journals regarding: 'Genetic heterogeneity of polydactyly in Maine Coon cats', concluded that "polydactyly in Maine Coon cats is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity and this trait is characterised by genetic heterogeneity in the Maine Coon breed".

RELATED: Polydactyl cat record holders 2022.

It might be helpful the break that information down a bit if we can. "Polydactyly" is another word for polydactylism. "Autosomal" means not sex-linked. In other words polydactylism affects males and females. "Dominant" means a dominant version of a gene; a particular variant of a gene, which for a variety of reasons, expresses itself more strongly, by itself, than any other version of the gene. The word 'trait' means characteristic. They could have said 'autosomal dominant mutated gene'. That might have been better actually.

The phrase "incomplete penetrance" means that when some cats carry the gene they might not be polydactyl cats. It is sometimes called reduced penetrance. That is my understanding. The phrase "variable expressivity" means that polydactyly or polydactylism is very variable in the way it shows itself in terms of the number of toes polydactyl cats have and the shape of the feet. It affects the bones of the feet to different degrees.

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