One of my cats, Riley, strikes me has being handier with his paws then
what is usual, at least in my own experience. None of his paw tricks
are unique, but taken as a group, it seems that he's really jonesing
for an opposable thumb. Alas, his genetic line stops here. Anyway, I'm
going to share some of his handier talents, and I'd like to hear about
other cats with this propensity. Oh, and Riley has just the ordinary
number of toes, in case that's relevant.

Riley's typical paw feats:

- he opens all the cabinets in the house, with and without handles
- to wash his face, he holds his tail between his front paws, licks it
up good and wet, and scrubs his face holding his tail as a wash cloth
(beginning tool use?)
- when I first get home and he wants attention, he'll sit on a counter
near me and tap me on the shoulder, if I don't respond adequately, he
bites my shoulder, thus reverting to type
- when exploring a new food, he'll pick it up with a paw and nibble it
out of his own palm
- when he first wakes up, he plans a major stretch that ends with him
tapping me on the face, either the mouth or the eyes
- and the best, for sentimental reasons: he picked me out at Humane
Society by reaching out of his top level cage, where I hadn't noticed
him, and tapping me on the head.

So, what do your cats do with their paws, other than the usual playing
with toys and walking around?

Becky