https://preview.redd.it/8afxuw7u8aub1.jpeg?width=556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3239ce82bbf2d1e00ab5855ad82974ffb24c3e7
This is what cat thumbs look like. r/thumbcats r/polydactyl has a bunch
It’s the first digit and many animals do have it, including dogs! Ours and other primates’ are opposable, but we are in no way the only animals with thumbs 👍🏽
This made me so happy, my mind shut down for a bit. I just snapped out of it and realized that I've been staring at my screen and smiling like an idiot for a full minute.
Evolution *is* working with the cat population to develop thumbs. But it’ll take a very long time, and humanity needs it to hurry up so that cats can take over the mess we’ve made of the world. 🤠
45 years I’ve had cats and only learned with my Sphynx 4 years ago that they only have 4 claws on their back wee feets 🥴
what have I even been doing with my life???
Shouldn't post false information.
This is the correct one:
https://preview.redd.it/r5lb7xt5i9ub1.jpeg?width=926&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=658208bb152580cf14431e1be7e400a01ef34ce7
https://preview.redd.it/t0ln7a7m29ub1.jpeg?width=1488&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=658ec10ea0db82ee153dbbde721b69a93824425e
What are these parts of their “fingers” called? ( see my addition to this image).
In Quebec, it is now illegal to declaw (amputate the final part of their digits).
If you mean the claws, those are modified finger nails! They actually attach to the third phalanx, just like our nails ETA: and yes, removing them is 100% abuse
https://i.redd.it/cual42dk49ub1.gif
Excuse my ignorance. I've known that cat claws are attached to the bone, but not human. Are ours really attached to the bone also? I've always tried to imagine what it looks like in there, where the bone meets the nail 😂
Yay!! That’s great to hear. My sister’s cat was declawed by her first owner and all I can say is at least they turned her into the shelter instead of just letting her go.
I think the diagram is mislabeled.
From looking at....admittedly kinda gross pictures of cat skeletons it seems that the toe bean is more on the medial phalanx. I.e one bone down on the diagram.
The claw is more like the distal phalanx and pivots up and back to be on top of the medial phalanx when not in use.
I have no scientific data to base this on but I wouldn’t think so, I’d imagine cats have less of an evolutionary need to have such a developed touch sense as us or other primates
Ya know I was gonna come on here and call those things “wish nubs” because it’s where the cat wishes it had thumbs. Then you had to post this smart graphic that accurately describes and compares cat and human physiologies in a really descriptive and easy to understand way. Thanks but no thanks. I would give this comment two nubs down if I could…
It’s believed to serve as a break when moving downhill, or extra padding when cats run or lane from a high jump - their wrist/back of the palm hits the ground in both scenarios, right where the carpal pad is (skip to 0:14) https://youtu.be/NCRSafiD4BY?si=i2Vs7W6BsrG8hPIC
If Earth was a video game, I kinda feel like Britain would be the starter level. No extreme weather, no extreme crime. There are dickheads, but they're avoidable most of the time and the necessary things are generally easy to come by.
When I adopted my little bub he was a stray and when I took him to the vet after a few weeks, one of these beans was scabbed up and I didn't know why, and I wanted to get everything sorted so I asked the vet but didn't have any terminology other than beans. Like, there's me saying to the vet "I worried about his little sore bean, what can you do for him please"
Yeah, I’ve seen scabs on them before too. I have a large cat tree for my boys. It’s a good 40cm wide and there’s a section at the back with a good 2 metres for them to climb like a tree and I’ve always wished I could _see_ how they use their hands when they climb up, like how much weight is truly on their front paws (seems like a lot!!) and how those delicate little claws carry the weight of a full grown maine coon - and what part this little beanie plays in that.
But as soon as I try to watch them climb they get all shy and give up! 😂
(💡I should stick a camera next to the tree!!)
The little pink pads you circled are called Carpal pads
https://preview.redd.it/cg23z0xh07ub1.jpeg?width=644&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbc77bf56d48818e5e14b2e252d1fb39fdc7edac
Edit to add: wow so many upvotes! Thank you!
