Polydactyl Maine Coon: The Extra Toes That Split the Registries
What a polydactyl Maine Coon is, why TICA shows them and CFA does not, the snowshoe story told honestly, and what the extra toes change for the cat.
Published August 20, 2026Updated August 27, 2026 4 min read
Contents
Some Maine Coons are born with more toes than the standard allotment, most visibly on the front paws, where the extra digits build the famous "mitten" look. It is the breed's signature quirk, it is genuinely historic, and it is the one trait on which the world's two biggest registries flatly disagree. Here is the whole story, with the folklore labeled as folklore.
Are all Maine Coons polydactyl?
Are all Maine Coons polydactyl? No
No. Most Maine Coons today have ordinary paws; polydactyly runs in some lines, carried by a dominant gene, and was reputedly common in the breed's early New England days. If you specifically want the mittens, you are looking for a breeder whose lines carry them, and for paperwork on the right side of the registry split below.
What the extra toes actually are
Polydactyly is an inherited trait, not a defect: an autosomal dominant gene, which means one parent passes the trait to roughly half its kittens. The genetics behind it vary from line to line, and so does the expression: how many extra toes, on which paws, front or all four. That variability is normal for this trait, not a warning sign.
And the question under every reader's question: is it bad for the cat? The best available answer is reassuring. Two studies from the same research group, covering 70 and 75 Maine Coons, reported no apparent deleterious consequence on feline welfare from the trait. Health databases treat Maine Coons as exactly the same breed for every screening question, so nothing about the extra toes changes the health testing a good breeder shows you. As ever, something wrong with your cat means call your vet, out of hours an emergency clinic.
The registry split: shown at TICA, absent at CFA
This is the fact that decides what a kitten's papers are worth at a show:
since 2015, Maine Coons are registered under their own breed name, Maine Coon Polydactyl (MCP), with their own championship class. 's standard even accommodates the paws, noting they "may appear to toe out" without penalty.
no class exists, and 's show ring has no place for extra toes. A polydactyl kitten with show ambitions is a cat (or, in Australia, an one), not a CFA one.
For a buyer
neither registry is "right"; they simply disagree, like they do on ticked tabbies. Ask which registry the kitten's papers sit with, and if showing matters to you, make sure it is the one that will let the cat in the door.
The snowshoe story, told honestly
Why was the trait so common in early Maine Coons? 's own page keeps the honest hedge, and so do we: early in the breed's development, Maine Coons were often polydactyls, and "it is believed" the broader paws worked as natural snowshoes in Maine winters. A belief, stated as one. The sailors' version of the story, ship captains favoring extra-toed cats for their grip on rolling decks and their luck, is 19th-century folklore: charming, plausible, and resting on no study we could find.
And the number you will meet on every other page, "up to 40 percent of the original Maine Coon population was ": that figure circulates from blog to blog with no dataset behind it anywhere. We looked. Treat it as folklore wearing a percentage.
Do polydactyl Maine Coons cost more?
No registry attaches a premium to toes; sellers price as they choose. In our August 2026 price research, one named Canadian cattery listed kittens above its solid-color ones and below its torties. That is one seller's list, not a market law, and the four-country picture lives on the price page.
The vet's take
Veterinary review
Are you a vet?
Your professional read belongs here: every verified practitioner can leave a note, published once our editors have reviewed it.
Sign in and get your license number verified. We check it in the public register, we never ask for or keep a copy of your diploma, and your number is never published.
Frequently asked questions
Are all Maine Coons polydactyl?
No. The trait runs in some lines, carried by a dominant gene; most Maine Coons today have standard paws.
What percentage of Maine Coons are polydactyl?
No registry or study publishes a current count, and the "40 percent of the original population" figure repeated online has no dataset behind it. The honest answer is that nobody knows.
Why are Maine Coons often polydactyl?
A dominant gene that was common in the breed's early New England population, helped along, per TICA's own hedged telling, by the belief that broader paws served as snowshoes.
Are polydactyl Maine Coons more expensive?
Sometimes, by the seller's choice: one named Canadian cattery prices them between its solids and its torties. No registry sets a toe premium.
Are polydactyl Maine Coons bigger?
No measured comparison exists. The trait changes the paw, not the cat.
Can a polydactyl Maine Coon be shown?
At TICA, yes, in its own Maine Coon Polydactyl championship class since 2015 (and at ACF in Australia). CFA has no class for them.
Community questions
Got a question this page doesn't cover? Ask it: the best ones get published here with their answer.
This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
Our sources
Worth keeping a paw on
Pin this guide
So you can find it the day you need it, and share it with someone whose cat does the same thing. One click and it sits in your board.
