Thread: Silly question but how many claws?

Really silly question I know but how many claws should a coonie have on front paws including dew claw? And can this be different from other breeds?

I only ask as I've got a friend and her moggy staying to socialize Buddy (and for company due to Sundays events on the road) and her Thug has 4 claws plus dew claw and Buddy has 5 plus dew claw

Sounds like Buddy's a polydactyl kitty, Maine Coon breeders try to weed this out of the blood lines but it still occurs.
Buddy's extra special, some people believe it give the cat better dexterity and ability for get into even more mischief then ordinary cats.
Polydactyl cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you, that link is very informative. But. .. Buddy has 22 claws and that link says should have 18! Do I subtract 4 for dew claws? Or does this explain his rather large paws? I love him no matter what but this is turning into a family argument as Thug is my beloved Fudge's son x

Normal cats have 18, polydactyl kitties have more, some have a lot more.
If you goggle "Polydactyl cats" you'll get a lot of sites, Ernest Hemingway had them and the museum of his former home still has a colony of cats half of which have extra toes.
Hemingway Cats - Amazing Cats with Many Toes

Right, so Buddy has 6 claws on front and 5 on back so he is special. I would never have thought to count claws before but will when getting m kitten. I've learnt a lot x

Now when Buddy starts opening doors and getting into places normal cat's can't you'll know why

Originally Posted by NCarver

Not all MC breeders do--some specifically try to breed for it. My recollection is that the trait was not that rare in original Maine MCs. I think if you google "maine coon polydactyl" (without the quotes around your search) you will find lots of links to MC-specific info, including breeders.

You are correct they're are breeder that specifically try to bred polydactlys , but in CFA and TICA shows it's cause for disqualification.
Seems to be common with orange tabbies, we had a big friendly neighborhood cat we called Ole Six Toes.