suemack/getty images
Do left- and right-handedness (or left- and right-leggedness) exist in animals? For instance, does a dog mostly lift its right or left hind leg to urinate, depending on its leggedness? (continued)
“
The scientific literature on pawedness in cats, dogs and other animals is somewhat mixed
“
Nina Dougall
Malmsbury, Victoria, Australia
“Almost the last word “is the first page I turn to when Â鶹´«Ã½ arrives. Not owning a dog or cat, I cannot comment, but I do know horses.
Most horses lead off on the right. Our late draught horse always led with the right hoof. When playing “stomp and splash” in the dam on a summer day, he always used the right hoof. However, when being led and stopping to play the entertaining winter game of “stomp in the puddle and fill the boss’s boots with muddy water”, he always used the left – the closest to the boot.
Tobias Bast
University of Nottingham, UK
Based on observations in relatively small samples of cats, some readers have suggested that cats preferentially use their left paw, whereas others suggest that cats typically have a preferred paw, but left and right “pawedness” may be similarly prevalent. Similarly, the scientific literature on pawedness in cats and other animals, including dogs, rats and mice, is somewhat mixed, with individual studies based on relatively small sample sizes reporting different findings.
However, meta-analyses pooling and analysing the findings of many studies suggest that about 80 per cent of cats and about 70 per cent of dogs have a preferred paw, but that preference for the left and right paw is about equally common.
So, although most individuals of these species prefer one of their two front paws, there is no marked preference for one paw on the population level, contrasting with the strong population-level right-handedness in humans (about 90 per cent of us preferentially use our right hand).
To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude) to write either questions or answers is forbidden, and any submissions found to have been written using AI tools will be withdrawn.
