title: [Principals of construction in the forepaw and hindpaw of the domestic cat (Felis catus). III: Musculature].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tieranatomie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Deutschland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vollmerhaus
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roos
mesh_terms: 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*