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Do Cats Have Thumbs – Here’s The Answer!

Do Cats Have Thumbs – Here’s The Answer!

Cats are super agile animals known for their curious spirit and ability to get into mischief. You might wonder how an animal with four legs can jump, crawl, and bust into things so easily! While cats may not have hands like humans, their paws set them up for success. If you have ever looked closely at a cat’s paws, you might have noticed their unique structure. So, do cats have thumbs?

Yes, cats do have two thumbs. A normal cat will usually have five toes on its front paws, with only four toes on the back legs. This means most cats have eighteen toes altogether, with more on their front legs than back. Some cats are polydactyl and may have extra toes that also resemble a thumb. 

Cat thumbs might seem weird, but it’s a real thing! Let’s dig into a little bit more about how a cat can use its thumb, how rare it is, and a few considerations.

Do All Cats Have Thumbs

Yes, cats have five toes on their front legs, so following the same convention as the human fingers, they have that fifth toe that acts as the thumb. However, for cats, all of their toes have the same functionality. 

Their five toes in the front help them to climb and be great hunters out in the wild. Their paws help a cat stabilize themselves and make it easier to distribute their weight while walking around evenly. 

Are Cat Thumbs Rare

It is not rare for a cat to have five digits on its front paws, but it is special when it has extra toes that look like mittens or thumbs. Some cats are polydactyl, which means they have extra toes on either their front or back legs. The word polydactyl itself means “many digits”. If your cat is polydactyl, they might have one or more extra toes on either their front or back paws, although it is more likely that your cat will have the extra toes on their front paws.

Having a polydactyl cat is not as rare as it might sound. A specific gene gets passed down from the parent cats to their offspring, which is what causes a cat to inherit this condition. A mother or father cat has to be polydactyl themselves for the gene to get passed on to a kitten.

While it might seem bad for a cat to have these extra digits, it does not impact their everyday lives. In some ways, having those extra limbs might make them even better climbers and hunters than cats with the standard number of toes.

If you notice your cat is polydactyl, it may be worth bringing up with their vet; have them checked out in case there is another underlying condition in addition to being polydactyl.

Do Cats Have Fingers and Thumbs

Cats do not have fingers and thumbs in the same way that humans do. The paws on a cat’s foot work differently than fingers and toes on the human body and do not give them quite as much flexibility. Humans have individual fingers with an opposable thumb to pick things up and grip them easily. The human fingers allow us a lot of mobility to spread or stretch our fingers as needed, and this is not how a cat’s paw works. Most commonly, the individual digits on a cat’s paw are called toes on both their front and back legs. 

The only cats that come close to having the same type of thumb as a human are polydactyl cats, but even polydactyl cats still do not have opposable thumbs. However, having that extra digit does give them the advantage of being more dexterous than other cats. 

Cats can navigate life with the paws they do have, and some can open cabinets or doors with their front paws. Cats typically use their front paws more to explore the world around them and may also use their front paws to assist them while eating.  

How Many Thumbs Do Cats Have

A normal cat has two thumbs on its front two legs, where they have five toes. Their fifth toe is called the thumb because it falls on the medial side of the foot, which is the same place where humans have their thumbs. 

If you have a polydactyl cat, it is not unheard of for a cat to have up to three extra toes on each of its legs. While this is unusual, it is possible and usually is not unsafe for your cat. The Guinness World Record holder is a cat named Jake that had 28 toes on his whole body.  

Are There Cats With Opposable Thumbs 

The average cat does not have opposable thumbs, as its toes are connected via a hinge joint. However, there are some rare exceptions where polydactyl cats can use their extra toes like opposable thumbs. A thumb is considered opposable when it can be “placed opposite the fingers of the same hand.”. It also allows the person to grip objects, and this is something usually seen in primates.

Cats that are polydactyls may have extra abilities to move around small objects thanks to their extra toe. A really smart cat that is polydactyl might learn over time how to use their paws in a manner that gives them the same range of motion as an opposable thumb.

However, in reality, no cats have the same functionality that comes with having truly opposable thumbs. Still, there is always a chance that cats might evolve in that direction over time. Even without opposable thumbs, it is pretty incredible to see how much cats can do with their paws!

Things To Consider 

There are a couple of scenarios where having a polydactyl cat could present health problems for your animal. Sometimes polydactyl cats have another underlying condition called Radial Hypoplasia. This is a condition where a cat’s radius bone is shorter in its front legs than it proportionally should be. This makes it difficult for a cat to walk around correctly, as they struggle to gain their balance. If a cat has this condition, you might see them hopping around to avoid having to walk. Being polydactyl is a symptom of radial hypoplasia.

Another condition that can arise for polydactyl cats is if the extra toes are not fully formed. If your cat only has part of an extra toe, that can be painful and dangerous for them. This might give your cat ingrown toenails or cause their claws to bother them. Whether you have a polydactyl cat or not, you should spend some time every few weeks to take a look at their paws and make sure everything looks ok. It can be easy for a cat to get a thorn or burr stuck on their paw pads, which is painful for them and often challenging to remove on their own.