Your Maine Coon Guide

Mitten-paw and patty-foot. Image: MikeB based on images from the study mentioned in the article. Here's a short note with some information about polydactylism in Maine coon cats. Polydactyly definition: I think I might start off with a definition of polydactyly. It is usually defined in relation to humans where it means "a condition in which a baby is born with one or more extra fingers." It means, therefore, that a cat is born with more than the normal number of toes and it can affect both hind and forepaws but normally affects the forepaws. High prevalence : there is a high prevalence of polydactylism in Maine Coon cats. We don't have an exact percentage of Maine Coon cats that are polydactyly but it's probably around 40% or 4 in 10 cats have more than the usual number of toes. Variable appearance: what I mean here is that, in scientific language, the "phenotypic expression of polydactyly showed great variability". The word "phenotypic" mea...

I guess you know that by 'poly feet' I mean polydactyl paws. Polydactylism comes in a variety of styles. Sometimes the extra toes are not very obvious. They look almost like standard feet. No so for Diggs who shows of his outstanding set. His paws look completely mishappen compared to standard paws but they are great.  I love to see polydactyl paws on Maine Coons because this 'abnormality in the anatomy of the paws' is part and parcel of the breed's history and it is benign. The genetic mutation that causes it does no harm to the cat which is not the case with some mutations such as the folded ears of the Scottish Fold. That breed should not have been created in the first place. Maine Coon Diggs shows of his outstanding poly feet. Image: Reddit.com Polydactylism (polydactyly) and Maine Coons go together like apple pie and custard. It is a shame that America's most high-profile cat association, the Cat Fanciers' Association, does not like them. They don't...

Polydactyl paw of a dog. Screenshot. One aspect of the Maine Coon that helps to make it a famous cat breed is that it is predisposed to polydactylism. This almost totally benign genetic mutation was more common in the past than it is today as the breeders (some or all?) have selectively bred it out of their breeding lines as it disqualifies cats in CFA cat shows but not TICA cat shows where they have a special polydactyly Maine Coon (MC) category.  Back in the day when the MC was a barn cat say in the early-mid 1800s I bet there were a lot more polydactyl MCs. I questioned whether certain dog breeds experienced the same genetic mutation and Ben the Vet on TikTok tells me that there are. He does not specify dog breeds but a quick internet search found the following breeds predisposed to the genetic mutation: Norwegian Lundehund The Great Pyrenees The Beauceron Akita Anatolian Shepherd Rottweiler Jindo The Catalan Sheepdog Shiba Inu The Estrela Mountain dog Australian Shepherd Kor...

Viewers are drooling over him and his oversized, multi-toed paws. When you compare them to the relatively dainty paws of a conventional domestic cat his great snow shoes look enormous.  You may know three things about polydactylism in Maine Coons: Back in the day when European settlers brought ships' cats over to Maine, they favoured polydactyl cats as they believed they could keep their balance better on deck! Or something like that. Perhaps that's a myth but it is an often stated one. It is why: It is believed that around 40% of early Maine Coons on the east coast of the US were polydactyl but: The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), America's premier cat association does not like polydactylism. As a consequence, Maine Coon show cats can't be polydactyl. If they are they are disqualified. This must have led to breeders selectively breeding the inherited condition out of the breed. There is a lower percentage today. 22-pound polydactyl Maine Coon with paws as big as a...

There are several issues to discuss when responding to the question in the title. It appears that some people think that all Maine Coon cats have extra toes. This is incorrect.  Huge white polydactyl Maine Coon. Image: Pinterest. Not all Maine Coons are polydactyl Sarah Hartwell in her website is one of the few providers of information on polydactylism in Maine Coon cats to state that "historically, the polydactyl made up 40% of the original unregistered Maine Coon population". Note that she says "unregistered". These are Maine Coon cats which were not registered to a cat association. I take that to mean that these were not officially Maine Coons and perhaps she is referring to the Maine Coon before they became a purebred, pedigree cat (see below as well).  Falling percentage It's quite a high percentage which has been dramatically reduced since the Maine Coons became a registered purebred cat because, for example, the Cat Fanciers' Association does not reco...

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. 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 wor...

Originally, around 40% of Maine Coons were polydactyls. That's a very high percentage. It comes from several authors writing about the Maine Coon cat. Perhaps the best-known book on the topic, That Yankee Cat by Marilis Hornidge, states that: "The number of claws in those paws was perhaps the most controversial of all issues in the final stages of setting up a standard. The traditional MC was frequently a polydactyl or many-toed cat, a genetic mutation that occurs with great frequency in the upper north-east United States." Image from: Polydactyl Maine Coons written by Susan Grindell MSc, BOptom Mainelymagic Maine Coons Beth Hicks, one of the foremost experts of the breed, stated: "I don't know if you are familiar with it but there was a study done by someone connected with a university in the 1950s which showed that 40% of Maines were polydactyls. Now, this was before they came back on the show circuit." She means that once Maine Coon cats became show cat...

