Six-toed cats have a long history of being associated with ships. In Norway they are known as skipskatt, which means "ship cat." Sailors found six-toed cats to be better mousers than their kin with fewer digits, and they believed that they were particularly lucky to carry onboard. The association with shipping might explain the areas of the world that have particularly high concentrations of cats with extra toes.

Polydactyl cats are said to be less common in parts of Europe where they were killed during witch trials. Cats with extra toes were considered more likely to have demonic connections.