Pin it on Pinterest
Purr or PassThe cat newsletter
Our verified guides, no spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
More Maine Coon guides
The Maine Coon profile →
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Size: How Big They Really Get
How big Maine Coons really get: measured weights from five studies, TICA's two ranges explained, both Guinness length records, and the growth anchors with real sources.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Price: Four Countries, Real Numbers, No Averages
Real August 2026 Maine Coon prices from named catteries and live listings in four countries, what makes the price climb, the cheaper doors in, and what no registry will ever tell you.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Black Maine Coon: The Panther Look, Held to a Standard
What makes a true solid black Maine Coon, why the standards call it a hard coat to keep perfect, black and white bicolors, and real kitten prices.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Orange (Ginger) Maine Coon: Officially Red, Universally Adored
Why your orange Maine Coon is officially red, what ginger means in the UK, the cream dilute, why most gingers are boys, and two famous ones.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Breeders: How to Find One Worth Your Trust
What "registered" actually proves, the registries per country, the questions a good Maine Coon breeder answers without blinking, and what the law requires of breeders where you live.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Lifespan: Two Honest Numbers, Not One
How long Maine Coons really live: the measured UK figure, the 9 to 15 years everyone quotes, why the two differ, and what measurably shortens a life.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Food: Feeding a Big Cat Without the Marketing
What a Maine Coon actually needs to eat: the real portion math, why no official large-breed formula exists, kitten-food timing, and the grain-free question untangled.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Blue Maine Coon: Yes, That Gray Cat Is Officially "Blue"
Why registries call a gray Maine Coon blue, how the dilute coat works, what blue smoke and blue silver mean, and what these cats actually sell for.
Read
Maine Coon guide
White Maine Coon: A Coat That Keeps a Secret
Why a white Maine Coon is genetically a masked cat, the four white eye-color classes, what the UK registry requires before breeding one, and prices.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Mix: How to Tell, Honestly
The honest guide to Maine Coon mixes: what the breed standard actually describes, which traits mean something, why size proves nothing, and the one method that settles it.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Calico Maine Coon: Three Colors, One Enormous Cat
What makes a calico Maine Coon, how the registries define the patches, dilute and smoke versions, why males are vanishingly rare, and what they cost.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Giant Maine Coons: The Records, and What "Giant" Really Means
The verified biggest Maine Coons, the records the breed does not hold, and what to check before paying a cattery with "giant" in its name.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Are Maine Coons Hypoallergenic? No, and Here Is the Honest Version
No cat breed is hypoallergenic, and the Maine Coon's long coat doesn't mean less allergen. What Fel d 1 is, why individual cats vary hugely, and what actually helps.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Colors: The Whole Palette, Straight from the Standards
Every Maine Coon color the five major registries actually recognize, the three they all exclude, eye-color rules, and what blue-eyed buyers should ask about.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Tortie Maine Coon: Black and Red, Woven Together
What a tortoiseshell Maine Coon actually is, how torties differ from calicos and torbies, the blue-cream dilute, and what breeders charge for them.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Black Smoke Maine Coon: Midnight Over Silver
What makes a black smoke Maine Coon, how smoke differs from solid black and silver, why kittens declare themselves late, and what breeders charge.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Tuxedo Maine Coon: Black Tie, Twenty Toes of Fluff
Yes, tuxedo Maine Coons exist: what the registries call the pattern, the minimum-white rules that make it showable, and what the coat costs.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Grooming: What That Coat Actually Asks of You
How much grooming a Maine Coon really needs: the honest brushing range straight from the registries, seasonal shedding, nails, ears, mats, and when a lion cut is the right call.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Tabby Maine Coon: The Coat Everyone Pictures
Why the brown tabby IS the classic Maine Coon, classic versus mackerel patterns, the ticked-tabby registry dispute, and what tabbies cost.
Read
Maine Coon guide
European Maine Coon: A Look, a Label, and One Single Breed
"European Maine Coon" is a look and a marketing label, not a separate breed: what the European standards actually say, what sellers mean, and what to check.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Silver Maine Coon: Frost Over the Tiger
What makes a silver Maine Coon, how silver differs from smoke, the tarnish fault that makes clean silvers rare on show benches, and real prices.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon History: From Ship Cats to State Cat
Where Maine Coons really come from: the documented timeline from 1861 to CFA's number one breed, the myths told honestly, and the 1985 law that made it Maine's state cat.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Maine Coon Cat Names: What Owners Actually Chose, and Ideas Sized to Fit
The only measured Maine Coon name rankings (Lucy, Max and friends, 2015), why the breed is called a "coon" at all, and name ideas sized for a gentle giant.
Read
Maine Coon guide
Cream Maine Coon: Red, Whispered
What makes a cream Maine Coon, how cream relates to red and blue, why two orange parents can throw cream kittens, and what the coat costs.
Read
The floor belongs to our members. Keep it kind, links are not allowed, and images go through moderation before anyone else sees them.