Your pet might have a preferred side, just like you
In short: Humans are famously right-handed, but the preference for one limb over another extends far beyond our species. From domestic cats to dogs, many animals exhibit a distinct tendency toward a specific paw, a phenomenon that offers a unique window into how their brains are organized.
In humans, roughly 90 percent of the population is thought to be right-handed, with a smaller portion favoring the left and a tiny minority being ambidextrous. This preference is driven by brain lateralization, where the right hemisphere of the brain controls the left hand and vice versa. This same neurological mechanism—using one side of the brain more than the other for specific functions—is also present in dogs and cats. This neurological split is not unique to our species. Handedness is an almost universal trait among humans, and we see similar versions of this preference in various other animals, such as certain reptiles, rodents, and apes.
Research into feline handedness has revealed specific patterns. A 1991 study conducted at Ataturk University in Turkey found that 50% of domestic cats are right-pawed, while 40% favor their left paw. Interestingly, about 10% of cats are ambidextrous. Similar patterns of limb preference have been observed in other animals, including certain reptiles, rodents, and apes. These findings were supported by a second study conducted at the University of Manchester in England in 2006, which reinforced the idea that both cats and dogs exhibit these lateralized tendencies.
Italian scientists from the University of Bari Aldo Moro lately created the "Doginburgh Inventory" to examine canine traits. Drawing from the human Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, this assessment divides pups into five separate classes: strongly left-pawed, weakly left-pawed, ambilateral, weakly right-pawed, and strongly right-pawed. By measuring these tendencies, scientists hope to better understand how brain lateralization influences the behavior, emotions, and cognition of dogs. The development of this new canine test was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Researchers like Shany Dror suggest that studying these patterns can reveal how brain lateralization relates to an animal's cognition and emotions.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Dogs and Cats are Typically Right or Left Pawed
- Also: How to tell if your dog is left-pawed or right-pawed, according to science
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