Brain Asymmetry and Behavioral Disorders in Cats
TL;DR
This review examines the relationship between behavioral lateralization indices—paw preference, olfactory pathway lateralization, and stress responses—and behavioral disorders such as aggression, anxiety, compulsive disorders, and feline hyperesthesia syndrome, drawing on the current literature.
Abstract
Brain lateralization refers to the differential functional specialization of the left and right cerebral hemispheres. For decades it was treated as a uniquely human trait, but it is now recognized across nearly all vertebrate taxa and in some invertebrates as well. Felis silvestris catus (the domestic cat) has emerged as a particularly useful model for studying motor lateralization, sensory asymmetry, and emotional processing. This review examines the relationship between behavioral lateralization indices—paw preference, olfactory pathway lateralization, and stress responses—and behavioral disorders such as aggression, anxiety, compulsive disorders, and feline hyperesthesia syndrome, drawing on the current literature. The evidence suggests that both the direction (left- versus right-pawed) and the strength (strong versus weak lateralization) of hemispheric dominance shape behavioral phenotype in cats. Ambilateral cats in particular have been reported to show lower temperament scores, higher aggressivity, and greater susceptibility to stress. These findings position the assessment of lateralized behavior as a practical tool for animal welfare work and for the early detection of behavioral disorders in domestic cats.