Cat Feet Information

Anatomy

• According to the website Paws Online, each of a cat's front paws contains seven pads. The five digital pads have claws. The small wrist pad (pisiform) sits just above the wrist bone, on the back of the leg. The plantar pad, on the bottom of the foot, is the main support for the leg and contains three lobes. The plantar pad absorbs shock and is the cushion for the weight-bearing bones of the leg.

Foot Care

• The ASPCA recommends examining your cat's feet regularly for debris and injury. In hot and cold weather, your cat's paws may need to be moisturized, as the skin can dry out and crack, which can lead to pain and infection. In some long-haired cats, hair growing between the toes can be irritating. Keeping this hair trimmed can keep long-haired cats comfortable.

Scratching

• Cat's nails are constantly shedding their outer sheaths, and cats need to scratch in order to keep their nails healthy. Providing scratching posts can prevent your cat from scratching your furniture. Trimming your cat's nails can also keep scratching to a minimum, according to Vetinfo.

Declawing

• Declawing, or feline onychectomy, is an extreme procedure involving the amputation of the last joint of the cat's foot. Many organizations, including the Human Society of the United States and the ASPCA, recommend against declawing in all but the most extreme circumstances of zoonotic (animal to human) illness or pathological scratching. In many cases, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, unwanted scratching behaviors can be modified with training.

Polydactyl Cats

• Polydactyl cats have a congenital anomaly characterized by more than the usual number of toes. Polydactyl cats may have up to seven toes on one or more of their feet. The writer Earnest Hemingway famously had polydactyl cats, and it is thought that many polydactyl cats alive today are ancestors of his original brood, according to Maine Coon Polydactyl International.