A very thoughtful Des Moines Police Det. Mike Thomas gave his mother ”Bigfoot Benny,” the polydactyl, for Christmas.

No, that’s not some strange dinosaur ancestor, although, admittedly, it is a little bit weird.

Actually, Bigfoot Benny is a super-cute, friendly kitten that needed a new home. He is around 3 months old, shorthaired black with white markings…and six toes on both his front feet, giving him big bear paws.

That makes him a polydactyl, also known as a “Hemmingway Kitty Cat.”

Nobel Prize–winning author Ernest Hemingway was one of the more famous lovers of polydactyl cats, after being first given a six-toed cat by a ship's captain.

Upon Hemingway's death, his former home in Key West, Florida, became a museum and a home for his cats and it currently houses approximately fifty descendants of his cats, about half of which are polydactyl.

Because of his love for these animals, "Hemingway Kitty Cat" is a term, which has come to describe polydactyls.

Des Moines Animal Control Officer Jan Magnuson was looking for a home for Benny this holiday season and Det. Thomas stepped right up to claim him for his mother.

She lives alone so was looking forward to some feline companionship.

“Another sweet pet in a new home! Happy Holidays everyone,” Magnuson exclaimed.

Like all cats adopted out by Magnuson, Benny was vet-checked, neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped.

If you are interested in adopting a stray cat or dog, contact Magnuson at 206-870-6549 or 206-878-3301.