Avatar

Suburban Noir

@suburbannoir / suburbannoir.tumblr.com

Don't look at me, I'm only breathing.
Avatar
Avatar
prokopetz

Housecats are often described as soft creatures with pointy ends, but this is not in fact the case – or, at least, putting it that way overlooks a critical distinction.

Though a housecat’s claws are often termed “retractable”, it’s more accurate to say that they’re protractile. A retractable claw is extended at rest, and must be deliberately retracted; a protractile claw, conversely, is retracted at rest, and must be deliberately extended.

In other words, a housecat’s resting state is soft. The cat chooses to be pointy.

You are using an unsupported browser and things might not work as intended. Please make sure you're using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.