Humans have dominant hands, left or right-handedness, animals are the same.

Do you notice your cat’s paw preference?  Are the left-pawed cats cleverer than the others?

The fact is, their preference over which paw to use doesn’t indicate their level of intelligence but more has to do with their gender.  Male domestic cats tend to be left-pawed and females right-pawed.

Left-pawed cats tend to have elusive character and unpredictable behaviour and are more sensitive to their surroundings (outdoor environment?).  They are more prone to fear and show a stronger reaction when scared, and therefore need more caring, comforts and petting.

Right-pawed, left-brain dominance cats are relatively more affirmative, more adaptable to surroundings (outdoor environment?), and they are optimists.   Owners can take them outdoor worry-free.  Cats that are mix-pawed might have more difficulties in correlating the activities of both hemispheres of their brain, which intensify their stress responses and therefore are more easily frightened.

We know which side of the cat’s brain hemisphere is more active by its paw dominance, this would help owners in assessing their cats’ capacity in fighting stress.

The bottom line is, whichever paw you prefer, dear cats, your owners love you still, your health and wellbeing are always the most important of all.