A Michael Broad Blog
This is an X-ray image that might interest some cat caretakers. It comes from a tweet. The owner says that his cat gets into mischief and he believes that he may have broken all four metacarpal bones of the forepaw when chasing a squirrel. He may have got his foot trapped and then pulled …
This is an article about cat lateralisation and whether they are left-pawed or right-pawed. ‘Lateralisation’ means favouring a limb. I also discuss dogs for comparison. In fact, an article in The Times prompted me to write about domestic cat lateralisation. It favours both cats and dogs to have a lateralisation brain as it avoids …
This picture of a paw print in snow from the forepaw of a domestic cat tells a story but what is the story? A picture is worth a thousand words, they say but what are those words? Pictures can mislead and they can tell the truth. They can get at the truth or they …
A tiger’s paw is enormous! The enormous size is made clear when you compare it with the size of a male human hand as this picture does. The Siberian tiger is the biggest species of tiger and therefore their paws should also be the biggest. I’m told that the width of the paw of …
If and when domestic cats use their paws to eat food or to drink water they do so in a very specific way. They scoop up the food such as dry food pellets or water from their bowl into their favoured paw and then take the paw to their mouth. Importantly, it is a …
During the Covid-19 pandemic should be wash our cat’s paws as we wash our hands to help stop the spread of the virus?
Cats have a refined sense of touch. Their paw pads are extremely sensitive. They are packed with receptors which provide information on what is underneath their paws. Also their claws are packed with nerve endings. These nerves tell the cat how far each claw is extended and the amount of resistance the claw is …
Here are four paw pics. The first shows a magnificent example of a Canada lynx. This is a great example of the species. The paws are especially impressive. They are normally large in relation to the overall size but these are amazing. The fur covering the paws is dense and long. The paws can …
