Polydactyl Maine Coon Kitten's Enormous Paws Look Just Like Hobbit Feet
No matter how tiny a kitten may be as a baby, it can be easy to predict just how big they'll grow to be as an adult cat just by looking at the size of their paws. And for the Maine Coon in this TikTok video, that means she's going to grow up to be one huge cat.
Meet Helga, the kitten whose giant paws are more like Hobbit feet:
@izskazki3 Helga Полидакт 6/6/6/6 Хельга в поисках семьи К переезду будет готова в конце июля . Мы находимся на юге Франции Буду рада передать вам эту красоту лично в руки.А так же ее может привести к вам домой наш водитель #izskazki#веномята#mainecoonkitten#mainecoon#mainecoonfrance
original sound - love1980songs
On June 14, @izskazki3 shared this video of their kitten, Helga, who is absolutely gorgeous - there are few cats out there who are more stunning than a Black Smoke Maine Coon like she is.
As Helga makes her way toward the camera to the tune of "Ice Ice Baby", we can see her gigantic paws in action. They seem pretty mismatched with her tiny body, but there's no doubt she will stay tiny for long. After all, Maine Coons are the biggest domestic breed of cats.
Still, people simply cannot get over these paws, as evidenced by the comments on the video.
"The feets are too much! I was not prepared!" one person wrote.
Another viewer commented, "I bet that baby would be a great swimmer with those flippers." (They might not actually be too far off with this prediction; many Maine Coons are known for loving the water, which is unusual for most cat breeds.)
I hope Helga's humans share more footage of her when she's fully grown, because I'm dying to know just how big she'll get!
Related: ‘Tortie Smoke' Maine Coon's Face Looks Painted by Hand
Why Some Cats Are Born With Extra Toes
It seems like polydactyly wouldn't be all that common, but for cats, it's actually not that rare, and according to PetMD, it's even more common in Maine Coon cats, who are more likely to have extra toes.
But how does it happen? It all comes down to genetics, like all traits.
"When a polydactyl cat breeds with a non-polydactyl cat, the offspring have a 50% chance of inheriting the polydactyl gene," veterinarian Alejandro R. Caos told PetMD. "If both parent cats are polydactyl, the likelihood of their offspring being polydactyl increases."
For cats, being polydactyl usually means having just a couple of extra toe beans beyond the 18 that all kitties are born with. Some cats will end up having more than one or two extra toes, though, and that is actually considered rare.
The good news is that being polydactyl is basically just a fun fact of life for your cat. Those extra toes shouldn't impact their health or their mobility one bit, so don't worry if your cat happens to have Hobbit feet like Helga. It's no big deal!
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 8:30 AM.