Cat Paw Print Facts

Cat paw prints, which usually denote a nearby cat, can fill people with either joy or horror. Egyptians were in the former category, highly regarding cats, while medieval folks were in the latter, finding cats unlucky and evil. People today enjoy cat paw prints on artwork or fashion, or become annoyed when they see them tracking up their windshield or near holes dug deep in their gardens.

  1. Identification

    • Cat paw prints generally have four toes and one paw pad for each print. The top part of the paw pad nearest the toes has two lobes, or rounded humps. The back portion of the paw pad has three lobes. The front paws usually leave a larger paw print than a cat’s back paws and the paw pad is slightly different between the two. The front paw’s paw pad has straight sides while the back paw’s paw pad has sides that are slightly curved inward.

    Versus Dog Print

    • Cat and dog paw prints are very similar, but a few details set them apart. Cats usually walk with their claws retracted, so paw prints with nail marks at the top of the toes will most likely be a dog print. Cat toes leave a print that is slightly triangular at their tops, whereas dog toe prints have a rounded top. The front two toes in a dog print are even with each other, while one of the cat’s front toes will be slightly above the other in a cat paw print.

    Size

    • Cat paw prints range from less than 1 inch wide for the smallest of kittens to more than 4 inches wide. Some of the biggest cat paw prints in North America come from the mountain lion, which Bear Tracker says is the largest wild cat on the continent. Also known as pumas, panthers, cougars or catamounts, mountain lions have tracks with the same characteristics as their smaller cousins, just on a much grander scale.

    Variations

    • Cat paw prints will sometimes vary from the norm. Polydactyl cats, which are born with an extra appendage that resembles a thumb, leave a print that shows that extra paw pad. Instead of four toes on the print, it will have five, with the fifth one near the inner bend of the paw pad. One extra toe is usually on each of the front paws, although some cats will have extra toes on their back paws as well. Another variation on the standard print occurs when a cat is pouncing, at which time the paw print will show claw marks from extracted claws.

    Uses

    • From artwork to stationery, cat paw prints pop up all over. Paw prints may be found on jewelry, stickers, stamps, stencils, T-shirts, hats, statues, murals, neckties, journals and tattoos. Owners can memorialize their dearly departed cat with headstones and urns that feature cat paw prints. Cat paw prints show up in literature, like Jan Humphrey’s 1996 book “The Co-dependent Cat: The Twelve Paw Prints” and Kay Ryan’s poem “The Paw of a Cat,” published in the Oct. 12, 2009, issue of “The New Yorker.”