Cat Behavior 101,  Odin,  Secrets of Cats

iPad or All About Cat Pads

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

Kitty-iPad-pads -paws-cats-anatomy-behavior

When Odin (pictured above) goes outdoors with me, he’s very active climbing trees and doing agility training on a variety of surfaces. The paw pads cushion and act like shock absorbers giving cats the grace of an Olympic gymnast. I like to check all my cats’ paws (and often wash off mud!) afterwards. I use a warm, wet cloth but no soap. Pink pads are harder to clean than black ones but easier to spot any injuries. The pads are tough but can be pierced by thorns or sharp objects or wood splinters (even indoors). By checking your cat’s paws regularly, you’ll know when something might be amiss. These sensitive pads contain sweat glands and can absorb chemicals from floor cleaning and other products. Chances are what ever your cat walk on will be licked off. If painting or doing other household projects, keep kitty away.

Unless a cat is polydactyl, meaning having extra toes, each front foot has four toe pads, a large pad (metacarpal) in the center and a rough protruding pad called a carpal pad. The two back feet have four pads plus a larger center pad (metatarsal). Each toe has a claw plus the extra dewclaw on the front legs. Cats can flex and extend their paws to almost twice their width for gripping prey and climbing surface.

Odin’s paw pads are piebald, meaning there are two colors, pink and black. The color of the fur near the paws pad determines the color. Darker fur results in gray to black pads and lighter or white fur results in pink pads.

How many toes does your cat have? And what color?

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