Last night, at the end of a very long and busy 5 days crammed full of things-to-do, I sat at the computer drinking some tea and researching random things on Google. Yes, this is one way eggheads like me relax. There's always at least half a dozen questions swirling through my brain on any given day, and sometimes I like to just sit down and satisfy my curiosity.
Well, the first time anyone meets our kitten, Simba, the first thing they remark on is his large paws. I thought it was cute and kind of unique but EVERYONE who meets him always says the same thing, "Wow, look at those BIG PAWS!" Simba has what's known as polydactyly - he's a 6 toed cat. After hearing maybe a dozen or more people (everyone from the vet's staff, to the Jehovah's Witness ladies who rang the bell one day) say this first thing, I decided to research it some more.
What I learned was fascinating, and an amazing bit of synchronicity....
Ordinary house cats have 18 toes - 5 on each front paw, 4 on each back paw (that was a revelation right there, I had no idea it was different). Polydactyl cats have extra toes, up to 7 on their front paws and 6 on their back ones, with many variations in between. It's a genetic mutation, but not usually a harmful one, just unusual. Out of curiosity I examined Simba's feet more closely - turns out he has 3 paws with 6 toes, and 1 with 5 - (I keep re-counting the ones on that back foot but I keep coming up with 5).
Polydactyl cats are known variously as Hemingway cats, mitten cats, boxer cats, thumb cats, and 6 finger cats. They called Simba a Hemingway cat the first time I took him to the vet - I'd vaguely heard of the term, but never considered what was meant by it. Evidently Hemingway was very fond of cats, and his first cat, given to him by a sailor, was a polydactyl cat (guess those extra toes come in handy on deck).
So, if you've been reading my post lately you know that I've been missing my dad a lot this month, as I always do around this time of year, because his birthday was in October. And because he was from Wales (South Wales, specifically), the Welsh are Celts, and originally All Hallow's Eve was part of Samhain, an important Celtic festival. Everywhere I turn in October I have reminders of him. And now, it seems, I have a year-long reminder of him.
Because I learned that polydactyl cats are also called Cardi-cats. Seems that Cardiganshire, South Wales is home to an overabundance of many-toed cats, so much so that they have taken on the name of their birthplace.
God saw fit to send me a Welsh cat - how cool is that?
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