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Why Do Cats Have White Paws

Cats Paws Are Used To Communicate

20 Facts About Cats I Had to Double Check to Believe

One of the many reasons cats scratch objects is to mark their territories and broadcast information about themselves. In addition to the visual evidence, pheromones are deposited on scratched surfaces from scent glands that are located between the paw pads. This scent is packed with information about the scratcher. Even paw pads on the hind feet have scent glands. Cats sometimes scrape areas after theyve urinated or sprayed.

Maine Coon Colors: Origin Of The Breed

First, its useful to know that Maine Coons are thought to be descended from Norwegian Forest Cats. If this is true, this accounts for their rich, lush coat, and size. They are now named after the state of Maine in the USA, the place they settled and originated from as far as modern breeders are concerned.;;

But beyond that supposition, little seems to be known or at least confirmed ; about the cats origin beyond speculation. Some believe they are part angora, part tabby. Their unique personality certainly doesnt give much away in this regard.

Because there seems to be no commonly accepted heritage story, the broad range of colors and patterns are all seen to be legitimate when it comes to Maine Coons. In other words, there is no breed standard when it comes to colors.

However, this breed happens to be the largest of the domesticated cats from nose to tail, they come in at about 1m long .

They also boast the title of the oldest natural breed in North America. Because of their long-standing history and far-reaching popularity, theyre known as Americas Cat.

Can Bengal Cats Have White Paws A Unique Characteristic

The Bengal cat, bred from the Asian Leopard cat and a domestic cat, is created with one goal: to recreate the stunning look of a wildcat while maintaining the temperament of a family-friendly pet. If youve ever had the pleasure of a Bengals companywhether you have one at home or have met one at a friends houseyoull know that their wild coat and demeanor are entrancing. Usually, the rosettes and marbled patterns on their torso extend sparsely to their paws. But, can Bengal cats have white paws?

Bengal cats dont have white paws. As Bengals are bred to imitate a wildcat, completely white paws would contrast sorely with their leopard coat. Only the Snow Lynx Bengal can have mostly white paws as they are outcrossed with a domestic cat that is born entirely white.

If a Bengal has predominantly white paws, they have likely been outcrossed several times with other cat breeds. A cats paw color also correlates with its coat color and pattern.

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Does Cats Paw Pad Change Color With Age

Yes, a cats paw changes its color to black with age.

With age the amount and production of melanin decrease hence, changing the color of the paw. Though some cats like Bombay cats have black fur which makes their paws black in color.

The red rashes or scaling should not be ignored and confused with old age.

Black Cats Can Have Accessories That Are Different Colors

Why Do So Many Cats Have White Paws?

Some black cats are completely black, including their whiskers and paws pads. But this isnt alwaysor even frequentlythe case, says Dr. Ochoa.

Black cats can have black whiskers and black paw pads, or white whiskers and pink paw pads, she says.

Whisker hairs are thicker than fur and originate deeper in the skin. They usually bypass the layer where pigment is stored, says Dr. Ochoa. For this reason, most whiskers are whiteeven those belonging to black cats.

Paw pad color is more often associated with fur color, and most black cats do have black or dark gray paw pads, says Dr. Ochoa. However, this can vary.

Black cats who have some white fur markings are more likely to have patches of pink or white on their paws.

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Why Are Cat Paw Pads Turning Black

Cats paws may turn to a different color especially when they are older. For instance, cats that were born with pink paw pads may eventually have black paw pads and this is entirely normal. However, if you notice signs of redness, scabbing or scaling, consult your vet as it may indicate health issues.;

Certain cat breeds often develop black paw pads in their lifetime. Such breeds include the Bombay and domestic shorthair and longhair breeds that have black fur. Another reason why cat paw pads turn black is the puffy-pad disease as well as other conditions like infections and immune dysfunctions. In such case your cat may have difficulty in walking and may become less active than her usual self and a visit to the vet is in order.

The Sense Of Security

Cats find it very important that they feel safe. They are both prey and predators, and finding a place to sleep that gives them a sense of security is important.

Although your cat may like lying on the floor in the sun, or sleeping in a laundry basket, the feeling of feeling safe is always important. So a cat covers his face because it gets a sense of security.

Some cats like to bury their head in a laundry basket or want to nap with their head under a blanket or laundry. So for some reason, this seems to make it feel perfectly safe even though the rest of the cat body is still in view.

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Cat Paws Are Flexible

Cat paws are incredibly flexible. The ability to bend and turn helps felines climb and hunt. One of the reasons cats are so adept at climbing up trees is because their front paws are designed to turn inward in order to sink claws into branches. This helps them maintain stability as well as pull them up and around branches. Although this is handy for climbing up trees, it doesnt help with the descent. Cats back down trees because their front claws face in the wrong direction for a head-first downward climb. Additionally, front legs and paws are weaker than their more muscular back legs. This is why cats sometimes get stuck up in trees.

