kittens are sometimes born with defects. people who receive cats as gifts are recommended to get it examined for its health. some birth defects need attention. others are harmless, like polydactyly. polydactyly means many digits, or many "fingers" from poly (many) and dactyl (digit). sometimes, there is a mutation (change) in cat families. most cats have only four to five toes per paw, depending on whether it is the front or back paw. these mutated cats have six, seven, and in rare cases even more. all of these cats are called "polydactyl cats". they can also be called "hemingway cats" because author ernest hemingway owned some of these cats.