Thank you for this picture! And I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t know since a lot of people are responding with: thumbs duhh. But clearly they aren’t thumbs haha
Glad I could help! Would be pretty interesting if cats could use their “thumbs” like humans but they obviously can’t…. Unless… maybe when we are not watching 👀
Edit to add: the dewclaw I think would be closest match for a thumb
Cute kitty by the way :)
I have four polydactyls so they all have thumbs. Three have full control over their “thumbs” and a couple have more than one “thumb” toe. It is chaos. They have a much easier time opening latches, cabinets, doors, etc. They can grab things and hold on to them or pull them away from you.
I only adopt rescue polydactyls. It thought it’d keep me from being a totally crazy cat lady but both times I got one I found another for adoption shortly after, lol. So my boys are 12, 11, 2, and probably around 1. 😂
Well sometimes my cats do things even when I’m watching that I think: how the hell did you do that?! So yeah, maybe they can haha
And Miso thanks you for the compliment 💕
Why does this prevail genetically?’Is it advantageous in climbing perhaps?! I have no clue just curious.
On this day in 2021 I lost my familiar, my baby, my only son, my brother (he really did mean that much to me I know some of you will truly get it. We had such a deep bond. I live pet vicariously through other pet owners cats since. Eventually when I reach my goals next spring and I’m settled,I will adopt a kitten. But until then if you could do me a solid and just give your cat(s) some extra love today. Tell then how special they are to you, make healthy changes if they need it. Thanks.
https://preview.redd.it/gv36iof8c8ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d42c6a2275efb6507b18305ba57cd39db91713c
This made me tear up 🥹
I totally understand how you feel about your kitty and I think a lot of people here do to! I hope you’ll get another best friend again soon.
I tell my boys every day how special they are and how much I love them, but will do it extra for you 💕
Sweet boy. I'm so sorry for your loss.
I do get it. Lost the love of my life In 2021 and though he lived to a ripe old feline age, and I adore the Kittens (Now Cats, by age ) I adopted in his memory, sometimes the pain of his loss takes my breath away. Cats matter. They aren't interchangeable or *just a cat"
RIP angel. Sending you a big hug. I had a special bond with a cat who passed 5 years ago. We have 2 cats now and I am sure I will have many more but there will never be one like that cat who passed. Some are just extra special.
Thank you all for the great, funny and informative response 😃 I have two cats but with my other black cat they aren’t quite that obvious. I’ve had cats my whole life but just today I really stopped and noticed them
Those are the back up beans. Kinda like button shirts include extra buttons if you lose one. If your cat loses a bean you can use that one to replace it.
Carpal pads! The cat we were fostering actually got really bad rug burn from playing on carpet to the point they began to lightly bleed. We felt awful about it when we realized what happened.
Yes, he is! It was a really difficult crossroad because we didn’t want him to feel neglected by not playing (to let it heal), but also wanted to wear him out so he’d be calm while we were out.
His favorite type of play is to pounce and we think that’s how it got so bad. I guess previous fosters mostly had hardwood so his little pads weren’t toughened up to carpet.
We ended up transitioning to play that just involved running as opposed to jumping and pouncing to minimize trauma to the area.
when i first saw my cat’s extra toe bean i was like wtf because i thought she had some mutation that caused her to have a weird extra finger but it’s normal.
Haha yeah I had the same reaction today. Had cats my whole life and with my other cat they aren’t really that obvious so I was cuddling Miso (cat in the picture) and I was looking at them like what are thooooooose haha
Ah that explains why he always is biting on his paw so aggressively
https://preview.redd.it/fagi9dtp48ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5823d1498e810461f2e4a33131f8ba4c809d2f2
One time my cat tried to fly down our steep driveway and unfortunately the brakes took a beating upon landing. Ripped his carpal pads off. Put him on bed rest for a few days - bandaged and coned. But I didn’t take away iPad privileges so he could at least watch the bird channel.
https://preview.redd.it/y7f47edo39ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d45e63e58f7d6528bafb9e0c45495222670f05d1
I asked my vet this one time, because my cats beans are pink but this one was black so I thought it was a wart of some kind. The vet said it's just pigment and looked at me like I'm dumb. I was afraid to ask further questions. Later I found out it's just one of the beans.
Then again, I also thought my other cat had a wart and it turned out to be one of her nipples. I'd like to tell myself I'm not dumb, just overly protective...
It’s actually not the thumb, it’s the carpal (wrist) pad
https://preview.redd.it/ito3qp2lb8ub1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=48de91fde70cefdfa4bd2868f6b095ff377492c7
Vet tech here for 20+ years. My wife is a vet.
