Genetic diseases of cats and dogs

In this section we discussed last month, a serious genetic disease (defects) that can threaten the health of cats, but polydactyly is a rather interesting topic. It is a congenital physical anomaly, a mutation in which the cat has more toes than usual. The increased number of fingers can be only one-feet, or even on all feet. The polydactyly is encountered in more animal species such as humans, dogs, mice, horses.

Cats normally have 18 fingers, toes after 5 on each foreleg and after 4 on each back-feet, cats with polydactyly may have up to 7 fingers on foot. Jake the Cat who is since 2002 listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the cat with the largest number of fingers, has 28 fingers, 7 on each foot.
Cats with polydactyly have won a number of nicknames for his large paws, a cat with your thumb, with gloves, double paw, boxers and more. In addition to these nicknames are cats with polydactyly and says Hemingway's cats. That during his life on the island of Key West (Florida) reportedly received a gift from a sailor cat with polydactyly, which transferred the gene to their offspring.Today, as we find in Hemingway's house in addition to his museum and the colony comprising about 50 cats, and about half of them have more toes than usual.
Cats with multiple fingers have always been considered excellent hunters and Seeker, climbing. I have therefore searched for sailors on ships that hunt rodents uninvited. Sailors also believed that these cats will bring them luck at sea. Thanks seafarers probably cats with this mutation spread during trading voyages from England to America (or vice versa), and natural colony of cats viceprstych to copy the port area.

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