Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about our feet. When it comes to our pets, we might sometimes have random thoughts about how adorable those little paws are, but that’s pretty much where it ends. Here are six things you probably didn’t know about your cat’s paws.
- The catwalk
Did you know that cats are digitigrades? Big word with a simple meaning: unlike us humans who walk on the soles of our feet, cats walk on the tips of their toes. And while doing this would cause a human to be completely out of balance, the cat is perfectly designed to walk this way. When she walks, the cat’s toes guide the paw at the correct angle. This in turn allows the back and shoulder muscles, legs, joints, tendons and nerves to be perfectly aligned when the cat moves, which help with weight distribution on the toes. All of these factors work together to help the cat move in that typical graceful, agile and quiet manner.
2. Paw anatomy
The cat’s front paws have five toes while the back paws only have four. Each paw has a large pad in the middle which consists of three lobes. This helps to absorb shock when landing and supports the main leg bone of the cat. The back paws are stronger than the front paws, further helping to absorb the impact when she runs or jumps. Each toe also has its own pad which assists in cushioning the foot. As cat owners will know, each toe also has a sharp claw. The claws are made of keratin and are covered in hard, dead keratin cells. They grow continuously, and cats can keep them short with activities like climbing. A vet can also trim your cat’s nails to prevent painful ingrown claws.
3. Did my cat lose a nail?
You might occasionally see pieces of your cat’s claws lying around near her scratching post.This is generally not a cause for worry. Cats shed their claws once every few months when it grows beyond the blood supply and simply falls off. She now has a sharp, new claw!
4. Scratching
Cats do like to scratch, and unfortunately sometimes our furniture has to pay the price. What is even more unfortunate is that some cat owners choose to surgically remove their cat’s claws. Did you know that the cat’s claw is not a nail, but in fact part of the last bone in the cat’s toe? To prevent the claw from growing back, the last joint of the cat’s toe needs to be amputated – this is 10 painful amputations! Also, your cat now has to walk on these amputated ‘fingers’, causing the feet to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can lead to further pain. Apart from the physical pain, declawing can also alter your cat’s behaviour. She has lost her self-defense weapon and now feels defenseless, which might cause her to become hostile. She can even become more prone to disease because she is constantly stressing about not being able to defend herself anymore.
5. Now you see them …
It is commonly believed that cats can retract their claws, but actually this works the other way around. When a cat is relaxed and feels no need to use her claws, they are not ‘pulled in’, but simply covered by a sheath of fur. When she does want to use her claws, the cat’s flexor tendons are pulled stiff. This causes her claws to be exposed – ready to take a nice, good stretch after a nap, or maybe to ‘discipline’ the dog!
6. Multi-purpose paws
Cats can use their paws to give ‘messages’ to other cats. They have glands in between their paw pads that secrete oil with a smell that only other cats can pick up. So when a cat scratches a tree or other surface, she is depositing her own personal scent, letting other cats know that she is in the area. Interestingly cats also sweat through their paw pads. This of course helps them to regulate body temperature, but it can also happen when your cat is feeling anxious.