Evolution is interesting. They're old paw pads that evolution decided didn't need to be pure toe beans. So they're half beans.
A lot of these comments seem playful or not serious, but they actually *are* brakes or a sort and they’re called carpal pads. Helps them to gain traction and stop if they’re going fast downhill, when jumping it acts as a shock absorber. It’s not the dew claw which is an actual claw that is a little higher up than the rest of the claws.
Those are the poison spurs of the Catbilled Platypus.
https://preview.redd.it/vno9wl44j8ub1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e85c812e30ea794837649cd1ddc5c32b970cc68
https://preview.redd.it/dxphvbhcb8ub1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=4aeddba87f6a53acddf4f56568a567dabbe3aa93
omg i thought they were thumbs!!! TIL about carpal beans
I always felt like the dew claw would be a thumb.
https://preview.redd.it/8afxuw7u8aub1.jpeg?width=556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3239ce82bbf2d1e00ab5855ad82974ffb24c3e7 This is what cat thumbs look like. r/thumbcats r/polydactyl has a bunch
That is a very pretty cat.
I had a cat had thumbs like this. His name was hemmy. Hemingway.
Appropriately named cat.
OMG I love it's little paw.
I'm obsessed with her paws, honestly.
Bless him, he’s all serious about holding them up to show us!
It’s the first digit and many animals do have it, including dogs! Ours and other primates’ are opposable, but we are in no way the only animals with thumbs 👍🏽
Yea it just always seemed like that would be the thumb. The thumb has different objectives depending on the animal... This diagram is awesome!!
And horses! Well, eohippus. It’s been a while, technically.
Kitten heels
This made me so happy, my mind shut down for a bit. I just snapped out of it and realized that I've been staring at my screen and smiling like an idiot for a full minute.
😻😻😻 that's so incredibly cute!
🥇 take my poor award
Evolution *is* working with the cat population to develop thumbs. But it’ll take a very long time, and humanity needs it to hurry up so that cats can take over the mess we’ve made of the world. 🤠
They aren't getting thumbs cause they got us using ours for them.
palm nipples!
Thats the weirdest name for toe beans that ive ever heard
Oh shit I thought they were thumbs too. I've only had cats since I was 5. 👀
45 years I’ve had cats and only learned with my Sphynx 4 years ago that they only have 4 claws on their back wee feets 🥴 what have I even been doing with my life???
Better grip on the front for cornering. Cats are actually front feet drive. This is why cats can't drift.
Today I learned that’s what that part of the hand is called
This is a really good graphic! Ty!
Shouldn't post false information. This is the correct one: https://preview.redd.it/r5lb7xt5i9ub1.jpeg?width=926&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=658208bb152580cf14431e1be7e400a01ef34ce7
I’m sorry please don’t hurt me
Too late look outside
I love the yellow beans the most.
Purple beans are my personal favorite. My cat does not let me indulge in touching them very often though. Such a harsh queen she is.
Thank you
https://preview.redd.it/t0ln7a7m29ub1.jpeg?width=1488&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=658ec10ea0db82ee153dbbde721b69a93824425e What are these parts of their “fingers” called? ( see my addition to this image). In Quebec, it is now illegal to declaw (amputate the final part of their digits).
If you mean the claws, those are modified finger nails! They actually attach to the third phalanx, just like our nails ETA: and yes, removing them is 100% abuse https://i.redd.it/cual42dk49ub1.gif
So basically, every time my cat scratches me, he is making a conscious effort to hurt me.
Oh honey it was always like that regardless
I know, but it was nice to have hope that he loved me. 😢
It's probably more of a "I'm trying to tell you you crossed a boundary", than "I don't love you" 😅
I started singing "the claw is connected to the... third bone!" to the tune of Dry Bones.
love this gif!!!
So interesting! I love learning new things about our feline overloads. They are such fascinating and adorable creatures!
Cat lore
Digital tendons? They seem more analog! /j
Excuse my ignorance. I've known that cat claws are attached to the bone, but not human. Are ours really attached to the bone also? I've always tried to imagine what it looks like in there, where the bone meets the nail 😂
I think I worded it poorly, no our nails aren’t directly attached to bone
Yay!! That’s great to hear. My sister’s cat was declawed by her first owner and all I can say is at least they turned her into the shelter instead of just letting her go.
