Female cats are more likely to be right-handed than males, research suggests. Research published in the Journal Animal Behavior, January 2018 presented these highlights:
- Lateralized spontaneous behavior in the domestic cat was explored for the first time.
- Cats showed a lateral bias for behaviors of stepping down and stepping over.
- Animals showed no significant lateral bias for lying side.
- Male cats showed a left-side bias for natural behaviors, females a right-side bias.
- Natural behavior bias and forced limb bias were positively correlated.
Source: The Telegraph, January 22, 2018.
The study by Queen’s University in Belfast found the majority of the cats showed a paw preference when reaching for food, walking down stairs or stepping over objects, and that their preference of paw was consistent in most of their tasks. Dr Deborah Wells said limb preference could be a useful indicator of a cat’s vulnerability to stress. “From a pet owner’s perspective, it might be useful to know if an animal is left or right limb dominant, as it may help them gauge how vulnerable that individual is to stressful situations,” she said.
INSIGHTS: One of the more prevalent features of human behavior is motor laterality, defined as the preferred use of one limb over another. It was previously believed that lateralized behavior was a uniquely human trait. Research now indicates that many species of animal display lateralized motor behaviors.