Are cats normally very defensive about their back paws?

[charlie and algernon]

Ever since I've had Esther she's never been a fan of me touching her paws, but she seems ok now with me petting her front legs and her front paws somewhat. However just a slight touch of her back paws brings a meow and a swat. She doesn't seem to have a limp and there's nothing noticable on top of her paws. Is it normal for a cat to be really defensive about their back paws, or could it be something else?

[Canuckistanian]

1. She's just screwing with your mind

Cats instinctively know that you're paying attention to them - and that attention brings rewards.

I play with my cats' back feet all the time - they love it. But one of them goes nuts when I touch her back near her tail- so I do it often.

[charlie and algernon]

2. haha, makes sense

Touching her tail gets nice reaction from her too, so that's become my way of teasing her.

[jobycom]

3. Sounds normal. Cats are all different

But that sounds within the normal range of feline quirkiness.

My cat likes to roll onto her back and stick her legs up, so I push her by her back paws, and she slides across the carpet like a sled. Not related to your post, but it's cute. :)

[Dangerously Amused]

4. Her feet are probably ticklish, just like many people's are.

I have had cats who hate it when I touch their hind feet, and others it doesn't seem to bother.

[barb162]

5. Some are and some aren't. n/t

[applegrove]

6. If I touch my cats back paws I get automatic kicking. They use their back

paws for wrestling. So that could be it.

[Dogtown]

7. Back claws are defensive weapons

In a cat-fight, they cling with the front claws and try to eviscerate by raking with the back claws.

Cats are *all* about defense, so she feels 'handcuffed' if restrained.

She may like 'pressing' on her pads more than grasping.

[haele]

8. My Moggy lurves his back toes played with - and his front toes, too.

Almost as much as he loves chin scritches and belly rubs. I trained him young (he was 5 months old)to enjoy them, to make it easier to clip his claws and deal with cling-ons from the litter box in a multi-cat household. The late-lamented Willy-Bear, his littermate, used to handle front toes okay, back toes not so well (he'd start rabbit-kicking after 30 seconds, so you had to move fast if you were clipping)
Unfortunatly, the current crop of rescue cats weren't rescued young enough, and playing with paws, front or back (especially for the poly-dactly Princess) is a no-no.

Haele