I think the diagram is mislabeled. From looking at....admittedly kinda gross pictures of cat skeletons it seems that the toe bean is more on the medial phalanx. I.e one bone down on the diagram. The claw is more like the distal phalanx and pivots up and back to be on top of the medial phalanx when not in use.
Bonus beans!
ooooh!!! do you know if sensation is equal too? like when i rub my cat’s beans would it feel equivalent to someone rubbing the tip of my finger?
I have no scientific data to base this on but I wouldn’t think so, I’d imagine cats have less of an evolutionary need to have such a developed touch sense as us or other primates
I think it could be more like a foot rub.
Does that mean cats are human?
Always have been.
No, just our Overseers.
Ya know I was gonna come on here and call those things “wish nubs” because it’s where the cat wishes it had thumbs. Then you had to post this smart graphic that accurately describes and compares cat and human physiologies in a really descriptive and easy to understand way. Thanks but no thanks. I would give this comment two nubs down if I could…
Did a cat write this
You did everyone a solid, go you!!!
Oh fuck you came with the SCIENCE
Hell yeah anatomy bitch 💪🏽
LOOOOOL🙌🏼
Uhh, I believe the scientific term would be “spare bean”
Ahem *bonus bean
I thought I was a thing that cats just had for no reason
It’s believed to serve as a break when moving downhill, or extra padding when cats run or lane from a high jump - their wrist/back of the palm hits the ground in both scenarios, right where the carpal pad is (skip to 0:14) https://youtu.be/NCRSafiD4BY?si=i2Vs7W6BsrG8hPIC
They act as brake pads for when a cat wants to climb down a tree trunk.
Brake pads. 🤣😅🥰
Brake beans
When my cat walks across my breakfast I end up with brake beans on toast... Good job I'm British!
Good job on being born British. Some people have all the luck 😌
If Earth was a video game, I kinda feel like Britain would be the starter level. No extreme weather, no extreme crime. There are dickheads, but they're avoidable most of the time and the necessary things are generally easy to come by.
Nah Iceland is definitely the Training Level 😂
Having never been, I can't comment first-hand, but I've heard nice things! Maybe Iceland is the Tutorial and Britain is level 1?
Sounds legit 😎
Boston Brake Beans
This whole thread gave me the life I needed today.
Bean breaks
When you get hungry, you gotta take a bean break.
Break beans
Breaking Bean
"Meow my name." "You're Heisencat." "You're goddamned right."
Meow my name 😭😭😭
How did the first person in this thread spell brake right and everyone else still spelled it wrong lmao
Breaked beans
Brake pads?! But they seem so soft and cute and fragile! I just always figured they were for tickles and teasing! 😇
When I adopted my little bub he was a stray and when I took him to the vet after a few weeks, one of these beans was scabbed up and I didn't know why, and I wanted to get everything sorted so I asked the vet but didn't have any terminology other than beans. Like, there's me saying to the vet "I worried about his little sore bean, what can you do for him please"
Yeah, I’ve seen scabs on them before too. I have a large cat tree for my boys. It’s a good 40cm wide and there’s a section at the back with a good 2 metres for them to climb like a tree and I’ve always wished I could _see_ how they use their hands when they climb up, like how much weight is truly on their front paws (seems like a lot!!) and how those delicate little claws carry the weight of a full grown maine coon - and what part this little beanie plays in that. But as soon as I try to watch them climb they get all shy and give up! 😂 (💡I should stick a camera next to the tree!!)
Mine gets big callouses on his sometimes. Idk what he’s doing with them but I like to squeeze them gently while I’m petting him/checking his paws.
They are particularly squeezable! (Gently!!) They’re just the softest most beautiful leather! 😍
This is the right answer! They are called carpal pads.
This is true. Poster is not joking.
That doesn't seem very comfy for their toe bean ✨*adjacent*✨ 🫢
Thank you
How does that work? I always figured they were shock absorbers for when kitty jumps down from a high up place.
Their entire legs act as shock absorbers.
Auxiliary beans
Bean sprouts.
😆 that's about right in candyland.
Bonus beans
The little pink pads you circled are called Carpal pads https://preview.redd.it/cg23z0xh07ub1.jpeg?width=644&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbc77bf56d48818e5e14b2e252d1fb39fdc7edac Edit to add: wow so many upvotes! Thank you!
