Inherited traits are passed down through an animal’s genetic code which is found in the animal’s DNA—a long molecule that is present in every cell in the body. The DNA contains thousands of genes. A gene is a specific DNA sequence that leads to the expression of an inherited characteristic. For example, there are genes that determine eye color, coat color, and other body characteristics.

And while we’re used to, for example, cats with 18 toes and puppies with 2 ears, sometimes an animal’s genes decide to play a trick on us, and it comes to this world with more (or less!) of these features. Continue scrolling and take a look at this Bored Panda list, compiled to show you what genetic surprises some of our beloved creatures possess!

#1 Cat Named Yoda Was Born With An Extra Set Of Ears

#2 Ren Is A Polydactyl With 6 Toes On Each Foot

Image credits: Aliendiaperbaby

#3 My Sister Found This Adorable Guy With Extra Toes

Image credits: TorchedBannana

#4 Met This Cat Today With Two Tails

Image credits: Fulcrum71

#5 Frankie Was Born With Four Ears And An Eye Deformity But He’s Still Purrfect

Image credits: Missy-Andry

#6 Doubled Fangs Of a kitten

Image credits: iceage2012

#7 The Cat At Our Warehouse Gave Birth To A Kitten Who Has An Extra Tiny Paw That Functions As A Thumb

Image credits: Bragapple

#8 Too Many Peets

Image credits: RickMcFlick

#9 Polydactyl Maine Coon

Image credits: robert_sijka

#10 This Unicorn Puppy Named Narwhal Was Found Abandoned With An Extra Tail On His Forehead

Image credits: Mac the pitbull

#11 Sansa Is A Special Needs Rescue Princess With Feline Hyperesthesia, Different Colored Eyes & More Toes Than You

Image credits: sansa.thecat

#12 This Is Skadi, The Norwegian Lundehund Puppy

This is one of the oldest breeds in the world and is recovering from near-extinction – in 1963, only 6 remained. Now there are 1600. They are naturally polydactyl, can close their ears to water, and bend their heads back 180 degrees.

Image credits: twenafeesh

#13 This Kitten With 7 Beans!

Image credits: Triceratons

#14 Meet Phoebe, The Polydactyl Highland Lynx Complete With Curled Ears And A Bobtail

Image credits: kaykykelkip

#15 Got My Cat Wholesale And He Came With 75% Extra Beans

Image credits: sobraticmethod

#16 I Adopted A Stray Dog With 2 Mouths, One Where The Ear Should Be

Toad is about 6 years old, she found her way to the shelter that I worked at several years ago. The whole staff was kind of in shock at her appearance. She was also highly aggressive when she came in. A shelter officer muzzled her and carried her to the vet clinic and while she was there being examined, it sounds goofy but literally, we made eye contact and she immediately relaxed.

That day I took her into my office to evaluate her and she immediately crawled into my lap. This big scary, insane-looking dog, just climbed into my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. I adopted her and we have been inseparable ever since.

Image credits: toadsearmouth

#17 My Brother’s Cat Has Extra Fangies

Image credits: micronostrils

#18 My Cat Is Polydactyl And Has 26 Toes. So I Named Him Toes

Image credits: Papa-Wu

#19 Say Hi To Our New Kitten Maximillion! He’s A Polydactyl Siamese

Image credits: damatt09

#20 Polydactyl Kitten In Clinic Today

Image credits: DrySheckles

#21 At Work Today We Literally Had A Mutant Cat Come Through… Extra Canine Tooth, Strongly Rooted

Image credits: saintlindsay

#22 A Cat With An Opposable Thumb. I For One Welcome Our New Cat Overlords

Image credits: cronkgarrow

#23 Sleepy Polydactyl Kitten With An Extra 6 Toes

Image credits: highrollerbipolar

#24 My New Love! She’s A Polydactyl She Has 6 Toes On Each Foot! Any Names?

Image credits: ladygargoyle

#25 My Polydactyl Kitty Stella

Image credits: jene-brooke

#26 Our Little Ginger Polydactyl Kitten

We rescued him and his calico sister from under a neighbour’s deck when they were ~2.5 weeks old. We had to bottle feed them at first, and now they’re eating machines. And super playful and healthy!

