Record Breaker
Jake
recognised 2002
The ginger tabby who entered the record books with 28 toes — seven on every paw.
- Owner
- Michelle and Paul Contant
- Years
- recognised 2002
- Known for
- Record Breaker
Jake was a ginger tabby from Bonfield, Ontario, Canada, who earned a place in the Guinness World Records in 2002 for the most toes on a cat: an astonishing 28, with seven on each of his four paws.
Jake was polydactyl, a harmless and rather charming genetic quirk that gives some cats extra toes. What made him exceptional was the symmetry and completeness of his feet — each of his 28 toes had its own claw, pad and bone structure, all carefully counted and verified by a veterinarian for the record.
Polydactyl cats have long been prized, especially among sailors who believed the broad, mitten-like paws made them superb climbers and mousers. Jake became the celebrated standard-bearer for these 'thumbed' cats, and although his record has since been matched by other extraordinary felines, his name remains one of the first that comes up whenever the world's most-toed cats are discussed.