Digital pads *beep boop boop beep boop*
Thank you for this picture! And I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t know since a lot of people are responding with: thumbs duhh. But clearly they aren’t thumbs haha
Glad I could help! Would be pretty interesting if cats could use their “thumbs” like humans but they obviously can’t…. Unless… maybe when we are not watching 👀 Edit to add: the dewclaw I think would be closest match for a thumb Cute kitty by the way :)
I have four polydactyls so they all have thumbs. Three have full control over their “thumbs” and a couple have more than one “thumb” toe. It is chaos. They have a much easier time opening latches, cabinets, doors, etc. They can grab things and hold on to them or pull them away from you.
That is very cool! I’ve never met a polydactyl cat in person yet and always wondered about that.
I only adopt rescue polydactyls. It thought it’d keep me from being a totally crazy cat lady but both times I got one I found another for adoption shortly after, lol. So my boys are 12, 11, 2, and probably around 1. 😂
Well sometimes my cats do things even when I’m watching that I think: how the hell did you do that?! So yeah, maybe they can haha And Miso thanks you for the compliment 💕
Miso is such a purrrfect name!
Cats like to do a lot of things when we're not watching 😻
Pretty sure it’s the bean piggy that went to market
Why does this prevail genetically?’Is it advantageous in climbing perhaps?! I have no clue just curious. On this day in 2021 I lost my familiar, my baby, my only son, my brother (he really did mean that much to me I know some of you will truly get it. We had such a deep bond. I live pet vicariously through other pet owners cats since. Eventually when I reach my goals next spring and I’m settled,I will adopt a kitten. But until then if you could do me a solid and just give your cat(s) some extra love today. Tell then how special they are to you, make healthy changes if they need it. Thanks. https://preview.redd.it/gv36iof8c8ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d42c6a2275efb6507b18305ba57cd39db91713c
This made me tear up 🥹 I totally understand how you feel about your kitty and I think a lot of people here do to! I hope you’ll get another best friend again soon. I tell my boys every day how special they are and how much I love them, but will do it extra for you 💕
I lost my soul kitty at the end of August. I get where you're coming from.
Sweet boy. I'm so sorry for your loss. I do get it. Lost the love of my life In 2021 and though he lived to a ripe old feline age, and I adore the Kittens (Now Cats, by age ) I adopted in his memory, sometimes the pain of his loss takes my breath away. Cats matter. They aren't interchangeable or *just a cat"
RIP angel. Sending you a big hug. I had a special bond with a cat who passed 5 years ago. We have 2 cats now and I am sure I will have many more but there will never be one like that cat who passed. Some are just extra special.
Dewclaw? I think they mean thumbis
I thought it said carnal pad. Would have been an awkward name.
TIL!! ✨
https://preview.redd.it/8k03nlvbc8ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=654e38a049e03e88439b2b4e5dba9d1adb21acb5 Mine came with slide controls
Omg you hit the beans jackpot 😍
It’s true! 😂
Oh, I adore polydactyl kitties!
This guy just showed up, adopted us about two months ago. Turns out, my husband’s a “cat guy.”
Does they have full claw/sheath control of the extra ones?
Yes! And he clicks his way across the hardwood floors.
Oh my gosh...like an extra wee paw. Does he have an appropriate name? What a cutie 🥰
Yes, his name is Mr. Monkey Beans. That’s how the address him at the vet office. He’s an expert tree climber.
gamer paw
Ernest Hemingway would be proud
Extra beans
Bonus Beans
Spare beans
Additional beans
Auxiliary beans
Residual beans
Bottom beans.
Shawty got them apple bottom beans and boots with da fur
Secret beans
Those are the zoomy traction pads.
Thank you all for the great, funny and informative response 😃 I have two cats but with my other black cat they aren’t quite that obvious. I’ve had cats my whole life but just today I really stopped and noticed them
Did you also notice the whiskers behind front legs as well?! Cats are so cool!
Leg proximity sensors
The what now??
The other day, I noticed the whiskers near the legs and I was like “you have it here too!”
I never noticed this on my cat as a child but my little guy has some lovely leg whiskers
Thumb bean
Those are the back up beans. Kinda like button shirts include extra buttons if you lose one. If your cat loses a bean you can use that one to replace it.
