Dogs and Cats Have a Dominant Paw, Just Like Humans

Your cat always swats toys with her right paw. Your dog consistently offers his left for a shake. Coincidence? Nope—just like humans favor one hand over the other, dogs and cats show distinct paw preferences, and scientists have been studying this quirk for years.

Research reveals that approximately 78% of cats and 68% of dogs are either left-pawed or right-pawed. But here's where it gets interesting: unlike the human population, where about 90% are right-handed, our four-legged friends show no overall preference for right or left at the species level. It's basically a 50-50 split.

The Gender Gap in Cat Paws

Female cats are significantly more likely to be right-pawed than males. Dogs, meanwhile, show no such sex difference—male and female pups are equally likely to favor either paw. Why the difference? Scientists are still investigating, but it likely relates to how male and female brains develop differently, influenced by hormones.

One fascinating discovery: left-handed dog owners tend to have left-pawed dogs, and right-handed owners tend to have right-pawed pups. Whether this is learned behavior, selection bias, or something else entirely remains an open question.

How Scientists Test for Pawedness

Researchers have developed clever ways to figure out which paw your pet prefers:

• The Kong Test: Dogs work to extract food from a Kong toy—scientists count which paw they use to stabilize it
• The Food Reach Test: Pets reach for treats through narrow openings, revealing their dominant paw
• First-stepping: Which paw does your pet lead with when walking or climbing stairs?

The Kong test has some limitations—dogs with short snouts get food out faster (fewer paw movements to count), and small dogs sometimes ignore the toy entirely. Modern studies are developing more standardized approaches to get consistent results across breeds.

Smarter Cats Are More Decisive

Here's a wild finding: cats with stronger paw preferences are actually better problem-solvers. In tests where cats had to open puzzle boxes, the ones who consistently used the same paw completed tasks faster and opened more containers successfully. It's not about being right or left-pawed—it's about being decisive.

This suggests that paw preference might be a window into how an animal's brain is organized. Strong lateralization (the fancy term for picking a side) appears linked to more efficient cognitive processing.

Try This at Home

Want to know if your pet is a righty or lefty? Try these simple tests:

• Place a treat under a piece of furniture—which paw reaches for it?
• Hold a toy just out of reach—which paw swats at it first?
• Offer a high-five or shake—which paw do they naturally offer?

Important: You need to test multiple times (scientists recommend at least 50 trials) because pets sometimes switch paws randomly. Look for consistent patterns over time, not just one-off behaviors.

So yes, your pets are indeed right- or left-pawed—and figuring out their preference might tell you something interesting about how their clever little brains work.