The
Polydactyl Ship’sCat
by Regan Walker
When I was researching the proper
ship’s cat for my pirate Regency WIND
RAVEN, set on a schooner (and other places) in 1817, I came across some
interesting information about cats, specifically the ones with too many
toes—polydactyl cats.
It probably seems fundamental that a
cat could be, and was, a valued member of the crew, particularly for ridding a ship
of mice and rats. But how much more exciting if that cat was special—with very
intelligent green eyes and huge white paws!
The cat in WIND RAVEN is named “Dutch
Sam’ for the English boxer Samuel Elias,
who died the year before my story begins, and who was known as the deadliest
puncher in London. The tribute was appropriate as my ship’s cat (actually a
female the heroine calls “Samantha”) is a gray cat with intelligent green eyes
and two huge white front paws.
And why are they so large?
Dutch Sam is a polydactyl cat, a cat
with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyl (or polydactylism), also
known as hyperdactyly, a genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more
than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws, so that the paws
appear huge. The condition is commonly found in cats along the East Coast of North
America (in the United States and Canada) and in Southwest England and Wales.
Although there is some controversy over
whether the most common variant of the trait originated as a mutation in New
England or was brought there from Britain, there is no disagreement that it
spread widely as a result of cats carried on ships originating in Boston. In
fact, the prevalence of polydactylism among the cat population of various ports
correlates with the dates when they first established trade with Boston.
Sailors
valued polydactyl cats, not only for their ability to rid the ship of rats and
mice, but for their extraordinary climbing and hunting abilities. It turns out
that polydactylism does appear to improve the dexterity of the animal. For example, a common variation with
six toes on the front paws, with two opposing digits on each (comparable in use
to human thumbs) enables the cat to perform feats of manual dexterity generally
not observed in non-polydactyl cats, such as opening latches or catching
objects with a single paw. Wouldn’t that seem to make them more intelligent,
too?
Sailors
also considered them to be extremely good luck when at sea. Dutch Sam might
have brought Captain Nicholas Powell, the hero in my story and the captain of
the Wind Raven, good luck, for he
survived a vicious storm, fought off pirates and rescued the woman he loved. And
Dutch Sam honored him by deciding to grace his new ship with her presence. She
is simply a splendid polydactyl ship’s cat!
Thank you for stopping by and sharing this post, Regan. I love tidbits like this from history and so do my followers. I saw 45 of these cats recently at the Hemingway House in Key West! Don't miss Regan Walker's latest novel Wind Raven.
http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Agents-Crown-Regan-Walker-ebook/dp/B00IXMM1AO
