McPolys

Furkats Anthony P, brown tabby Maine Coon Cat Poly

I am aware of another claim from an individual who reported that they witnessed a colony of barn cat with so many toes that they could not walk. It was noted that in this colony of barn cats each generation had more and more toes that resulted in crippling. When the poly male cat disappeared and was replaced by a non poly male the problem slowly disappeared. The literature search did not support this claim. If this report is true it could be explained because the colony of barn cats would have been inbreeding for generation after generation and the gene pool could be so limited that they would be homozygous for the poly trait as well as many others. This is probably a good example to show that heterozygote animals are more fit than homozygote animals. This may not be a reflection on the trait of polydactylism, because according to the article in Veterinary Medicine/Small Animal Clinician, there is no evidence that the gene is lethal when homozygous. It should be noted that there have not been any studies on this issue but to be conservative it would probably be best to keep the trait heterozygous. This would mean that only one parent in a mating should be a polydactyl to insure that the trait is kept heterozygous. R. Robinson (1977) in his book Genetics for Cat Breeders noted that it is possible for the same gene to have arisen by mutation in different localities and at different times, and this is an explanation that could account for the similar heredity. Robinson (1977) also stated in reference to separate cases of polydactyl cats, the cause may not be due to the same mutant gene.

Link to Hybrid Vigor

To purchase a polydactyl Maine Coon you may need to go on a waiting list. There are only a very limited number of breeders worldwide who breed Maine Coon polydactyls. (See Poly Breeders List). You may also have to pay a little extra for a poly and the pet price will average between $500 to $600. The Maine Coon poly will be exactly like the smaller footed Maine Coon except for the number of toes. You can expect polys to be the same colors and patterns as any Maine Coon.

I have personally been breeding polys for 4 years and have not had any problems with the extra toes. I was surprised to find that even though the poly gene is a dominant gene, it is often difficult to get polys. I have not done poly to poly matings but I have heard of other people doing poly to poly mating with no ill effect.

For personal accounts from pet owners go to the link on Fun Things Polys Do With Their Extra Toes and Showing Polys at the Cat Shows

Many thanks to Dr. Boosinger, Dr. Montgomery and Tamera P. Lee at Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine for their help with the research to write this article.