Trantor: Polydactyl Cat

Ken Korczak: If you look closely at this picture of my cat, Trantor, you will notice something unusual about his paws. He has two extra toes on each of his four paws.

Trantor is a polydactyl cat. Polydactylism is a genetic mutation that occurrs among all species of animals -- even human beings! It probably should not be considered rare among cats, but probably effects less than 10% of all cats.

Big paws

The famous writer Ernest Hemingway was well-known to own a polydactyl cat. It's interesting that Hemingway was a writer, and that I make my living as a freelance writer, and that we both own (or are owned by) polydactyl cats. Is this more than a coincidence? Well, at least I have a couple of things in common with a literary giant, even though I may be but a literary ant!

Polydactyl cats were highly prized by ship's captains in days gone by -- they were considered good luck, and they were superior rat catchers on ships.

Trantor also seems to be a genius cat. He can open doors using door handles, he can turn on a water faucet to get a drink, he can use his special paws almost like human hands.

My theory is that if a cat can grow extra toes, he may also have grown an extra lobe on his brain -- making him more intelligent that the average cat!

THE ZEN OF BARN SWALLOWS!

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