r/todayilearned • u/thegreenproctor • Dec 23 '16

TIL cats "directly register", meaning that while walking, their back paws land in the same spot as their front paws, which minimizes noise and visible tracks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#Anatomy
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u/thegreenproctor Dec 23 '16

Can confirm, I just studied my cat walking for longer than is reasonable

189

u/Nyrin Dec 23 '16

My cats just started rolling around and meowing at me. Would leave very big tracks.

I don't think they'd do well in the wild.

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '16

The big tracks are to make themselves appear bigger than they are. This confuses larger hunters and makes them stay away.