Cats' Personalities Can Apparently Be Predicted Based on Their Paw Pads
Just like people, cats have their own personality preferences and quirks that come with it.
According to one study, you can tell your cat's personality just by looking at their foot pads, aka, their toe beans. Take a look!
On February 4, TikTok user Miki Rai (@mikiraiofficial) shared details on a study that decodes your cat's personality based on their paw pads.
There Are Six Different Types of Paw Pads on Cats
"Did you know that you can find out a cat's personality just by looking at their paw pads?" Miki said. "Japanese researchers studied over 2,000 kittens to come to these conclusions."
There are six different pad shapes that have been tied to personalities, and Miki takes us through all of them.
The first is the heart-shaped pad. "Congratulations. You have a cat who is loving, loves to snuggle," she explains. "They're also known to be very vocal about what they want."
The second is the "grain of rice pad," which shows a small bit in the middle of the paw pads. "These cats are more shy and typically really scared of sounds," Miki explains. "Once they love you, they do trust you a lot and tend to be quite gentle."
Next up is the rice ball pad. "All three of these pads are nearly the same size," Miki shows. "They are righteous and devoted, but sometimes also a little mischievous and dominant."
The fourth shape of paw pads is Mount Fuji because it looks like Mount Fuji. "They're not super interested in humans, but they typically tend to be well-behaved," she notes. "They have a high tolerance for discomfort, so they're more likely to let you do what you want."
The fifth is the paw pad that's shaped like a Shamrock. "These guys are clingy, and they love love," Miki explains. "They're also social, playing with other cats, and love to try new things."
Finally, the last shape of the paw pad is known as the rocket pad. "These guys like to do their own thing. Their emotions are like a roller coaster. They don't love hanging out with humans, but sometimes they change their minds."
After going through the different shapes and styles, she asked viewers if their cat matched this.
"Not me tracking down my cats to give them the rundown of their personalities," one person commented.
"My cat is a polydactyl, and she has croissants," someone else joked.
"I can't tell whether my cat is a heart shaped pad or Mount Fuji," another viewer noted, "she's definitely a huge snuggle bug though!"
Reading Cat Paws Is Called 'Pawmestry'
According to The Cat Connection, Pawmestry is the "art of reading toe beans," ad it's a trend that has taken off in Japan.
"Called 'Nekteso,' a Japanese author created the art of reading cats’ paws called Akatsuki," they explain. "He developed five main personality types with even more subtypes based on our feline friends’ toe beans (that’s internet speak for the squishy little pads on our kitties’ feet)."
This isn't really a new trend; it's been around since before 2018, but it's always fascinating to revisit and see if the outlined types match the personality of our cats.
But, of course, just like palm reading for humans, it's not always accurate. But it is always fun to investigate and see how correct it is.
Figo Pet Insurance says that reading your cat's paws goes beyond just looking at the toe beans though. You can learn more about your cat by looking at the lines and other features on their feet and the orientation of their paws. And, apparently, this works for dogs, too.
"While there isn't an established practice of pet paw reading like there is for human palmistry, you can still engage in a fun bonding activity by examining your cat or dog's paws in a gentle and respectful manner and seeing what you learn," Figo Pet Insurance says.
Take a look at your cat's paws, does this check out?
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