‘Mutant’ kitty born with 29 toes smashes Guinness World Record after ‘miracle’ survival
A “mutant” Maine coon kitten called Erebus Anomaly has dethroned viral rescue cat Toby by smashing the Guinness World Record for most toes on a cat with an astonishing 29
Erebus Anomaly(Image: Blue Northern Maine Coons)
Last month, an adorable rescue cat became a viral sensation, breaking a Guinness World Record with an “unbelievable” amount of 28 toes.
Despite being recognised as a unique anomaly, rescue kitten Toby has now been dethroned by another weird “mutant” fury baby. A fluffy Maine coon kitten called Erebus Anomaly has padded his way into the record books after being born with an astonishing 29 toes.
As a result, Erebus has officially smashed the Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat. The previous mark of 28 had stood for 24 years. A typical pet cat has 18 toes in total (five on each front paw and four on each back paw).
Baby Erebus’ bounty of beans(Image: Blue Northern Maine Coons)
But Erebus has a whopping 11 extra digits, thanks to a genetic condition known as polydactyly, the same condition Toby has. Guinness verified that one of Erebus’ back paws has eight toes, while the other three paws each have seven.
Nevertheless, Erebus had a rocky start in life. He survived a near-fatal case of pneumonia.
Erebus’ journey was revealed on Monday (August 24) when ABC’s World News Now revisited his early health crisis and the Guinness World Record that followed. Erebus’ owners, Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, from Wisconsin, USA, described the turnaround as “definitely miraculous”, the Guardian reported.
Toby with 28 toes(Image: Guinness World Records)
The now-famous cat’s biological father was born with six toes on each paw, totalling 24 – six more than a normal cat, as World News Now reported. That set the stage for Erebus to arrive in March with an even more extreme set of paws: eight toes on one paw and seven on each of the other three.
But the road to Guinness glory came with a major scare. After noticing Erebus breathing through his mouth, the pair reportedly rushed him for emergency care and discovered he’d suffered an aspiration event – when something like food or liquid ends up in the airways instead of the stomach.
The complication led to pneumonia, treatment with medication, and time in an oxygen machine. “Erebus’ outlook for a time was grim,” Vandenbloomer and Nett said on World News Now.
Toby’s 28 toes(Image: Guinness World Records)
Vandenbloomer added the X-rays were shocking: his lungs “were supposed to be black but were completely white”. He did recover – and those same X-rays later played a key role, doubling as evidence in the Guinness application.
Erebus was officially awarded the title on May 13, according to Guinness’ website. “It’s crazy to think that one of the scariest times in his life led right into the beginning of his world record journey,” read a message on a social media account set up for him.
“He’s staying with us,” Vandenbloomer said. “He’s a gorgeous boy.”
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