Kitten Has 29 Toes and No Plans to Count Them

The kitten has 29 toes, which is an impressive amount of admin for four very small paws. Most cats arrive perfectly well equipped for climbing curtains and objecting to closed doors; this one appears to have selected the extended package.

The unusually well-toed youngster has broken a record simply by turning up with more digits than the competition. Twenty-nine is the winning total, giving the kitten a tiny-pawed but enormous résumé before it has had much opportunity to do anything else.

A typical cat has 18 toes: five on each front paw and four on each back paw. This kitten therefore has 11 extras, or rather more than half an ordinary cat’s entire allowance added on for good measure. The condition that gives cats additional toes is known as polydactyly.

Exactly how the 29 toes are distributed among the four paws was not disclosed, so anyone hoping for a detailed paw-by-paw breakdown will have to remain patient. The kitten’s name, age, sex and location were also not given, leaving the record-holder to enjoy an unusual degree of privacy for an animal whose feet have suddenly become news.

There were likewise no details about whether the toes cause any difficulty or require special care. Extra toes in cats can vary in size and position, but the only confirmed point in this case is the final count: 29, sufficient to secure the record and make every ordinary paw look slightly undercommitted.

The achievement required no training, no special diet and, as far as anyone knows, no determined campaign by the kitten. It was an entirely natural victory. Somewhere along the way, somebody counted carefully enough to establish that this particular set of paws had moved beyond merely unusual and into record territory.

No ceremony, prize or future engagement has been announced. Nor is there any indication that the kitten has personally acknowledged the achievement, which is understandable. Cats are not generally known for allowing numerical milestones to alter their schedules.

For now, the story ends with a healthy-looking piece of feline arithmetic: one kitten, four paws and 29 toes. What happens next has not been revealed, although the record itself is now there to be challenged. Any future contender will need at least 30 toes, a cooperative counter and paws roomy enough to accommodate the result.