Research overview: the deep digital flexor and tendon system controlling the claws

Claw deployment is powered by the deep digital flexor muscle, whose tendons run down each toe to the claw-bearing bone. This overview reviews the tendon-and-pulley arrangement that protracts the claws and the elastic ligaments that retract them at rest. Contraction draws the terminal phalanx forward and down, exposing the claw, and relaxation lets it spring back into its sheath. Researchers map this system through dissection, tendon-tracing, and biomechanical modelling of the toe joints. Why it matters: the flexor system links claw action to the broader mechanics of the paw, explaining how a cat can clench all claws at once to grip prey or a branch, and how the same tendons that grip also contribute to the cushioned, silent footfalls of a stalking cat.