Splay footed Toms - your opinion.

[catdogs]

Toms that walk splay footed. Is it because they are heavy, old, or is it genetics? What's you opinion? Ever seen a splay footed female?

[Mike Leonard]

I think some of them naturally have a more splayed foot but it is magnified when they get real old and also if they are packing a gut full of meat they really pan out there.

On the females yes. I have actually seen in more in females especially when carrying young and are near term.

We had one old lady cat that raised a pair of kittens up on this big bald mountain every other years for a long time. I ran her some and then ran the subs, but she always kept the boys coming around.Well she got pretty old and she was splayed footed and throwed a big track although her strides were still normal for a female and her toes were female sized. Well this outfitter came along and saw her tracks in the snow and dumped on her and when he had her treed he knew it was a female but he let the client kil it anyway. Dang shame really becasue she had two kittens and they were about 25 pounds each and they finally wandered down the canyon to the nearest ranch. Ranchers dogs treed them and they were turned over to state. I think they both lived but I may be mistaken but they were turned over to the Albuquerque Zoo. I still think it's a damn shame those lions would have been able to live like lions should rather than staring thru the bars and some sandel wearing pilgrims for the rest of their life.

[wildcat]

some times its can come from running this lion over and over and over

[sourdough]

Wildcat, Don't mean to be confrontational but lions chase big game for a living. Pursuing them and catching them with hounds is not going to make them splay footed. I will go with Mike genetics, and age are probably the biggest factors involved when it comes to a lion being splay footed. Look at an old dog heck look at yourself if you have a little age on you. I used to be in a size 10 1/2 now I am in a size 12.

sourdough

[Mike Leonard]

Sourdough,

You are right on I have a friend in New Mexico who is a top guide for deer and elk, and many big names come to hunt with him. He and his wife are both outfitters and they got very interested in hounds some10-15 years ago. The got some good hounds from local hunters and I am happy to say some nice youngsters from our place and went on and did well on lion. They however were students of the wilderness and spent uncountable hours walking the steep slopes of the Gila in search of the hounds or antlered critters. Well they have a collection of boots at their wonderful place and it is amazing to see how two years of trompiong the Gila will splay and old foot out . You take a look at some of those native boys who been hoofing it bare sincethe cradle and you will see human clydsdales. I mean they got a GREAT understanding.

But on splay foot game. Turf, speed, and what is the critter packing. But an old arthitec cat I have heard can get crippled looking. I would love to see one of those old ones once.

[wildcat]

Take it easy i was just flippin catdog some shit about runnin the same cat ,

[Rockcreek]

Lions sometime's splay the foot out depending on what they are traveling on. Just like claw marks may appear if they are traveling across ice, the same may be true for splaying if the cat is traveling through mud or another surface they don't feel stable on.

Just my observation.

Take care.
Mason