Image credits: StreetSpiritFO

#27 Joey

Image credits: eimeardelarosa

#28 Extra Beans

Image credits: smartas

#29 Polydactyl Peek-A-Boo

Image credits: Cynthiadawn

#30 Skippy’s Toes. He Was A Kitten I Fostered Last Year Who Had Radial Hypoplasia And A Lot Of Toes

Image credits: youngestoldcatlady

#31 This Is Migi, Our Polydactyl 6-Year-Old Cat

Adopted another older, shy girl from the shelter. When we met her, she looked sad, wasn’t food motivated and poor girl still needs some dental work done.

Image credits: chomps44

#32 Found A Kitty With Extra Beans At The Lake. Meet Pawla Abdul

Image credits: unlimitedJUICE

#33 Philo! He’s Our New Kitten That Is Polydactyl. He Has Six Toes On The Back And 5 On Front

Image credits: TheBeardedAntt

#34 Polydactyl Kitten Born With 23 Beans

Image credits: Millenial__Falcon

#35 Meet Meow Mao, A Kitty With An Extra Toe On Each Foot

Image credits: BARNHILLSFAN

#36 Dem Peets

Image credits: reddit.com

#37 My Polydactyl Foster Kitten

So I’m fostering my first polydactyl kitten, Arya, and I just find her paws so fascinating. And here’s her front left paw with seven toes, too! Each of her back paws has five toes. So while kittens are supposed to have 18 toes, she has 24!

Image credits: KittensForDays

#38 Amelia And Her Two Faced Cat

Image credits: GallowBoob

#39 This Cat Has Both Heterochromia And Extra Toes

Image credits: sansa.thecat

#40 Aunt-In-Law Has A Very Beany Boy With Not Just One, But Two Extra Toes. On Every Paw

Image credits: screamingapathetic

#41 Here Is My Rescue Baby

Image credits: SayianPrincess19

#42 I Drove Over An Hour One Way To Pick Up My Purrito With Extra Beans From A Shelter In The Middle Of Nowhere. Meet Zula

Image credits: Daiiga

#43 This My Nugget At 2 Months Old And 1 Year Old. She’s My Stunted Growth, Cross Eyed, Head Tilted, Polydactyl, Special Kitty

Image credits: Sikarum

#44 My Highland Lynx Kitten Is Polydactyl On All Four Paws

Image credits: ashabu

#45 Our Cat, Waffles. Total 25 Toes

Image credits: likelylikely

#46 Felina, Showing How Unique She Is

Image credits: stopofani

#47 I Was Able To Get A Good Shot Of Her Little Paws With The Extra Toes

Image credits: shasssta

#48 Friend’s Cat Has Black Chin, So It Always Looks Surprised. It’s Also A Polydactyl And Had Thumbs

Image credits: placeboob

#49 My Kitten Showing Off Her Polydactyl Toe Beans

Image credits: ChunkyBlowfish

#50 My Friend’s Polydactyl Half-Lynx Kitten. Her Name Is Nimh

Image credits: BaronVonDouchebag

#51 This Kitten Has Two Extra Toes

Image credits: manicandflood

#52 This Kitty Got An Extra Helping Of Toe Beans

Image credits: cr250guy

#53 So Many Beanzzzz. This Is A 4,5 Month Old Polydactyl Mane Coon, He’s Gonna Be So Big

Image credits: cfuller1001

#54 Too Many Toes, Got Stuck In The Screen

Image credits: InhaleExplode

#55 Galileo Pad Thai Has Extra Beans And Would Like To Share

Image credits: itsachrysis

#56 Loki And His Extra Beans

Image credits: heytabby

#57 High Five

Image credits: the_erniegram

#58 Meet Sam, My Polydactyl (Extra Toes) Kitty. Also Known As A Hemingway Cat

Image credits: ididntknw

#59 My Newly Adopted Kitten Is Polydactyl! Both Front Paws Have An Extra Finger So It Looks Like He Has Little Thumbs

Image credits: WhitePopcornCeiling

#60 This Was A First For Me, Anyone Ever Seen A Dog With Two Canine Teeth? Other Side Was Completely Normal. Breed Is Husky

Image credits: JennMarieXo

#61 My Polydactyl Penelope At The Vet

Image credits: baby_blue_bird

#62 Meet My New Boi! He’s Got Floopy Ears And Extra Toes! But He Doesn’t Have A Name Yet

Image credits: toocoo

#63 Polydactyl Cats Are Cats Born With More Than The Usual Amount Of Toes On Their Paws Due To Mutation

In the past, sailors believed that they brought good luck and kept them, as they believed the extra digits give polydactyl cats better balance, important when at sea. 

