THESE two tiny kittens are giving charity staff paws for thought after being born with an extra eight toes each.

Violet and Knight are only a few weeks old but they have already captured the hearts of workers at the Cats Protection rehoming centre near Haywards Heath.

Each kitten was born with a rare genetic condition called polydactyly, giving them two extra digits on each paw.

Most cats have five toes on each of their front paws and four on the back ones.

The kittens may look unusual but the condition is harmless so long as the extra claws do not catch on things.

The kittens were handed into the charity’s centre at Chelwood Cate with their mother November and litter-mate Kathleen after their owner could not cope with them.

Centre deputy manager Tania Marsh said: “We do see polydactyl cats from time to time, but it’s unusual to see them with so many extra toes – normally it’s more like an extra four or five.

“When we counted them up and found they had eight extra each we were really surprised.

“They are lovely, playful and happy kittens and there’s no denying they do look very sweet with their huge paws.”

Cats Protection clinical veterinary officer Beth Skillings said that while uncommon, polydactyl cats are seen across the UK.

She said: “Polydactyly is a genetic condition which, in the majority of cases, causes no harm whatsoever.

“ The number of extra toes varies, with some polydactyls just having two or three more than usual and others having many more, as we have with Violet and Knight.

“It’s neither an advantage or disadvantage, just a quirk of nature.”

All the cats will be looking for a new home once they have been neutered to prevent further unplanned kittens.

To find out more about adopting November or her kittens, or any of the 200 other cats and kittens currently being cared for at the centre, visit www.ncac.cats.org.uk or call 01825 741 330.

factfile

Polydactyly or polydactylism comes from the Greek word polys, meaning “many” and the daktylos, meaning “finger”.

It can affect humans and dogs as well as cats.

Polydactyly is most commonly found on the front paws only.

It is rare for only the back paws to be affect and polydactyly of all four paws is even less common.

There is a legend among sailors that polydactyl cats used to be ship cats and the extra toes helped them climb the rigging.

It sounds like a nice story but these cats do not have a greater climbing ability.