Temperature sensitivity of the paw of the cat: a behavioural study.

1. Cats were trained to respond to differences between the temperatures of the floors of two corridors of a modified T-maze for a food reward.2. The cats were able to respond to differences between warm temperatures or differences between cool temperatures in the range of 1 degrees C.3. Both warm and cool discriminations were mediated by receptors located in or near the footpads.4. The paw of the cat thus appears to be more sensitive to temperature changes than was believed previously, and its temperature sensitivity may be comparable to that of the hand of the primate.