Image credits: skyfall91404

#64 Little Cheeto And His Extra Toes

Image credits: BabyJay23

#65 Littlefoot Has Some Extra Toes

Image credits: yeezyblender

#66 My Cat Has An Extra Toe On Each Paw So It Looks Like He Has Mittens On

Image credits: tstitz

#67 My 87 Year Old Grandma With Her 27 Year Old, 24 Toed, Polydactyl Cat

Image credits: eggplnt

#68 His Name Is Cosmos, He’s Helped Me Through A Lot Of Mess In The Past Two Years. I Love Him And His Extra Toes

Image credits: Ducky218

#69 Sleepy Boy Has A Few Extra Toes

Image credits: Chimpbot

#70 Happy 3rd Birthday Kingsley! Love You So Much

Image credits: kingsleythelynx

#71 I Rescued This Baby Last Night. Just Discovered That It Was A Boy. He’s Polydactyl, Thinking Of Naming Him Rugen

Image credits: gregrawry

#72 Saturday Mornings With Brother Calzone

Image credits: iamjamalskii

#73 7-Week-Old Bella With Her Sweet Smile And Polydactyl Mitten Paws

Image credits: vergissmeinnicht101

#74 Polydactyl Toe Beans

Image credits: nocturnaltrekker

#75 The Polydactyl Chonk I Catsit Every So Often. He Weighs About 25 Lbs And Has Paws Almost As Big As My Hands

Image credits: foodfoodfood23

#76 Leg Broken In 2 Places But Still Got Sexy Legs And Thumbs

Image credits: Pemigewasset

#77 This Little Piggy Went To Market, This Little Piggy Stayed Home, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef, But Wait, He Did Have Three Little Piggies Who Stayed For Some

Image credits: Lucy's Vet Ventures

#78 The Cat At Our Warehouse Gave Birth To A Kitten Who Has An Extra Tiny Paw That Functions As A Thumb

Image credits: Bragapple

#79 My Sister’s Cat Has An Extra Digit On Each Front Paw. Looks Like He’s Wearing Mittens

Image credits: fabricator123

#80 Remi On His Way To His New Home

Image credits: julzzoo

#81 Meet Pieds (French For Feet). This Handsome, Sweet Boy Has 7 Toes On Each Front Paw And 6 On Each Back

Image credits: catdestiny

#82 Didn’t Want To Miss Out On Thumbs Up Thursday

Image credits: weston_the_polydactyl_cat

#83 I’ve Got Extra Beans

Image credits: sanderjam

#84 Adopted Another Little Girl. Her Name’s Gemma, She’s About 8 Months Old, And A Polydactyl Kitty! She’s Got Extra Beans On All 4 Paws

Image credits: dovahxqueen

#85 Helloooo

Image credits: littleprinceofnyc

#86 Kitty Has Extra Jelly Beans For You

Image credits: the_ocalhoun

#87 Meet Dexter, My New Polydactyl Kitten

Image credits: Roach_franco

#88 Mittens. The Polydactyl Cat

Image credits: Itsaliciarose

#89 My Friend Has A Polydactyl Cat. He Looks Like He Is Throwing A Gang Sign

Image credits: mlcolosimo

#90 My Cat Is Polydactyl. 7 Toes On One Paw

Image credits: SublimeBudd

#91 My Kitten I Got Yesterday. She Has Two Extra Toes And I Think It Looks Super Cool

Image credits: LordofShadows333

#92 My Polydactyl Cat Has Extra Paws Instead Of Just Extra Toes

Image credits: xAsilos

#93 Thor The Polydactyl Maine Coon Showing Off Those Giant Mitts. Almost 8 Months Old

Image credits: blackunycorn

#94 My Friend Has Extra Fingers

Image credits: EG2K_00

#95 This Is Ernie. He’s A Polydactyl, 22 Pounds, And Always Looks Angry

Image credits: angel85679

#96 Polydactyl Toe Beans On A Newborn Kitten

Image credits: Sharmasaurusrex

#97 My Polydactyl Cat Seven

Image credits: rosenes2

#98 My Best Friend’s Polydactyl Kitten, Hemingway

Image credits: simmba_pop

#99 Wesley, Our Polydactyl Tabby. So Many Toes

Image credits: CarnivalLaw

#100 My Cat Has Thumbs

Image credits: lacey_puff

#101 Daisy Is A Polydactyl (Extra Toe Beans)

