#1 Frankie Was Born With Four Ears And An Eye Deformity But He’s Still Purrfect
One of the most frequent congenital physical anomalies we see in this list is polydactylism, which causes animals to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of their paws.
Interestingly, the condition seems to be especially common in cats along the East Coast of North America (in the United States and Canada and in South West England, Wales, and Kingston-upon-Hull.
Polydactyl cats have been extremely popular as ship's cats as well. Even though there is some controversy over the question of whether the most common variant of the trait originated as a mutation in New England or was brought there from Britain, there seems to be agreement that it spread widely as a result of cats carried on ships originating in Boston, Massachusetts, and the prevalence of polydactyly among the cat population of various ports correlates with the dates when they first established trade with Boston.
#2 Cat Named Yoda Was Born With An Extra Set Of Ears
Sailors have been known to value polydactyl cats especially for their extraordinary climbing and hunting abilities as an aid in controlling shipboard rodents. Some even thought they bring good luck at sea. The rarity of polydactyl cats in Europe might be explained by the fact that they were hunted and killed due to superstitions about witchcraft.
The legendary Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway was an aficionado of polydactyl cats too. His love for these animals began after one ship captain gave him a six-toed cat he named Snow White.
Upon Hemingway's death in 1961, his former home in Key West, Florida became a museum and a home for his cats, and at one point it housed approximately fifty descendants of his cats (about half of which were polydactyl). Because of his immense love for these animals, polydactyl cats are sometimes referred to as "Hemingway cats".
"The things that make me different are the things that make me," one very special animal said. And the animals in these pics are very special too.
#4 I Adopted A Stray Dog With 2 Mouths, One Where The Ear Should Be
#6 This Is Skadi, The Norwegian Lundehund Puppy
#7 This Unicorn Puppy Named Narwhal Was Found Abandoned With An Extra Tail On His Forehead
#10 Sansa Is A Special Needs Rescue Princess With Feline Hyperesthesia, Different Colored Eyes & More Toes Than You
#11 A Cat With An Opposable Thumb. I For One Welcome Our New Cat Overlords
#14 Meet Phoebe, The Polydactyl Highland Lynx Complete With Curled Ears And A Bobtail
#18 This My Nugget At 2 Months Old And 1 Year Old. She's My Stunted Growth, Cross Eyed, Head Tilted, Polydactyl, Special Kitty
#20 The Cat At Our Warehouse Gave Birth To A Kitten Who Has An Extra Tiny Paw That Functions As A Thumb
