Paper, Comprehensive Biomechanism of Impact Resistance in the Cat’s Paw Pad

This study investigated the impact-resistant biomechanism of a cat’s paw from macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The sample of the study included five domestic cats that died of heart disease. After being approved by the Science and Ethics Committee of Beihang University, the cats’ bodies were used for anatomical analysis. There were mainly three parts of the study: a mechanical testing system at different vibration frequencies was used to study the macroscopic mechanical properties; a section staining technique and micro-CT scanning to study the microstructure; finite element models of ellipsoidal and cylindrical adipose compartments to visualize the internal buffering mechanism.
The researchers postulated that the footpads of cats should have a certain flexibility, stiffness, and damping. Their results confirmed their conjecture: the cat paw pads with increased resistance to deformation can avoid injury while they must not be too stiff for stability; ellipsoid-like structure has more advantages in cushioning impact force compared with cylindrical shapes. This discovery of a cat’s paw could provide new inspiration for shock-absorbing composite materials in engineering and for impact-resistant footpad for humans during landing.

Learn more (opens external site)