Imagine the sound of a dog’s claws clicking against a tiled floor. Now picture a cat walking on that same floor. The difference is that the cat moves in complete silence. It retracts its claws entirely, allowing it to remain undetected. But why do cats have retractable claws while dogs do not? It all comes down to how these two species use their claws.
According to Anthony Russell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, cats primarily need their claws for hunting. Their front claws are essential for grabbing and holding onto prey, while the back claws are used to gut it. This means that cats must always have their sharp claws at the ready to secure food at a moment’s notice. If their claws were extended all the time, they would wear down from scraping against the ground, which would act like a nail file. Thus, the reason cats retract their claws is to maintain their sharpness.
As Russell explains, to keep this tiny weapon in top condition, cat claws are retracted by default.
Cats hunt alone, while dogs hunt in packs. Since cats are solitary hunters, their sharp, hidden claws help them catch prey on their own. “Having retractable claws is a vital adaptation that allows them to handle prey independently,” notes Xiaoming Wang, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Thanks to their sharp claws, members of the feline family can often capture prey that is two to three times their size, Wang told Live Science.
Meanwhile, dogs are social hunters. They work together to obtain food, which helps them take down larger animals by exhausting them through prolonged chases. For example, when hunting an elk, a dog will chase it for several kilometers before catching up and attacking. In contrast, cat hunting involves a short, powerful strike. For dogs, the sharpness of their claws is not as critical as it is for cats. Since dogs operate as a group, the ability to grasp and hold onto prey independently is less essential. However, according to Xiaoming Wang, claws are still important for dogs in a different sense: they help with traction and maneuverability while running. Claws allow dogs to “dig in” and quickly change direction, which is incredibly useful for hunting animals over long distances.
Most felines do not use their claws while running, with the exception of the cheetah. Its claws retract less and are more similar to those of dogs. This allows the cheetah to chase its prey at high speeds over considerable distances, Wang explains.
It’s worth noting that all predators can retract their claws to some extent, Russell says. When a cat is not using its claws, they retract fully, bending back and pressing against the bones of the toes. The animal does not need to exert effort to keep them in this state. However, while most other predators do not have retractable claws, they can still lift their claws slightly by bending their toes. This minor movement is also a form of retraction, the Canadian researcher pointed out.