Cats Can Retract Their Front Claws

Why Do Some Cats Have Extra Toes? | Hemingway Cats

Contrary to what many people believe about their cat’s claws, they do not retract completely inside a sheath or all the way into the paw. When a cat’s claws are in a resting position, they are up off the ground, resting in the fur around the toes. If you look closely at a cat with retracted nails, you can see the nail tips protruding from the fur. It’s a bit easier to see in the picture, here, of the sphynx cat that doesn’t have fur.

When a cat wants to use his claws, he contracts a tendon to extend them out and down. The extension and retraction of a cat’s claws is similar to the way in which a person points their toes and flexes their ankle back.

This ability to retract the claws means that when a cat is walking, the claws aren’t touching the ground. This cuts down on wear and tear of the claws and ensures that they retain their sharpness. It also means that cats can walk quite quietly, the better to sneak up on their prey. This is why most cats’ rear claws don’t require trimming as often; they are worn down more through normal walking.

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Polydactyl Cats Are Considered Lucky

elizzanne / Instagram

Like many kinds of cats that were believed to bring good luck to sailors, polydactyl cats are no exception. Back in the day, polydactyl cats were a common sight on long journeys by ship.

With the help of their large, wide paws, polydactyl cats made excellent mousers and could keep the ships supplies vermin-free. Plus, their paws helped them balance on rocky seas.

Polydactyl cats are most commonly found in Western England, Wales, Canada, and the Eastern United States, and their prevalence in those regions is often credited to their days on trans-continental ships. Its believed that polydactyl cats in England were transported across the Atlantic Ocean where they bred with non-polydactyl cats and proliferated the genetic trait.

  • 05 of 07

    kingsleythelynx / Instagram

    Have you ever wondered why polydactyl cats are sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats? Well, its because Ernest Hemingway loved them. After he was gifted a white, polydactyl cat named Snow Ball by a ships captain, Ernest Hemingway developed a serious affection for these multi-toed kitties.

    After his death in 1961, his home in Key West, Florida was transformed into a museum;and a home for his beloved cats. Currently, the kitty colony is home to about 50 descendants of his original pack of catsand about half of them are polydactyl.

    Continue to 6 of 7 below.

  • 07 of 07
  • Amazing Facts About Polydactyl Cats

    sesame.street.cats;/ Instagram;

    Theres nothing cuter than a kittys paws, right? When it comes to polydactyl catsor cats born with more than the usual number of toes on their pawsthe extra toes just compound the cuteness. While most cats have five toes on their front paws and four toes on their back paws, polydactyl cats can have six on each paw.

    Although polydactyly, a genetic abnormality that results in extra digits, is more common in certain geographic regions of the world, it can affect any breed of cat, male or female, big or small. Read on to learn more about the genetic factors that contribute to polydactyly and to check out some adorable photos of polydactyl cats.

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    Cats Claws Arent Like Our Fingernails

    Our fingernails grow out of the flesh at the end of our fingers, but cats claws actually grow out of the bones at the end of the paws. Thats why declawing is much more than just trimming the nails. In order for a cats claws to be removed, the last bone in every paw is amputated and thats just one of the many reasons I believe declawing is cruel and unnecessary.

    Why Does My Cat Have Black Feet

    Mews and Nips: Why Do So Many Cats Have White Paws?

    Black Paw Pads On Cats The average cats paw pad color is usually caused by their fur color. This is due to the genetics that governs pigmentation of the fur and skin. Often an all-black cat will have all black paw pads. A cat with black and other colors in their fur may have multiple paw pad colors, including black.

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    Why Does My Cat Have A White Nose

    The nose can give us clues about the state of health of a cat. Some people think that a cat having a dry nose indicates they have a fever, but this is a myth. The only way to determine if they have a fever is to take their temperature. If your cat has a dry nose and it has turned white, it may not be a fever, but it is still possibly a sign of a problem.

    If your cat has a white nose it may be due to the possible causes:

  • Dehydration
  • We explain these causes in the sections below:

    They Have Official Holidays

    You dont need a reason to celebrate the black cats in your life, but you can make them feel extra-special on holidays dedicated to them.

    In the United States, August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day. Across the pond, England recognizes October 27 as National Black Cat Day.

    Cheers to you, fine felines.

