All cats are digitigrade; that is, they walk on their toes. You probably know this. Incidentally, they walk with a direct register gait which means that the paw prints made by the forelegs are occupied by the paw prints made by the hind legs as the cat walks forwards.
The distal phalange (phalanx) of each toe has a sharp, curved and retractile claw attached to it. They serve to hold prey, assist in climbing, allow the cat to stretch their back, allow the cat to deposit scent through their paws onto vertical and horizontal objects, scratch their skin, remove dead hair, remove ectoparasites and so on. They serve a lot of purposes. All the more reason why it is frankly obscene to remove this short phalange beyond the last joint of the toe in the declawing operation.
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There can only be one reason why cats are digitigrade: evolution to create a more effective predator through superb athleticism, mobility, speed and agility.
Walking on their toes allows cats to combine quickness with agility and power. Digitigrade anatomy works in conjunction with the cat’s lithe body and flexible spine. The hind limbs are well-muscled. It’s a harmony of proficient anatomy designed with one objective; hunting prowess. The soft toe pads distribute the cat’s weight over the balls of the feet. This gives the cat a fluid walking motion.
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Other parts of the cat’s anatomy achieve the same objective. The powerful jaw muscles are anchored to a strong sagittal crest which runs down the middle of the exterior of the highly domed skull.
The foreshortened face and powerful jaw muscles provide a mechanical advantage leading to a strong bite force at the tips of the cat’s canine teeth.
The cat’s tail, for example, serves many purposes both in terms of social interactions (e.g., the friendly tail-up greeting) and to assist in keeping balance. This is an important attribute because the cat is invariably a good or excellent climber. They need this clever balancing tool to stay safe.
