Hemingway Cats on Hatteras Island

I have been neglecting my blog and shame on me. :) It's just been a busy few weeks and I haven't had the opportunity or the creative mind to find something to blog about. My BFF, Cindy, who is commonly referred to as "my wife" encouraged me to blog about our expanding family. We are a very pet friendly family. We have two dogs, a Brittany Spaniel named Bam and a Miniature Daschund named Dottie Doodles. We also have two cats, Millie who was found in the middle of Highway 12 in Hatteras one night on our way to dinner at the Breakwater, and Chance who was Millie's only kitten. Never having a female cat before now my husband and I have been somewhat unfamiliar with the mating habits of felines. That of course was until we have been blessed with seven little bundles of kitten joy that have come wrapped in gray and white bouncy little packages. They are the cutest things ever...not many things in this world are as cute as a kitten.

Much to our surprise many of the kittens have a trait that is technically known as Polydactyl, which is Latin for "many digits". Three of the kittens actually have one extra toe on their front paws and two actually have many extra digits on their front paws...eight total to be exact. Everyone has been intrigued by these rapidly growing bouncy pouncy kittens so Cindy suggested I write about them. I didn't know much about the term, but knew that the common name is "Hemingway Cat" so of course I did the natural thing and Googled my interest.

I found a great website: http://cats.about.com/od/felinegenetics/a/polydactyl.htm with lots of information on the subject. The following is information from their site to help better explain this trait. "The trait for polydact comes from a dominant gene, and only a polydactyl cat can parent another polydact. Although the Maine Coon (whose ancestors are also thought to have immigrated to the U.S. aboard ships) is believed to have been the first breed to have this trait, polydact is considered a fault in that breed, and indeed in every other breed except the Pixie Bob, a relatively new breed. So, rather than a breed, polydact is just a genetic trait, somewhat like the genetics for the tabby pattern. Instead of the normal 18 toes (five on each front foot and four on the rear) found on most cats, polydacts have six or more toes on the front feet, and sometimes an extra toe on the rear." Well that pretty much sums up our litter. It's pretty cool, I have to admit. They really look as though they have mittens on their paws.

I have been trying to sweet talk my hubby into keeping one of them and naming him Mitt. :) I think it's a great idea but he's not so sure.

As a new proud parent I wanted to share a few photos of these adorable fuzzy little creatures...