ANOTHER pandemic dream last night. I dreamed I kept leaving the grocery store with my bags and then realizing I’d forgotten another crucial thing and would have to go back in. Oh no, I only did half the store the first time!! Oh no, now I have somehow forgotten the bread! Oh no the eggs!!
Sarah! commented that it is not fair to say a cat is polydactyl and then just take off without any pictures of the paws. I completely agree.
This is the cat who’s twitchy and fearful even after years and years of gentle treatment, so His Mother (Elizabeth) and I worked to capture pictures as humanely as possible. We did not manage to get the truly spectacular beans photo we’d hoped for, because he was being protective of his beans and did not want to display them; but we will bide our time and wait for a moment when he has them outstretched naturally, and then add that photo to this incomplete collection.
Here he rests comfortably in his mother’s arms as I zoom up on the front paws. Notice there is also an incomplete glimpse of the back paws supported by Elizabeth’s hand.
This is not only a pretty good shot of his front mitts, but also I think it gives a feeling for how plush and soft he is. Part of a back paw is somewhat visible as well.
If this pose does not look quite natural to you, you are correct: I am holding him in that odd position from off-screen. This is just a teaser for a later better beans shot, but you can see he has one single pink bean on this paw, while the rest are grey. The pink bean matches his nose, and we praise him for that.
He is precious!
THOSE TOES!! I have never seen such a clear example of polydactylism. He’s got thumbs!
Also, he’s utterly beautiful.
Squeeeee!
I am not a cat person. In fact, I generally do not like cats. I am in love with this cat. I want to have this cat as my own and cuddle him forever.
What a good kitty! So soft! I am sending him (probably unwanted) internet snuggles.
FULL ON THUMBS! My goodness! Does he open your stuck jam jars for you? ;-D
Another cat post! Yay! He looks so soft and snuggly.
I love that Elizabeth is His Mother. Cats just know who they like best and there’s no changing their minds! My family refers to me as my cat’s mother, too. As in, “Hungry? Go as your mother for a snack.” Or, “Go ask your mother if you can go outside.”
Well, this just made my day.
We’ve never had a cat with polydactyl paws, but a couple of years ago we adopted a semi-feral kitty (also so plush and soft!) who has a naturally bobbed tail, and it still delights me every time I see it. It’s like a perky little ponytail.
My man has like an extra half hand! Amazing! He does also look Extremely Soft and Plush. Just wonderful.
Love the cat posts!!
He looks so PLUSH! We have three cats and only one of them is really plush but we say he’s a live-action stuffed animal. So good for hugging (when he lets us)
“The pink bean matches his nose, and we praise him for that.” I read this out loud to my teenager, who gave me an indulgent smile. I, meanwhile, kind of teared up? What can I say. Such is Shark Week during These Troubled Times.
Thank you, majestic kitty, for sharing your wonderously floofy mittens with us, and for hopefully not shredding anyone while they took photos. <3
Thank you for this critical update. I love his feet so much. He looks deliciously soft and fuzzy.
I would like to know more about the privileges Elizabeth is accorded as his mother. Does he curl up in her lap while she’s reading?
I am allergic to cats, but my husband had two when we got married, so I had quite a few years to enjoy the comforts of a velvet-covered brick with a motor in my lap.
He most often curls up NEAR her. If she is doing homework at the dining room table, he will be sitting on the table next to her homework, watching her work. If she is up in her room talking with friends on her phone, he’ll be next to her on the bed. If she’s doing a project on the floor, he’ll stand right there and watch. At night he sleeps on her bed. When I have to trim his nails, I always have her assist me: if she’s skritching him and sweet-talking him, he is much more compliant.
Oh I’m so glad you posted about this. I am not very familiar with kinds of cats and had to look up the word polydactyl after your original post. I was wondering what his paws looked like, but my kids distracted me and I forgot to comment. How many toes/beans does he have? Does his polydactylness relate to his personality at all?
He has 22 beans in total: one extra bean on each paw. It seems like way more extra beans than that, somehow.
As far as I know, his personality is separate—but I would be very interested in more on this topic, like if others could give reports of the personalities of THEIR polydactyl cats, to see if there is any similarity.
Little Sweetheart!
The only cat I ever had was polydactyl, which is not something I ever really thought was strange since she was the only cat I knew. She was a complete and total bitch. She would jump up in my dad’s lap for scratches and glare at my mom (my dad generally ignored the cat, but would indulge her). She would stalk my mom across the room and jump up and bite her and then run away. We thought it was hilarious, but when I took her with after I got married she would stalk me every night on my way to the bathroom while I was pregnant. I would have to run back to bed while she swiped at my feet. I was always told that was more her personality as a black and white cat, though, so I don’t think the extra toes had anything to do with it.