Nobody knows how many of Sitka's cats have extra toes, but it's a lot. In one recent batch of rescued kittens, every one of them was polydactyl.
“If one parent has it, and the other parent doesn’t, then there’s a 50% chance that all the kittens that are born will have polydactyl or extra toes,” Caraway explained. “The population genetically here is smaller, so you’re going to see more of that mutation.”“I normally work at a very busy practice in Northern California, where animals are obviously less likely to be inbred, and I still see a great deal of it,” Caraway said.
No one really knows how prevalent polydactylism is on Baranof Island. There’s never been a study, but guesses range from 5% to one-third of the population. According to Animal Control Officer, Jim Rodgers, there never seems to be a shortage of them at the local shelter. On a whiteboard, he pointed out the names of the kittens who’d recently been rescued, all of which were polydactyl.
While these unique felines are slinking around at a high rate in Sitka, vet Nicole Caraway says the condition seems most common on the Eastern seaboard, where they were historically kept as ship cats. It’s said that sailors once believed they brought luck, and that their extra claws made them expert mousers.
It’s impossible to know when the first polydactyl cat made it to the shores of Sitka. But as a town full of fisherman, it only seems right that these funky-footed cats should call this place home.KCAW is our partner station in Sitka. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.Get notifications about news related to the topics you care about. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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