Have you ever watched your kitty pal when it’s swatting a toy across the floor? How about when they’re trying to get your attention, and you’re ignoring them? When you notice these things, have you ever noticed which paw your cat uses to do them?
A new study has found that cats can be right or left-pawed.1 We’ve known for some time that dogs are right or left-pawed, but cats are a new finding. With dogs, it’s pretty easy to tell by asking them to shake and seeing which paw they use. Cats are a whole other story since most cats will seldom do anything you tell them to on demand. So, how do you tell if your cat is right or left-pawed?
Steps for Finding Out If Your Cat is Right or Left-Pawed
There are, of course, different ways to tell which paw your cat favors, but we’ll give you the steps for one of them below.
Step One: Drop a Treat into a Clear Plastic Container
You’ll first want to grab a clear plastic container and drop one of your cat’s treats into it. Make sure that the cat sees you dropping the treat and that it’s interested enough to follow up on it.
Step Two: Watch Closely to See Which Paw the Cat Uses
Watch closely as your cat tries to get the treat out of the container. The paw the cat uses first to try and retrieve the treat is the cat’s dominant paw. According to studies conducted, over 40% of cats are left-pawed, and 10% are ambidextrous.
That’s it. You can try this test a few times to assure yourself that your cat is right or left-pawed, but usually, the first test tells the tale. It may take your cat a few tries to get the treat out of the container. Also, make sure to give your cat the treat when it’s done because it’s certainly earned it, don’t you think?
Final Thoughts
So, cats can be left- or right-pawed, which may surprise some pet parents. If you’ve ever wondered which one your cat is, try the test above to find out. We all know that cats are curious creatures, so you shouldn’t have any problem getting your cat to go for the treat in the container. However, if you do, you can try giving the cat a treat, then let it watch you put another one in the container so that the cat will know there are more treats.
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Featured Image Credit: Andrei Metelev, Shutterstock
