She has six toes on each of her front paws and has been named Smartie by the organisation which has taken her in.

Now it is hoped the black and white cat can be reunited with her owners or, if not, found a new permament home.

The Canterbury branch of Cats Protection took her in after she was found in a garden in Oakdale Road, Herne Bay.

She had no collar or microchip tag. Smartie is affectionate, probably middle aged, with black back, white legs and stomach and white stripe across her shoulders.

Anyone recognising her is asked to help reunite here with her owners. Failing that, a new home will be sought.

The legendary novelist Ernest Hemingway is the most famous owner of a six-toed cat.

He received a female called Snow White as a gift from a ship’s captain at his hometown in Key West in 1935. Many descendants of that original cat still live in Florida, all of them polydactyls, the scientific description for cats with a genetic glitch.

Anyone with information or prepared to offer Smartie a new home should ring Cats Protection on 05602 965182.