Can Cats Be Right or Left Pawed?

Overview

Objectives/Goals I think that cats are right of left pawed. My objective was to determine if cats have a dominant paw. Methods/Materials The materials I used included a small box with a hole cut in the top, a cat toy with a string attached and cat treats. I made up three tests to observe whether or not the cat used a dominant paw. I also designed a data sheet on my computer to log all testing information. The procedures I used included putting a small treat in a box that had a small hole in it; I moved a toy on a string around in front of each cat to bat at. I observed and recorded each test. I also picked up each cat and gently placed it back down on the ground to see which paw was used as the cat stepped away. I tested my own cats as well as most of the cats living at the Tuolumne County Humane Society. Results More cats showed the use of a dominant paw than not. Six of the cats tested used their left paw more dominantly than their right paw. Four of the cats tested used their right paw more dominantly than their left. Two of the cats tested were too shy to react at all to the tests. One cat tested was undefined whether it had a dominant paw or not. Conclusions/Discussion The test results conclude that cats can be left or right pawed. My hypothesis was proven correct. Like humans prefer left or right hands, cats prefer to use one paw more than the other.

Competition history

• CSEF 2009 Mammalian Biology · Entry J1401

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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