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Article updated: 9/3/2012 7:21 AM

Paw preference tests can be fun for your pets

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A Chihuahua shows frustration after the staff at the Los Angeles County Animal Care Control Carson Shelter placed a treat under a bowl to determine paw preference in Gardena, Calif. Results depend on which paw the dog uses to move the bowl.

Associated Press

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A cat lifts his left leg during a right-handed-left-handed test performed at the Los Angeles County Animal Care Control Carson Shelter in Gardena, Calif. A 1991 study at Ataturk University in Turkey showed 50 percent of cats were right-pawed, 40 percent were left-pawed and 10 percent were ambidextrous.

Associated Press

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Could your dog or cat be a southpaw? Vets and owners agree that pets, including horses, have right and left preferences. Researchers are studying things like right brain-left brain connections, genetics and sexual orientation that may one day change the way dogs and cats are bred, raised, trained and used,