Laterality in Cats: Paw Preference And Performance in a Visuomotor Activity

Abstract

Laterality in paw use was investigated over a period of 6 years in 44 domestic cats trained to perform a reaching movement toward a moving spot of light. Both paw preference and paw performance were recorded. At a 50 percent criterion, no significant paw preference was found at the level of the group. When a 90 percent criterion was considered, 23 subjects had a significant preference for one paw. Among these strongly lateralized animals, there were more left- (N = 17) than right-pawed (N = 6) cats. The analysis of visuo-motor performances included reaction time, movement time, and reaching accuracy. Lateralized cats had a faster reaction time than nonlateralized cats. The more-used paw had a shorter reaction time, a shorter movement time, and was also more accurate than the less-used paw. Thus, the findings demonstrate a functional advantage of being lateralized. Moreover, the results confirm the existence of an asymmetry of paw preference in cats and show a consistent relation between paw preference and performance.

Evolution of Hemispheric Specialization: Advantages and Disadvantages

“…Hence, the left eye of chicks with lateralization is consistently faster at detecting a novel stimulus. This result is rather similar to results of Fabre- Thorpe et al (1993), who tested cats on a task requiring them to track a moving spot of light using one or the other forepaw. They found that the cats with lateralization of paw preference had a shorter reaction time to commence tracking than those without lateralization of paw preference and concluded that this would be a functional advantage of being lateralized.…”

Hand and paw preferences in relation to the lateralized brain

“…The latter is also in keeping with the superior ability of the human right hemisphere for trajectory perception (Boulinguez et al 2003). Use of the right hemisphere for spatial processing might also explain the use of the left paw by cats to reach for and attempt to grasp small moving targets ( Fabre-Thorpe et al 1993) and the directional bias of the left-hand preference found in squirrel monkeys when they capture live fish, also using a ballistic movement (King & Landau 1993). Fagot & Vauclair (1991) proposed that population biases to use a preferred hand are more common when the task is complex in terms of postural, perceptual and cognitive demands, and some evidence supports this (e.g.…”

Evolution of the strongest vertebrate rightward action asymmetries: Marine mammal sidedness and human handedness.

“…Some studies show no population-level limb preferences (e.g., Poyser, Caldwell, & Cobb, 2006), and others show left (e.g., Fabre-Thorpe, Fagot, Lorincz, Levesque, & Vauclair, 1993) or right (e.g., Gliven, preferences. One study showed right-and left-hand preferences for the same animals (rats) engaged in different tasks (Waters & Denenberg, 1994).…”