Meet Erebus, the Maine Coon With a Record 29 Toes

Most cats arrive with 18 toes and consider the matter settled. Erebus, a Maine Coon from Wisconsin, has 29—and a Guinness World Records title that is now attracting attention far beyond his home state.

Erebus has the sort of paws that make an ordinary windowsill look under-specified. The young Maine Coon from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, has 29 toes across four feet: eight on one paw and seven on each of the other three, according to current reports.

That total is not simply an owner's ambitious count. Guinness World Records lists Erebus as the cat with the most toes, measured on 13 May 2026. His owners, Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, took a title that had stood at 28 since 2002 and moved it forward by one exceptionally well-distributed digit.

The measurement itself happened in May, so this is not a brand-new record. The fresh news peg is the wave of international attention that arrived this week, including ABC News coverage on 24 August and a report in the Guardian's UK edition on 25 August. In other words: the paws have been record-breaking for months; the world has only just caught up.

What exactly did Erebus break?

Guinness records the achievement in gloriously plain terms: 29 total toes, achieved in Kaukauna in the United States. Its official page says Erebus was measured on 13 May and names Vandenbloomer and Nett as his owners.

The previous benchmark was 28. That number had led the record since 2002, making Erebus's one-toe advantage enough to end a run of more than two decades. It is a reminder that records do not always fall with a roar. Sometimes they advance on several unusually broad, furry feet.

For comparison, a typical cat has five toes on each front paw and four on each back paw, making 18 in total. Erebus therefore has 11 more than the usual arrangement. His distribution is unusual on every paw rather than being concentrated in one place.

Why does he have so many toes?

Cats born with extra toes are described as polydactyl. It is an inherited physical trait, and its appearance can vary: one cat may have a single additional toe while another develops broad, mitten-like paws with several.

The Guardian reports that Erebus's biological father has six toes on each paw, for a total of 24. That family detail fits the inherited nature of polydactyly, although it does not allow anyone looking at a photograph to predict an exact count in another kitten.

The important boundary is that the record concerns a measured anatomical feature, not a new cat breed or a claim that extra toes automatically make a cat healthier, cleverer or more athletic. Erebus is remarkable because 29 is the largest verified total—not because the number comes with a guaranteed superpower.

How was the count verified?

A serious record application needs more than a dramatic close-up. The recent coverage says X-rays formed part of the evidence used for the Guinness submission, allowing the structure of the paws to be documented rather than guessed from fur and overlapping digits.

That matters with polydactyl paws because a small or partly formed digit may not be easy to distinguish in a photograph. Guinness's public record page gives the resulting total and measurement date, while its general record process explains that record attempts rely on evidence reviewed against stated guidelines.

The public record does not publish every piece of application paperwork, and theTailed has not independently examined the X-rays. The strongest supported statement is therefore the official one: Guinness recognises Erebus with 29 toes.

Why is the story travelling now?

The current interest follows national US television coverage on 24 August and international reports the next day. It has the irresistible ingredients of a good animal culture story: a named cat, a number that can be understood in one glance, a long-standing record and photographs that make readers immediately inspect the paws.

It also has a pleasingly small margin. Erebus did not double the old record or introduce an entirely new category. He won by one toe. Sport has photo finishes; feline record-keeping apparently has the careful recount.

That fresh attention should not be confused with the date the title was achieved. Any headline suggesting the measurement took place yesterday would be inaccurate. The correct timeline is May for the official measurement, followed by a new burst of public coverage in late August.

What should owners notice about unusual paws?

For most readers, Erebus is a curiosity rather than a care guide. An owner whose cat has extra toes can simply include every digit in ordinary paw and claw checks, because additional claws can be easier to overlook among long fur or closely spaced toes.

This article is not veterinary advice and the record itself says nothing about an individual cat's health. If a claw appears overgrown, catches repeatedly, presses into the pad, or a paw is sore or swollen, a vet can assess that specific cat. No world-record ambitions are required.

Erebus, meanwhile, has already done the counting part. With 29 reasons to object to an undersized podium, he may reasonably expect the furniture to adapt around him.

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Sources and update record

Guinness World Records: Most toes on a cat

The Guardian: Wisconsin kitten with 29 toes

ABC News: Cat steps into record book

Last checked: 26 August 2026 · No corrections recorded.