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- Experiment at home to find out if your cat is right-handed or left-handed
- Scientific experiments on which your home test is based...
- And what did the results reveal?
Surely you know that most humans are right-handed, that is, they use their right hand to carry out their main activities. But did you know that cats also have one of the dominant paws?
If you are currently wondering if the is your cat right-handed or left-handed, in this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain how to find out the answer! Keep reading!
Experiment at home to find out if your cat is right-handed or left-handed
If you're with your cat, you can find out right now if he's right-handed or left-handed. You'll just need a treat that he loves and a glass or bottle that allows you to put the treat in there.
start with put the snack into the bottle and leave it within reach of your cat in a place in the house where it feels safe and comfortable. Curiosity is inherent in the feline nature. Your cat's keen sense of smell will make him approach the bottle to peek at what is so delicious inside. Now you just need to wait and watch which paw your feline uses to get the treat out of the bottle. It is recommended that you repeat the experiment at least 3 times to make sure which paw your cat uses the most. If he uses his right paw, he is right-handed. If you use the left paw more often, because your kitten is left-handed! If you notice that he regularly alternates between his two legs, you have an ambidextrous feline!
You should ensure that your cat can put his paw into the jar without getting hurt and that he can get the treat out of it easily so that this experience doesn't cause him frustration.
Scientific experiments on which your home test is based...
Science has discovered that having a dominant hand is not unique to human beings. Among the animals that show a certain predisposition to use one more foreleg are our dear domestic felines.
Different tests were carried out by researchers from different universities, such as the Center for Veterinary Neurology at the University of California:
- In the first test, they made a challenge to the cats in which they placed a toy that was attached to their head and that they were dragged in a straight line in front of them as they walked.
- In the second experiment, it was something more complex: the cats had to take a treat from the interior of a very narrow container, which forced them to use either their paws or their mouths.
And what did the results reveal?
The results of the first test revealed that the cats did not show any preference for using any of the front paws. Despite this, when they were exposed to the most complex challenge, they somehow demonstrated a certain symmetry, revealing a slight preference for the right paw.
By summarizing the results of all the tests, we conclude that between 45% and 50% of cats turned out to be right-handed and between 42% and 46% of cats demonstrated to have a dominant left paw. The percentage of ambidextrous was very low, between 3 and 10%, depending on the study.
When the results were analyzed by sex separately, in the study carried out by researchers and psychologists at the University of Belfast, it was observed that the females are mostly right-handed, while the males are predominantly left-handed.
Although there is still no explanation for the relationship between the animal's sex and the dominant paw, this preference is visible in more complex tasks. In other words, like us, cats can perform small tasks with both paws, but when it comes to a more complex challenge, they use the dominant paw.
Do this experiment at home with your cat and tell the result in the comments below. We want to know if your cat is right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous!
