[Principals of construction in the forepaw and hindpaw of the domestic cat (Felis catus). III: Musculature].
With regard to muscular mass and inner structure, the muscles of the forepaw and hindpaw of the domestic cat are grouped functionally, compared and evaluated. A high degree of functional adaptation is present in these muscles, for example in the passive locomotion apparatus of the paws. The domestic cat is not a 'running animal' like other domestic mammals. Also, in domestication it has preserved a strongly individual way of life and has remained a quick, ambushing hunter and climber on the run. Hence its forepaw is a flexible guiding and gripping apparatus, while its hindpaw provides stability for sprinting and non-skid pushing. The partly re-interpreted functions of the muscles are described and listed in four tables.
Vollmerhaus
B
B
Institut für Tieranatomie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Deutschland.
Roos
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005552:Forelimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*