Like humans, cats also have preferences when using one leg or another to do certain activities. You may have noticed how your cat when playing will usually catch their favourite toys with the left leg, the same one used to scratch a cushion or to get your attention.

Cats can be left or right handed, and although there is no detailed scientific explanation to know why your cat uses the left or right paw more, there are studies that indicate that the chances of a cat having more preference to use one paw or the other.

Is your cat left-handed? We will tell you why. But if you are still unclear if your kitty usually uses the left or right leg more often, with a simple trick you will discover it.

Why are cats left-handed?

Although it’s not applicable to all cats, it has been seen that male cats generally prefer to use the left leg as the main one for most activities, while females are usually right-handed.

Is your kitty male or female? Look which is the leg they usually use to do certain activities day to day.

How to know if your kitty is left-handed or right-handed?

It is very easy to know which the dominant leg of your kitty is by analysing how it moves daily. Every day your kitty goes to the sandbox to relieve himself, and the first leg with which he usually enters his sandpit is the dominant one.

When going down stairs, or even jumping down from a certain height, the first leg that your kitty always places in front is the one it feels more secure with. They also tend to recline on the side of their dominant leg, so they can be alert and run away in case of danger. This primary survival instinct is very common in all animals, including humans.

You can also do a very simple test to know if your kitty is left-handed: place its favourite candy in a narrow feeder or inside a toy, and the leg it uses to remove it will be your kitty’s dominant leg.

And your cat, is (s)he a left- or right-handed?