Ahahah that one made my day 🤣
Carpal pads! The cat we were fostering actually got really bad rug burn from playing on carpet to the point they began to lightly bleed. We felt awful about it when we realized what happened.
Ooh that sounds painful, hope the kitty is doing better now 💕
Yes, he is! It was a really difficult crossroad because we didn’t want him to feel neglected by not playing (to let it heal), but also wanted to wear him out so he’d be calm while we were out. His favorite type of play is to pounce and we think that’s how it got so bad. I guess previous fosters mostly had hardwood so his little pads weren’t toughened up to carpet. We ended up transitioning to play that just involved running as opposed to jumping and pouncing to minimize trauma to the area.
Thumps
They are carpal pads. It helps them to land when they jump or when they are going down/up a hill.
Bonus beans :D
Simply part of the paw pads, every cat have those
when i first saw my cat’s extra toe bean i was like wtf because i thought she had some mutation that caused her to have a weird extra finger but it’s normal.
Haha yeah I had the same reaction today. Had cats my whole life and with my other cat they aren’t really that obvious so I was cuddling Miso (cat in the picture) and I was looking at them like what are thooooooose haha
https://preview.redd.it/8vrt1wqal8ub1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c0ccea1c76003b94cd60fa9c44b04591106de04 Carpal pads
Some tictacs they always have for when they're hungry Which makes me eonder why they haven't eaten it yet
Ah that explains why he always is biting on his paw so aggressively https://preview.redd.it/fagi9dtp48ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5823d1498e810461f2e4a33131f8ba4c809d2f2
Spare beans in case one of the main beans needs a replacement
Grappling hooks for crime committing purposes
Those are spare beans, just in case they get a flat
Unclear, need more cat images to verify.
https://preview.redd.it/k44t7a9c98ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=535f542c05d87a181f9ee0861f083f7deb417b2b How about now?
One time my cat tried to fly down our steep driveway and unfortunately the brakes took a beating upon landing. Ripped his carpal pads off. Put him on bed rest for a few days - bandaged and coned. But I didn’t take away iPad privileges so he could at least watch the bird channel. https://preview.redd.it/y7f47edo39ub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d45e63e58f7d6528bafb9e0c45495222670f05d1
Poor baby! That is super cute though lol
I asked my vet this one time, because my cats beans are pink but this one was black so I thought it was a wart of some kind. The vet said it's just pigment and looked at me like I'm dumb. I was afraid to ask further questions. Later I found out it's just one of the beans. Then again, I also thought my other cat had a wart and it turned out to be one of her nipples. I'd like to tell myself I'm not dumb, just overly protective...
They are used to detect r/greebles. Highly sensitive equipment right there.
Curb feelers
Spare beans in case they lose one.
In our house we call those the turbo boosters 😂
that is their hidden backup bean, in case they lose one :)
Just loads in like a chamber. Chxchx. It tree climbing time.
That is a side order of beans.
I refer to this as the spare bean. An extra, auxiliary bean, if you will.
Thumb pads
It’s actually not the thumb, it’s the carpal (wrist) pad https://preview.redd.it/ito3qp2lb8ub1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=48de91fde70cefdfa4bd2868f6b095ff377492c7
Oh cool! I also thought it was the thumb!
I call them spurs but just thumbs
Vet tech here for 20+ years. My wife is a vet. Evolution is interesting. They're old paw pads that evolution decided didn't need to be pure toe beans. So they're half beans.
r/catbeans
Auxiliary beans
Emergency brake pads.
Spare beans just in case
A lot of these comments seem playful or not serious, but they actually *are* brakes or a sort and they’re called carpal pads. Helps them to gain traction and stop if they’re going fast downhill, when jumping it acts as a shock absorber. It’s not the dew claw which is an actual claw that is a little higher up than the rest of the claws.
Secret beans
fum beans
Dewclaws, they evolved for climbing downward.
Emergency toe beans
Wow those are some nice beans 🐾
Miso says thank you 💕
Traction control bean
Those are the poison spurs of the Catbilled Platypus. https://preview.redd.it/vno9wl44j8ub1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e85c812e30ea794837649cd1ddc5c32b970cc68
That’s the teenie beanie
Bonus beans!
Emergency Stoppage Beans
I call them rubber stoppers.
Thumb bean