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So....What was the point of the polydactyl cats? Why did they keep showing up? What was the significance? They were the subject of so many epileptic trees, and now that it's all over, it hardly seems like they did a thing. Were they just meant to be a red herring, or perhaps an unused plot point?

Rick's (therefore Joan's) cats were polydactyl...and then you guys flipped out about it and it became hilarious XD

Don't tell them that, Dana. Tell them it's like LOST, and its one of the great mysteries we had planned from the beginning and just decided not to reveal this particular one.

That wasn't the answer I was expecting, but thanks. Glad we brought you so much amusement.

WackyMeetsPractical wrote:That wasn't the answer I was expecting, but thanks. Glad we brought you so much amusement.

Wait, it was blatant trolling. What DID you expect then? O.o

Okay, next question. How did you find so many polydactyl cats? And why did you decide to have Cheshire attracted to them?

Rule of Funny, mostly. And once it was established canon, well...you know how it goes.

Curses, Law Of Conservation Of Detail played a trick on me.
But you gotta admit, it totally looked like there was a wall-crossing cat.

It does make me wonder why Joan needed cat pictures in the first place, considering that it had nothing to do with the plot, and besides the cats, Joan hasn't posted much of anything not regarding her work with Sweeney, so the cat pictures did feel out of place and significant.

They were the password to her voicemail.

She was really excited about her cats, probably. I know she's not the only one who has ever done that before. Ahem.

Also yes, the above.

Tom wrote:They were the password to her voicemail.

I forgot that. Oohhhhhhhhhh! You just blew my mind.

To be fair, it was actually established in an old, random tweet that Cheshire thought highly of polydactyl cats. The writer who originally came up with that (I think Dana takes the credit on that one) technically started it.

When it came time to do the voicemail puzzle, we were actually stumped on how to relay the password surreptitiously until someone mentioned that it could be a pet's name. Since I have a metric ton of photos of Locke and Truman, we knew that we could just repurpose all of those. We knew folks would catch onto them being important quickly enough.

Of course, I didn't pay too much attention to what pics were used, so I didn't even notice that one with Locke's thumbs being visible was used until folks started flipping out about it. Mind you, players flipping out and creating wacky theories is something puppet masters live for. I had even forgotten that Cheshire had previously made comments about polydactyl cats. So we all got highly amused, and polydactyl cat jokes kind of became a hilarious thing.

Now, if you're specifically asking about where Locke and Truman came from, I live just outside of Boston. Boston has, by far, the highest rate by population of polydactylity in felines in the world. In fact, areas with ocean connection to Boston typically have higher rates of polydactylity as Boston cats bring it elsewhere. If you live in this area, you practically have your choice of thumb cats to adopt. When my wife and I decided to adopt, we interviewed with four pairs of kittens for potential adoption - and three pairs had thumbs. It's just one of the things about living nearby.

For the record, both cats are very sweet. Locke is a bold and curious cat, and he typically likes to quickly bound up and show affection by rubbing against a leg. Truman likes to act aloof at first, but he ends up loving affection even more than Locke - he typically leaps into pets and prefers a firm rub to the lighter strokes that Locke likes. Truman even loves belly rubs - know how The Oatmeal says rubbing a cat's belly is like frolicking on the backhairs of an angel? Truman thinks Heaven should have an open-gate policy.

Oh yeah, I think there was a tweet about thumbs that I made?

Yup, yup, here it is.


Cheshire Cat ‏@AVeryMadCat
Will they join me?

Kyle ‏@IgnoreTheInsane
@AVeryMadCat *Crosses fingers*

Cheshire Cat ‏@AVeryMadCat
@IgnoreTheInsane If only I were polydactyl...then my paws would cross...#meeyow

Dryunya wrote:

Rick Healey wrote:Now, if you're specifically asking about where Locke and Truman came from, I live just outside of Boston. Boston has, by far, the highest rate by population of polydactylity in felines in the world. In fact, areas with ocean connection to Boston typically have higher rates of polydactylity as Boston cats bring it elsewhere.

In a world erased by the nuclear war, a new civilization rises from the ashes of mankind.

BOSTON CATS
Coming soon

You laugh, but Locke has almost figured out doorknobs. Truman actually prefers to sit in chairs like a human instead of curled up like a cat. They even pet us with their paws to show affection sometimes. We're fairly certain that they think they're human.

Cat evolution is outstripping human evolution. Doctor Who's vision of the future - the one with all the cat people - may not be that far-fetched