Which paw to choose? Cats show preferences between right and left, although the reason is not yet clear.
Which paw do cats prefer to use? You won't believe it, but cats too would have their favorite paw, the one they move more easily.
This is confirmed by a study by Queen's University of Belfast, published in Animal Behavior, according to which females are generally right-handed, while males prefer the use of the left paw.
This study explored, for the first time, the expression of spontaneous lateralized behavior in the domestic cat, a species that exhibits motor polarization precisely in the form of paw preferences. The aim of the researchers is also to understand, through the preferences of the paw, the vulnerability of an animal to stressful conditions.
A systematic review
The researchers focused on the voluntary behavior of 44 cats (24 males and 20 females) examined in the course of their household activities (grooming, feeding, using the litter box). The cats were then subjected to a "food test", organized in such a way as to encourage the cats to retrieve the morsels with the help of the right or left forelimb, for 50 repetitions.
The data does not reveal a clear predominance of right-handers, as it is among humans (about 90% of people are right-handed), however each cat would display a dominant pawOverall, 73% of cats had a paw preference when reaching for food, 70% had a "better paw" to put forward when descending stairs, and 66% had a paw preference for entering the litter box. Overall, the same paw was preferred for each task. However, only 25% of cats had a preference for which side they lay on.
"Left-handed animals, which rely more intensely on the right hemisphere to process information, tend to exhibit stronger fear responses, aggressive outbursts, and cope negatively with stressful situations than right-handed, more reliant animals. to the left hemisphere for processing, ”explains Deborah Wells, co-author of the research, adding that the right hemisphere is more responsible for processing negative emotions.
Finally, there seems to be a difference in the difference between the sexes: male cats show a greater propensity towards the use of the left paw, while females generally prefer the right paw.
Right or left, our cats know more than the devil to charm us with their behavior, don't you think?
Read also:
- Black cat: history of superstition (and why it brings good luck!)
- Cats are affectionate and sociable, they don't just act out of interest!
- Cats, the guardians who protect our souls
Germana Carillo
