I’ve had a fondness for polydactyl cats ever since visiting Ernest Hemingway’s House in Key West, Florida. There’s something cool and Darwinian about evolving extra toes.
I had known Amy Calistri for a while before I ever learned that one of her cats was polydactyl. Sammy, partially pictured above, has a great disposition with some dog-like characteristics. (Always a good thing for a feline.)
Amy doesn’t have any good photos of Sammy and his extra toes. While I was driving through Austin in March, I wanted to get a good, clean shot of his feet. Unfortunately, whenever Sammy was in a good position for a shot (paws up against a clean, dark surface for contrast), my camera wasn’t handy.
Rather than force him into position, I weakly compromised by taking a closeup as he stood on a chair. It’s not artistic, but there was a lot of wasted effort to get this basic shot.
We’ve since had the idea of putting Sammy on a glass-top table, and shooting him from below. With the right lighting it should provide a great perspective, with a clear shot of his individual toes (which are easier to see from the bottom) while the rest of his body towers above. But for me, that will have to wait for my next trip through Austin.