The question in the title is asking whether all Maine Coons are polydactyl. The answer is a definitive No. Some Maine Coons are polydactyl and some are not. I suppose the big question is what percentage of Maine Coon cats are polydactyl i.e. have more than the normal number of toes? Polydactyl Maine Coon. Photo: Pinterest You will find on the Internet that the figure of 40% is constantly reproduced and republished because one person is following another and the starting point in that process is the figure of 40%. That figure appears to come from earlier authors writing in books. Going back to the 1970s and perhaps earlier, some authors estimated that the percentage of polydactyls in the Maine Coon breed was originally as high as 40%. The reason why the word "originally" is used because there came a time within the cat fancy, and I'm referring primarily to the Cat Fanciers' Association, when they decided Maine Coons with extra toes were unwanted at cat shows. They...

No, not a CFA show because the CFA breed standard states: DISQUALIFY : delicate bone structure. Undershot chin, i.e. the front teeth (incisors) of the lower jaw overlapping or projecting beyond the front teeth of the upper jaw when the mouth is closed. Crossed eyes. Kinked tail. Incorrect number of toes . White buttons, white lockets, or white spots. Cats showing evidence of hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate, lavender, or the Himalayan pattern. But the answer depends where you live and whether you have a cat association registering cat breeds. I have taken the USA because it is the biggest marketplace for purebred cats. The answer depends on the cat associations management and what they allow. Update December 1st, 2022: I have discovered a study in which Jane Marr which states: " It is hope that by understand this trait the reader will see that the usual trait for polydactyly in cats is harmless and needs to have its rightful place on the show bench.... In summary...

I see a mass of whiskers and toes on this cute Maine Coon youngster bred by Albireo Yuliasha. I don't know where she lives. It might be Ukraine. I like the cat. It is nice to see a polydactyl Maine Coon. They are famous for this multi-toed congenital condition which is harmless. It is not an illness. I have a page the world record polydactyl cats - those with the most toes which you can see by clicking on this link . Polydactyl Maine Coon youngster with unruly whiskers. Photo and breeder: Albireo Yuliasha. Hemingway's House on Key West is the most famous place for polydactyl Maine Coons. But I think a lot are not Maine Coons. In fact, I don't think any are today but there may have been some years ago. Perhaps they were never Maine Coons but referred to as cats of this breed. 

I had noticed a headline, a partly misleading headline it seems to me, in which it stated that cat associations accepted polydactyl Maine Coon cats. If you check the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) Maine Coon Cat breed standard you can see right away that they don't accept Maine Coon cats with the incorrect number of toes. The CFA is the leading cat association with TICA and GCCF (in the UK). However, TICA accept polydactyl Maine Coons : Large, well-tufted. Additional toes allowed on either fore or hind paws or both - TICA breed standard for the Maine Coon  Cute Maine Coon with standard feet. Photo: Pinterest. The CFA breed standard is quite clear. Maine Coon cats with the incorrect number of toes will be disqualified in cat shows. This is reinforced by the fact that the breed standard states that the feet of a Maine Coon should have 'five toes in front; four in back'. That couldn't be clearer. I've got to conclude that some cat associations (or is it just th...

We know that the Maine Coon cat is predisposed to polydactylism . One theory is that this predisposition originates in ships' cats. I'm referring to the ships' cats at the time of the European settlers when they were emigrating from Europe to the New World. Arguably these were the first domestic cats imported into America and some of them stayed in the state of Maine where over 400 years of domestic cat evolution they eventually became this magnificent purebred cat called the Maine Coon.  Back in the day sailors sometimes believe that the best ships' cats were those with extra toes because it helped them walk on deck in rough seas. That's a rather simplistic idea but you get the point. And it's why a lot of cats at Hemingway House in the Florida Keys were and are polydactyl cats -  so called 'Hemingway cats'. They originate from the old ships' cats. That's the theory, legend or story and you can believe it or not. Polydactyl Maine Coon. Picture ...

Got to show you a cat Maine Coon cat that is becoming more and more famous as the months go by. Her name is Tootsie and she lives with Valley Girl. Valley Girl is a professor and lecturer. She has her own website that is part of the PoC sites. She adopted Tootsie from a cat rescue center. She is purebred and she is polydactyl. Maine Coons have a habit of being polyactyl cats, which as you probably know means that she has more than the usual number of toes on her paws. The reason for this has been said to be because the immigrant cats that accompanied the pilgrims from England in the early 1600s, were ships cats and ships cats were often polydactyl. They were considered good luck and thought to be better on deck because of the extra toes - more stable. They were also thought to have been better hunters. The way Tootsie is using her paws to grab objects bears this out. Read some more about Tootsie . Ships cats that were polydactyl would also have landed at Florida and Ke...