NE1 have a Hemingway Polydactyl?

[mrsfishy]

My kitty has an extra toe on every foot. What shocked me was when I took her to the vet for the very first time, the vet said, "Do you want these extra toes removed?". I said, "WHAT???". I was stunned! He said, "Ya, we can do surgery to get these extra toes off of her if you plan to enter her in shows". I wanted to smack him!!! How about if I cut HIS thumbs off?!!!! JERK!
I promptly found a new vet!

 

[emb_78]

Originally Posted by MrsFishy

My kitty has an extra toe on every foot. What shocked me was when I took her to the vet for the very first time, the vet said, "Do you want these extra toes removed?". I said, "WHAT???". I was stunned! He said, "Ya, we can do surgery to get these extra toes off of her if you plan to enter her in shows". I wanted to smack him!!! How about if I cut HIS thumbs off?!!!! JERK!
I promptly found a new vet!

Good for you!!! I have a Poldactyl too!!

 

[hissy]

Polydactyls are cool, I have had them in the past and have one now. The only time a vet ever removed a toe was an extra dewclaw that kept growing into the foot. It was just hanging by a mere thread of ligament and was no big deal to remove.

 

[roxy_loves_cj]

I cant believe that! My parents have one, and he was part mine when I lived there too, and he is the coolest cat we have ever had. He has 6 on each foot. He uses them like thumbs, he can open doors and blinds and cupboards, even his own dry food.

I would never go back to that vet either. Its a unique trait that shouldnt be removed or hidden. To me its like giving cats with 2 different colored eyes a colored contact so they dont look different. It doesnt hurt the cat, and in the case of the extra toes, it helps them, so I dont see a problem with it. (plus when they are kittens its really funny to watch them try to run and play with such big feet.... so cute)

 

[plebayo]

Extra toes can be a pain in the butt for a cat, sometimes nails can grow funky, and they really aren't needed. I doubt your vet meant any harm in it. My friend's cat had several extra toes, and they got stuck on everything because she couldn't retract the claws in them. Usually it's just cosmetic and there's no reason to remove them. But sometimes it's better in the long run depending on the cat.

My cat doesn't have any extra toes, but it sure is funny to watch the ones that do grab things