Wisconsin Cat With 29 Toes Takes Over Guinness World Records

A tiny Maine Coon kitten from Wisconsin had a frightening start to life before making history in a way few people could have predicted. Erebus Anomaly was born with an astonishing 29 toes, giving him 11 more than the usual number for a domestic cat and earning him a Guinness World Record.

His unusual paws were remarkable from the beginning, but the road to official recognition took an unexpected turn after a serious health emergency. The medical evidence gathered during that frightening period would later help document the feature that made Erebus famous.

A Maine Coon With an Extraordinary Number of Toes

Erebus Anomaly was born in March at BlueNorthern Maine Coons in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. His owners, Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, quickly noticed that the newborn kitten had an unusual number of toes and suspected they might have a potential record holder.

Most cats have 18 toes in total, with five on each front paw and four on each back paw. Erebus was born with eight toes on one paw and seven on each of the other three, bringing his remarkable total to 29.

His family history also suggested that extra toes were not entirely unexpected. Erebus’s biological father was reportedly born with six toes on each paw, giving him 24 in total, but his son managed to surpass even that impressive number.

The extra digits are caused by polydactyly, a genetic trait that results in some animals being born with more toes than usual. The trait is relatively common among Maine Coons, according to research referenced in the source material, although Erebus’s total pushed him far beyond the numbers usually associated with the condition.

He Beat a Record That Had Lasted for Decades

Before Erebus arrived, the Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat stood at 28. The record was originally set in 2002 by a Canadian cat named Jake and remained the number to beat for more than two decades.

Earlier in 2026, a Michigan kitten named Toby matched Jake’s total of 28 toes. That meant the record had been tied, but nobody had officially managed to push the number any higher.

Erebus changed that by a single toe. His total of 29 placed him above both Jake and Toby, giving the Wisconsin kitten sole possession of the record.

According to the reference material, Guinness World Records recognized Erebus’s achievement after his toes were measured and documented. The organization confirmed that the previous record of 28 had stood since 2002 before Erebus finally raised the number.

His owners had suspected shortly after his birth that they might have something unusual on their hands. However, before they could focus fully on a Guinness application, Erebus faced a much more serious challenge.

A Frightening Health Emergency Changed Everything

Erebus’s owners became concerned when they noticed the young kitten breathing through his mouth. They took him to an emergency veterinarian, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia after suffering what was described as an aspiration event.

An aspiration event can occur when something that should remain in the stomach, such as food or liquid, enters the airways. For a tiny kitten, the consequences can be extremely serious, and Erebus required urgent medical attention.

He was placed in an oxygen machine and treated with medication while his owners worried about whether he would survive. Kendra Vandenbloomer later described how alarming his condition had appeared, including the appearance of his lungs on X-rays.

His outlook was grim for a period, but Erebus eventually began to improve. Vandenbloomer described his recovery as “definitely miraculous” during coverage referenced by ABC’s World News Now.

The X-rays taken during his treatment later gained an entirely different significance. The medical images helped provide evidence documenting Erebus’s extraordinary anatomy and became part of the material used to support his Guinness World Record application.

How Extra-Toed Cats Get Their Unusual Paws

Image Credits: Facebook @BlueNorthern Maine coons

Polydactyly is the genetic trait responsible for Erebus’s extraordinary paws. The condition can produce extra digits on one limb or several, meaning the appearance and total number of toes can vary significantly between animals.

Erebus represents an unusually extreme example. While extra toes are known to occur in cats, his total of 29 is the highest number officially recorded by Guinness World Records.

The trait is not exclusive to felines. According to the source material, polydactyly has been reported in a range of species, including humans, dogs, mice, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, springboks and birds.

The source material also states that the congenital condition does not necessarily cause harm to affected cats. Erebus’s story attracted attention because of the sheer number of his extra toes rather than because the digits themselves caused his medical emergency.

His serious illness was a separate problem, which makes the timing of his eventual recovery and record application even more unusual.