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    Fur Color And Toe Bean Color Are Related

    Just like fur, cat toe beans are uniquely colored! According to Catster, fur color and paw pad color tend be related. For instance:

    • Black cats have black pads
    • White cats usually have light-pink pads
    • Orange cats have orange pads
    • Tabbies may have brick red or grey pads
    • Multi-colored cats have multi-colored pads;
    • Solid-colored cats and some purebreds have paw pads that match the color of their noses

    Theyre Actually More Likely To Be Adopted

    10 FUN FACTS About CAT PAWS ð?¾ð?± Find Out More!

    You may have heard that black cats are less likely to be adopted than their fair-coated peers. However, as it turns out, this isnt the case.

    In fact, according to data compiled by the ASPCA, black cats are actually adopted more often from cat shelters than other cats.

    Because black is a common coat color, more black cats enter the animal shelter system, resulting in disproportionately high numbers of adoptions from animal shelters.

    Unfortunately, the high intake of black cats means that theyre also euthanized more often than cats with any other fur color. The bottom line is that adopting black shelter cats is always a good idea.

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    Why Do So Many Cats Have White ‘socks’ On Their Paws

    If you see a house cat, the odds are high that it will have white paws, a look that many owners affectionately call “socks.” But socks are rarely seen in wildcats, the elusive and undomesticated cousin of the house cat, so why do so many pet cats sport furry white feet?

    As it turns out, this story started about 10,000 years ago, when humans and cats decided life was better together.

    This domestication eventually led to über-prevalent socks on cats, as well as other well-known coat patterns, said Leslie Lyons, professor emerita and head of the Feline Genetics Laboratory at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.;

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    As humans became farmers and started staying in one place, they had grain stores and refuse piles” that attracted rodents, Lyons said. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement: the humans had fewer rodents to deal with and the cats got an easy meal.;

    The wild, undomesticated progenitor species of house cats, Felis silvestris, lives in Africa and Eurasia. One population of them even lives on Mount Etna, an active volcano in Sicily. These felines are tasty snacks as kittens and stealthy predators as adults, so individuals born with a coat that offers camouflage have tended to survive and reproduce.;

    But not every F. silvestris is born with a coat that blends into its habitat.

    “Genetic mutations are occurring all the time,” Lyons said.;

    Gallery of cats with white socks

    Toe Beans Sometimes Need Tlc

    For all their functions, paw pads are a very sensitive part of your cats body. Be mindful of this if you have an outdoor cat that may walk across searing asphalt or freezing sheets of ice. Cats typically do not show pain and other symptoms until the condition is severeso its a good idea to check up on your cats toe beans every once in a while.

    Sometimes paw pads dry out and crack; in this case, your cat may need a little moisturizer. Talk to your veterinarian about which moisturizing products are safe for your cat. Dont use any of your own skin care products on your cat without your vets input, as your cat may end up ingesting some of the lotion or ointment during a typical grooming session.

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    Cats Have Dominant Paws

    Did you know that your cat may have a dominant front paw? Although studies differ as far as the percentages of cats who are right, left or ambidextrous, they all agree that felines do have paw preferences, especially when they are performing challenging tasks. One study, conducted by Queens University in Ireland, correlates gender with paw dominance. Their data shows that male cats prefer to use their right paw, whereas females go with the left. You can find out which paw your cat prefers by giving her difficult tasks, such as fishing yummy treats out of hard-to-reach places. In order to get the most accurate reading on the cat paws in question, the task needs to be replicated at least 75 times. Your cat will probably be eager to help.

    Black Cats And Rusty Fur

    Why do so many cats have white âsocksâ on their paws ...

    An interesting quirk of nature is that;some black cats turn rust-colored with age. My mother-in-laws cat was like this, a black fluff ball in younger life that turned ginger in his dotage.

    This color change is down to an amino acid called tyrosine, an essential building block of the pigment molecule melanin. If the cat is deficient in;tyrosine, then she cant;make melanin, and the rich coat color starts to fade.

    The cat makes tyrosine from another amino acid called phenylalanine. If the enzyme to do this is lacking, pigment cant be produced, which is what happens with albino animals whose coat, skin and eyes remain colorless or pink.

    Cats need a certain amount of phenylalanine and tyrosine in the diet to maintain a deep, rich black color. If their diet is lacking, or in older cats the bowel wall thickens and stops absorbing;nutrients, then the cat becomes deficient and turns from black to rust-colored.

    The good news? The process is reversible with a dietary supplement or when the bowel disease is treated.;But before you give a tyrosine supplement to a faded cat, know that other problems can also cause the coat to fade, such as copper deficiency or too much zinc in the diet , so get a diagnosis from your vet first.

    Also, tyrosine makes thyroid hormone, so it could aggravate a cat with overactive thyroids.;Cats with liver disease or a malignant melanoma should never be given additional tyrosine ;it will worsen their condition. Again, check with a vet.

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