Notes from Janice’s Desk
Are you right or left handed? I write with my right hand and it is the hand that I use the most. So, I am right handed.
Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland wanted to know if cats have a preference to their right or left paw. They discovered that female cats tend to be righties and male cats are lefties.
Another interesting thing these scientists discovered was that the test had to be a more complex manipulation than just batting a dangling toy. The cat in the photo is retrieving a favorite snack from a jar that is too small for the cat’s head. Since it is using its right paw, according to the conclusion made by the scientists, the cat is a female.
I find it difficult to identify the gender of very young kittens. Now I have a test –but, just how accurate is the test?
Science Challenge: The conclusion by the scientist was based on testing 21 female and 21 male 
kittens. Twenty males tested left-handed, with one being ambidextrous. Twenty females tested right-handed.
Variables that might have influenced the results.
1. Are the cats related? If so, maybe right or left handedness is inherited. UMM!!
2. How many times were each cat tested?
Can you think of other variables that might have influenced the results?
Are you Goofy Footed?
More Later,
Janice