Does a feline footprint include a trace of the fifth toe?

Question

Cats have five toes on their front paws, yet if I search online using a "cat paws" pattern, the results always yield paws with four toes.

Is this because the fifth toe is not pressed firmly to the ground, so doesn't leave evidence of its existence, or is the existence of a fifth toe just a misconception?

score 10 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 11 '13 at 15:31

10

The fifth toe, otherwise known as the dewclaw, is set back from the main claws. It is not long enough to reach the ground to leave an imprint unless the cat travels over an extremely loose or moist surface to sink in to that depth. Highly unlikely to happen.

edited Nov 11 '13 at 15:31

JoshDM

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answered Nov 11 '13 at 11:42

Joanne C

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Does a feline footprint include a trace of the fifth toe?

1 Answers1