Image credits: YoSoyMilk

#102 Strawberry Flavored Polydactyl Beans

Image credits: KruddyCat

#103 Fry Basically Has An Extra Paw On Each Front Foot, With An Almost Full Extra Pad, And 3 Tiny Extra Toes. I’ve Never Seen Such Severe Polydactylism! I Love All His Little Toe Beans

Image credits: girl.on.saturn

#104 The Sweetest Face

Image credits: carolinegrace111

#105 Enjoying My Favorite Pastime

Image credits: leonardo_thehighlander

#106 I’m Totally Obsessed With These Paws

Image credits: jackelfluffs

#107 It Is Hard For Me To Resist His Extra Beans When They Wave For My Attention

Image credits: Pemigewasset

#108 Just Look At That Paw

Image credits: ksrudolf

#109 Beans Loved The Attention At Her First Appointment Today! She’s A Unique One With All Her Extra Toe Beans

Image credits: alpineanimalhospital

#110 Thumby Boiii

Image credits: Shlaaaaay

#111 Found This Little Polydactyl Kitten On My Porch The Other Night

Vet thinks he’s 6-7 weeks old. After around 4 baths and many brushes we think he is now flea free and can joint the rest of the crew. Every meet Hemi (after Ernest Hemingway).

Image credits: trc2410

#112 Meet Our Polydactyl Baby Amira! I Call Her Bonus Beans

Image credits: Hamerynn

#113 A Polydactyl Cat Nudged It’s Way Through My Door And Made Itself At Home, After Previously Following Me Home Multiple Times, We Named Him Thumper

Image credits: Xinex_C

#114 A Unicorn Came Into The Shelter Today: Polydactyl Highland Lynx

Image credits: lentilbeanz

#115 Meet My Polydactyl Cat, Lila. Extra Toes, Extra Awkward

Image credits: miscmktg

#116 One Of Our Polydactyl Foster Kittens Was Not A Fan Of The Camera

Image credits: mostepicswordy66

#117 This Is My Polydactyl Kitten, And He Has 6 Toes On All Four Paws

Image credits: annoyingthebirds

#118 Polydactyl Kitty Would Like To Come Inside

Image credits: sasa33

#119 Today I Met This 17 Year Old Meow Pal Named Musty. He Had Extra Toes And An Old Man Meow And Honestly I Would Do Anything For Him

Image credits: meowpal33

#120 What These Twin Gentlemen Lack In Mental Capacity, They Make Up For In Extra Toes

Image credits: heathre

#121 Cats Are Like Pringles: You Can’t Have Just One. Just Applied To Adopt Otis The Polydactyl Cat From The City Pound

Image credits: shy_sirens

#122 Adopted This Little Polydactyl A Few Weeks Ago, Wanted To Share His Lovely Extra Beans With The Internet

Image credits: wistycat

#123 Polydactyl Foster Kitten Beans

Image credits: wulizhen

#124 Polydactyl Plane. Pilot Does Not Appreciate The Neighbors’ Fireworks

Image credits: annihilatress

#125 Recently Rescued A Feral Cat But I’ve No Ideas On What To Name Her. She’s Polydactyl – Has Extra Toes

Image credits: dancing_moon_jellies

#126 Meet Pancake

Image credits: quinnandtonic

#127 My Super Goofy, Super Polydactyl Son, Knuckles

Image credits: roxythejester

#128 Little Jinx Showing Off His Extra Beans

Image credits: brandyradio

#129 My Rabbit Kick Polydactyl

Image credits: monkeykins

#130 My Polydactyl Cat Using His Extra Toes To Balance

Image credits: Alauraize

#131 Polydactyl (Extra-Toed) Cat At Ernest Hemingway’s House In Key West

Image credits: Shannenj

#132 Polydactyl Rocky (Girl). 8 Weeks Old

Image credits: LeroyTheBigCat

#133 My Friends Dog Had Puppies. One Was Born Polydactyl

Image credits: punkrocker0621

Source: boredpanda.com