Edited by: Ingrid King. Last updated: February 6, 2023 by Crystal Uys

Cats are mysterious creatures, and learning more about how and why they do the things they do is one of the joys of loving our beautiful companions. When I recently came across the term “feline direct recording” for the first time, I have to admit, I was blown away. How was it possible that in all these years of working and writing about cats, I had never come across this term?

With our indoor cats, we don’t usually see paw prints, but if we did see them, we’d see what looks like a single line of prints, not two lines of prints side by side, like one would expect from a four-legged creature.

nature design

The reason why cats walk this way is one of nature’s perfect designs: it helps to leave fewer tracks for predators and it also helps the cat to hunt. By only placing their paws in half as many places, they reduce the possibility of making noise while walking.

According to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, “This style of walking is effective in snow, grass, and most habitats, and is used by feral dogs and cats. Some domestic dogs may register a little, but they rarely maintain this formation for long periods of time without jumping up and having fun. Camels, giraffes, bobcats, foxes and coyotes also use direct recording.

The video below shows the direct recording perfectly.

I’m curious: have you ever heard of this term?

Image stock photo

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