Kitten with 29 Toes Shatters Guinness World Record

A Maine coon kitten named Erebus Anomaly has broken a 24-year-old Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat. The kitten, from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, now holds the record with 29 toes.

Erebus Anomaly has eight toes on one paw and seven on each of his other three paws, totaling 29 digits. This surpasses the previous record holder, a Canadian cat named Jake, who had 28 toes and held the record since 2002. Erebus's achievement was recognized in May, but gained wider attention after a segment aired on ABC News.

Normally, cats have 18 toes. Erebus's extra toes are due to a genetic trait known as polydactyly, a condition that is relatively common in Maine coon cats, according to a 2016 article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. His father also exhibits polydactyly, with six toes on each paw, for a total of 24.

Erebus's journey to his record-breaking status was nearly derailed by a severe bout of pneumonia shortly after his birth on March 31. He required treatment in an oxygen machine, and his owners, Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, expressed concerns about his survival. "There were days when I truly didn’t think he was going to make it," a post on the cat's Facebook page stated.

Following his recovery and once his medication course was completed, a routine veterinary checkup revealed Erebus had made a full recovery. During this visit, X-rays of his paws were taken. These X-rays, alongside other documentation, were used to submit his application for the Guinness World Record. "It’s crazy to think that one of the scariest times in his life led right into the beginning of his world-record journey," Vandenbloomer and Nett reflected.