Happy National Selfie Day!
With both of our Maine Coon cats having “extra” toes (AKA “polydactyls), I figured the scenario in my art could definitely play out if cats and dogs could take selfies. Minnie Pearl, our American Eskimo, doesn’t have thumbs, but Ross has her covered.
Poly means MANY and dactyl refers to their toes. It’s considered a genetic mutation. Not all Maine Coon cats are polydactyls, and not all cats that are polydactyls are Maine Coons. It is said that the mutation started showing up first in the Maine Coon breed, but the extra toes are often found in other cats as well.
Our boy, Ross, has six toes on his front feet and four toes on his back. Our girl, Monica, has five toes on her front feet and four on her back. We love their big feet and they do too! They actually use their extra toes quite often for grabbing, especially during play. They definitely that advantage over a “normal” toed cat!
We do have to be careful when cutting Ross’ nails as his sixth toenail is hard to reach. It’s between his thumb and what I would consider to be his “pointer” toe. Monica’s “thumbnail” grew too long once and got stuck in her skin. We were able to remove it safely and it did not get infected. We keep both of their nails very short now because of this issue.
We do not believe in declawing, as we know it is very painful for cats. We’ve trained our cats to like having their nails trimmed, as we started training them with treats when they were kittens. We keep plenty of scratching posts around the house too to keep them from tearing up furniture. We have been very successful with doing this!
Learn more about polydactyls via these articles:
Maine Coon Cat Nation: The Polydactyl Cat
The Spruce Pets: What are Polydactyl Cats?
I wish you a happy Friday!
Don’t forget my kids page- Tiny Treehouse Kids! I post my weekly Friday Funnies comic there too and it’s a kid and parent approved page!
Pin me! www.carolynsbloomingcreations.com
Art by Carolyn J. Braden, Media: Microsoft PowerPoint
Pin me! www.carolynsbloomingcreations.com
Art by Carolyn J. Braden, Media: Microsoft PowerPoint