The Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center has hit upon a novel way of fundraising.
Faced with a 100 per cent increase in rent from January 1, the Center turned to one of its own charges, an orange and white tabby cat named Daniel, to help it raise money to relocate to a new home.
Daniel is not your average pet cat. He has two extra toes on each paw, making a total of 26.
Normal cats have 18 toes, five on each front paw, and four on each hind paw. This abnormality is known as polydactylism.
The condition is a congenital physical anomaly, a mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more paws.
Donations
Polydactyl cats are most commonly found along the eastern coast of North America, in South West England and Wales.
The Rescue Center has been asking the local community for donations, suggesting $26 as an appropriate sum; one dollar for each of Daniel’s toes.
Since October 24 they have successfully raised nearly $100,000, which is far ahead of expectations, and this has guaranteed the Center’s future viability.
Center mascot Daniel however is not the holder of the record for most toes. That accolade goes to Jake, a ginger tabby who resides in Bonfield, Ontario.
He has been recognized in the Guinness (book of) World Records as the cat with the most toes (28), seven on each paw.