Most house cats make do with 18 toes — five on each front paw, four on each back. Erebus Anomaly, a Maine coon from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, has 29, and as of a measurement taken in May, that makes him the record holder for the most toes ever documented on a cat, according to Guinness World Records.
The extra digits come from polydactyly, a naturally occurring genetic trait caused by a dominant gene that adds extra toes to a cat's paws. It shows up disproportionately in Maine coons — a breed already known for oversized, snowshoe-like paws built for walking on snow — and is generally harmless, if occasionally a source of extra-long claw-trimming sessions. The trait has a famous literary association, too: Ernest Hemingway kept dozens of polydactyl cats at his Key West home, and their descendants still roam the property today, which is why the condition is sometimes nicknamed "Hemingway cats."
Erebus, owned by Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, edges out a mark that stood for nearly a quarter-century: a Canadian cat named Jake, confirmed with 28 toes back in 2002. A kitten had tied Jake's record earlier this year before Erebus's count pushed the bar higher still, according to Global News.
Guinness verifiers count toes the old-fashioned way — visually confirming and photographing each paw, since imaging can be needed to rule out fused or vestigial digits that wouldn't count toward the total. Erebus's paws were assessed on May 13, and the extra toes reportedly don't slow him down; owners of polydactyl cats often describe them as unusually good climbers, thanks to the added grip.
For a breed already prized for its size — Maine coons can top 20 pounds — the record adds one more oddity to a cat known for looking like it wandered out of a Norwegian folk tale.
Polydactyl cats aren't a distinct breed but a variation that can crop up anywhere, though certain bloodlines and regions — coastal New England among them — carry the trait at unusually high rates, a pattern some geneticists attribute to sailors historically favoring extra-toed ships' cats for their reputed climbing and mousing skills. Erebus's case stands out mainly for degree: most polydactyl cats carry one or two bonus toes per paw, not the lopsided cluster that pushed his total to 29.
