Wisconsin kitten Erebus Anomaly sets new cat toe record with 29 after surviving pneumonia
Kaukauna, Wisconsin, kitten Erebus Anomaly has 29 toes, more than any cat recognized by Guinness World Records. The Maine Coon's route to that title included emergency treatment for pneumonia and X-rays that later helped document his remarkable paws.
A Maine Coon kitten with 29 toes
Erebus Anomaly was born in March with eight toes on one paw and seven on each of the other three, giving him 29 altogether. Guinness World Records says that total makes him the new record holder for most toes on a cat, and the organization awarded him the title on 13 May.
That number put the Wisconsin kitten one toe ahead of the previous best known mark of 28. That earlier total belonged to a Canadian cat named Jake in 2002, and it was tied in March by a Michigan kitten named Toby.
Erebus lives with Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett of Kaukauna. They said it became obvious pretty quickly that their kitten might have a real chance at the record.
His extra digits are tied to polydactyly, a genetic trait that causes some cats to be born with additional phalanges. A 2016 article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery said the trait is relatively common in Maine Coons. Erebus also comes from a line where extra toes were already present. His biological father had six toes on each paw, for a total of 24, which is more than the usual number for a cat.
A frightening health crisis became part of the record story
Before Erebus could be known for a world record, his owners were dealing with a much more serious concern. They noticed him breathing through his mouth and learned he had suffered an aspiration event, a medical emergency in which something that should be in the stomach, such as food or liquid, gets into the airways.
He was taken to an emergency veterinarian, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Erebus was placed in an oxygen machine and treated with medication. His owners said his outlook was grim for a time.
Vandenbloomer described how alarming his lungs looked on imaging, saying they appeared white even though they should have looked black. Erebus did recover, a turnaround she described as miraculous.
The X-rays taken to make sure he had fully recovered ended up serving another purpose too. They were used as supporting documentation in the application his owners sent to Guinness World Records. On a social media account they created for him, Vandenbloomer and Nett reflected that one of the scariest moments in his life also became the beginning of his record journey.
Erebus is staying with his owners
Erebus's story has drawn national attention, but his future home is not in question. Vandenbloomer said he will stay with her and Nett, and she described him as a gorgeous boy.
The pair run a breeding cattery called BlueNorthern Maine Coons. For pet lovers, part of the appeal of Erebus's story is how specific it is. He is not simply a cat with a high number attached to his name. He is a Maine Coon kitten from Wisconsin with one paw carrying eight toes, three more carrying seven each, and a medical recovery that became woven into the paperwork behind a Guinness title.
Guinness World Records keeps a database of more than 40,000 records, and Erebus now has a place in it. His story combines an unusual inherited trait, careful veterinary treatment and owners who recognized just how rare their kitten might be.
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