Monday, January 13, 2020

Spatulas

Raleigh is polydactyl. One might describe him as multipolydactyl, since he has extra toes on each foot. While they are noticeable on his four feet, they are most noticeable on his forefeet. The interesting thing about the extra toes is that they appear to make it more difficult for him to pick things up. Peachy tends to scoop objects, rather than grasp them. While other cats will curl their toes (and thus their claws) around an item, Raleigh can at best gather it to himself. I don’t think his toes are as prehensile as most cats’. I have not seen him climb a cat-tree (except by stepping from one platform to another) or scratch at a carpeted post; he scratches at the corners of wooden furniture when he is hungry, but I don’t believe his toes can curl enough to engage a carpeted surface.

I wonder a couple of things about this. Is this characteristic of all polydactyl cats? I don’t think it is, but the Peach is the first one of whom I have first-paw experience. Secondly, does it make survival in the wild more difficult for an outside-cat? Raleigh had a number of disadvantages as a feline trying to get by outside; with FIV and stomatitis, and being unable fully to integrate into the feral colony on the fringes of which he hovered, a disability with picking up or grabbing an object would have sealed his fate.

In any case, his pontoons make watching him interesting. He certainly is not limited in his delight at playing, nor at enjoying a good snooze. In other words, for an insider-cat, polydactylism is no problem at all.



25 comments:

  1. All that aside..l think he's lovely..
    I'm always amazed at the colour of his
    coat..it's quite unique, comes out very
    pinkie in the photos..so naturally, l'd
    love it..
    AND..I've seen big cats on nature programs,
    lions, tigers etc..with extra toes..which
    makes there paws look very large..!
    Wonder if they run any faster..! :).

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    1. Yes, Raleigh's a lovely boy. And his paws do remind me of a lynx's...

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  2. "Pontoons"...ROFLOL!
    I would adore having a polydactyl kitty, but am resigned to believe that the cats choose us, not the other way around...

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    1. Of all the cats I’ve had, I’ve chosen only my first, Tungsten, and my second, Josie. All the others have come to me for various reasons, none of which were because I chose to have them.

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  3. I came over to your blog and as soon as I saw the title and glanced at Raleigh, I laughed aloud. Katie lifted her head and started at me! I would find it hard (unless he nipped me) not to hold those pontoons and spatulas! And his color as I may have mentioned before is like a Palomino horse. His coat is beautiful.

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    1. Raleigh keeps his coat in good condition now. When he came to live with me, his flanks were full of mats. He and I worked on them, and, with a good diet, he’s as fuzzily smooth as, well, a peach.

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  4. Every time you show a close-up of Raleigh's paws, I think, "What a ping-pong player he'd make!"

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    1. I haven’t tried tossing balls to him. he likes the red dot and string-toys. I should try ping pong…

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  5. Further to "Katie's" comment: I'd have a hard time not smooching those paws! (Unless he objected, of course.)

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    1. Raleigh's becoming more and more confident - just not with people other than me, yet.

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  6. I don't know how Raleigh would do playing ping pong, but he might be a terrific hockey player! Do any of the teams need a goalie??

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  7. He's just got more fingers (toes) to cross for good luck! Years ago
    I had the pleasure of having a pale orange cat, Sunkiss, live with me.
    I love the color of Raleigh's fur and nice to know he keeps it in
    good condition.

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    Replies
    1. I've not seen many like him. I'm glad he's with me now.

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  8. Oh those feet are just adorable! Raleigh is such a lovely boy.

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  9. while mackerull scratches de be jezuz outta every surface; the left side of the 40 year old loveseat; no age joke there; IS down to the wood frame, yet when he eats his kibble, he scoops it out of the dish and eats it from his paw, much like us grabbing a chip or a piece of popcorn from a bowl ~~~ !! :) ☺☺

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    1. That's funny. I can picture him doing that, just like popcorn.

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  10. Spatulas made me laugh, but is a good description of those huge feet.

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  11. My Polar Bear has extra toes. I need to trim that extra one because it wants to grow into his foot.

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    1. The extra ones may have dna different than the others; the fact that they exist may be a sign of that. Interesting, in any case.

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  12. Raleigh's paws are amazing. I love polydactyl kitties, or any kitties with big or furry paws. Our neighbor had two polydactyl cats (same litter). The were indoor cats and I never noticed any disability with them walking, jumping, or kneading on the scratcher. As long as his toes aren't painful, I wouldn't think there'd be any disadvantage. I'm not sure how much in nature cats need to manipulate objects other than holding down their prey to get a good bite.

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  13. We had one polydactyl cat and he seemed to be able to grab things without much issue but it was only one toe bean extra. We think Raleigh is a great looking fellow and now that he is an insider he is living large. Purrs to our dear big footed friend

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