Maine Coons Have a Long History With Extra Toes

Image Credits: Facebook @BlueNorthern Maine coons

Erebus’s record has brought fresh attention to the Maine Coon, one of North America’s best-known cat breeds. Maine Coons are widely recognized for their large size, long coats, bushy tails and substantial paws.

Research referenced in the source material notes that polydactyly has a historical connection with the breed. Some accounts suggest that long-haired cats brought to North America by seafarers may have contributed to the development of Maine Coons, with some of those cats carrying the genetic trait for extra toes.

Polydactyl cats were also reportedly valued as good luck charms by sailors and sea captains. Genetic surveys dating back to the 1970s found high frequencies of polydactyly in cats from several coastal cities, including Halifax, Philadelphia and Boston.

Erebus’s father provided a more immediate connection to the trait. With 24 toes, he already had six more than a typical domestic cat, but Erebus was born with five additional toes beyond his father’s total.

The kitten’s eight-toed paw is particularly unusual, while the other three paws each contain seven toes. Together, those numbers produced the total that finally broke the long-standing Guinness record.

The Record Journey Took an Unexpected Path

Erebus’s story contains an unusual chain of events that his owners could never have planned. They first noticed his remarkable paws shortly after he was born and began to wonder whether he could challenge the existing world record.

Then his health emergency shifted their attention entirely. The priority became getting the kitten through pneumonia and ensuring he recovered from the aspiration event that had left him needing oxygen and emergency treatment.

After Erebus improved, the medical documentation connected to his treatment took on a second purpose. The X-rays helped establish evidence of his unusual toe count for the Guinness application.

His owners later reflected on that unexpected connection in a message shared on Erebus’s social media account. “It’s crazy to think that one of the scariest times in his life led right into the beginning of his world record journey,” the message said.

It was a remarkable transformation from a moment of uncertainty into an achievement that eventually drew national media attention. Erebus had survived the health crisis, and the evidence gathered during that difficult period helped confirm something else extraordinary about him.

His Owners Have No Plans to Rehome Him

Erebus’s owners, Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, run the BlueNorthern Maine Coons breeding operation in Wisconsin. Their work involves raising Maine Coons, but the record-breaking kitten appears to have secured a permanent place with the people who cared for him through his difficult beginning.

During coverage referenced in the source material, ABC’s Danny New asked whether Erebus might eventually be rehomed. Vandenbloomer made it clear that the kitten would not be going anywhere.

“He’s staying with us,” she said. “He’s a gorgeous boy.”

The decision followed a dramatic first chapter in Erebus’s life. His owners had watched him battle a serious illness, recover and then become the holder of a Guinness World Record.

They have also created a social media presence for the kitten, allowing people to follow the unusual Maine Coon as he grows.

From Emergency Treatment to Guinness History

The most unusual part of Erebus’s journey may be the role his emergency X-rays played in securing his record. The images were originally connected to a frightening medical situation in which his owners were concerned about his survival.

Nobody could have expected that the same documentation would later help establish a Guinness World Record. Yet the evidence became part of the process used to confirm that Erebus had 29 toes.

His story is unusual even by the standards of bizarre animal records. The kitten did not simply arrive with an extraordinary physical trait and immediately collect a title.

He first had to overcome a potentially life-threatening illness. After recovering, the same medical journey that had terrified his owners became connected to the evidence supporting his record.

The result is a story that combines strange genetics, veterinary drama and a world record decided by the smallest possible margin.

Erebus Has Set a New Number to Beat

Erebus Anomaly now holds the Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat with a total of 29. He surpassed the previous record by one toe after a number of 28 had remained unbeaten for decades.

His record may eventually be challenged by another unusually pawed cat. For now, though, the Wisconsin Maine Coon sits at the top of a category that few people probably knew existed before his story made headlines.

Erebus’s first months of life took him from an emergency veterinary clinic to the Guinness World Records database. His 29 toes made him famous, but the remarkable part of his story is how close his journey came to taking a very different path.

Now he is back with the owners who refused to give up on him, carrying a world record on four paws and setting a new feline number that future challengers will have to beat.

Featured Image Credits: Facebook @BlueNorthern Maine coons