Pedigree
Silverfoot P as a kitten
Q&A session with Vonne Bode
How did you arrive at Sil's pet name?
"Sil" is the short for Silverfoot P, which is the name given by his breeder. I was told he was totally black at birth except for his silver paws;-).
I was given the option to give him another name before his pedigree was ordered with TICA. So I made a list with many names, some really nice ones too;-). But I finally decided that since he had been carrying his name already for so long now, the only right name for him was the one given to him at birth: Silverfoot P:-).
Sil traveled a long way to be with you. Are there any special reasons why you specifically selected him?
Well, first when I saw pictures of him as a kitten I thought his color was very special. In Syracuse I got to meet Gordon who had 4 of his kittens with him, including Silverfoot P. I was impressed by his laid back character. Although he had never seen me before, I could carry him in the stretch position repeatedly to both ends of the show hall without no problem. And then ofcaurse his paws.... gotta love those paws:-)).
Can you tell us a little bit about Sil's toe configuration?
Silverfoot is a 4wd, which means he`s polydactyl on all 4 feet. He`s got 7 digits (dewclaw, thumb, dewclaw & 4 toes) on his right front foot, 6 digits (thumb, dewclaw & 4 toes) on his front left foot and on both rear feet 5 digits (dewclaw & 4 toes).
What do you like about having a polydactyl cat?
Well, I like the paws, but I must confess that I'm already used to them:) I don't see him use his paws differently than normal toed Maine Coons. But the sound of a walking and jumping poly Maine Coon is totally different:)
One evening before I went to sleep, I used the laserpointer to play with Silverfoot. The light was out so the little red point would be better visible. I felt Silverfoot hopping around on my bed trying to catch the point. Then he jumped of the bed and walked through the door opening to the living room. I moved the pointer back and ford between the door opening and my bed, but no Silverfoot. Well he probably got bored I thought. Then..... Wham... There went the laserpoint, smacked right out of my hand!! Guess who?
So, I experienced the strength of a poly paw:)
Are there many Maine Coon Polydactyl Cats in Holland?
Yes, quite a lot for such a small country.
What sort of reaction do you get generally from people in Holland about having a Maine Coon Polydcatyl Cat?
Well not many people know I`ve one, since he hasn`t been here that long. But if you are referring to the general attitude of people in Holland towards Maine Coon polys, I think the general public likes them very much. The breeders here are also very tolerant towards the Maine Coon polydactyl. Maybe this is because some of the first Maine Coon breeders here had polys too. Of course there`re breeders who are terrible against them, but they`re not in the majority.
What are your favourite things about Sil?
He hasn`t been here that long, but I like his soft high meow, the way he stretches himself, his sweet character, his paws, how he walks (he really is a teenager;-)), his goofy behavior and that he starts to purr when I pick him up.
You can visit Silverfoot P soon here at Five Islands
