Principles of construction in the forepaw and hindpaw of the domestic cat (Felis catus). Part II: Articulations

According to form and range of mobility the joints of the cat's paw (articu lationes manus et pedis) are adjusted to two basic functions: as far as the y are used for walking in the different gaits they show components in the s agittal plane that particularly correspond to the digitigrade dog. With reg ard to cat-specific behaviour, i.e. climbing and catching, specific charact eristics of the joints for movements in the R-plane (rotation) and A-plane (abduction/adduction) can be distinguished. For this reason highly speciali zed types of articulations occur in cat's paw that are unique compared to o ther mammals and that mostly have not been described yet. In this context, like in the skeleton (sce first communication), function-adapted divergence s can also be found between the joints of the forepaw and hindpaw of the ca t.