A paw's the soft foot of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that's claws or nails. A hard foot's called a hoof. Paws are used to pad feet for walking and increase friction. Common characteristics The paw's characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous, collagenous, adipose tissue which make up the pads. These pads act as a cushion for the load-bearing limbs of the animal. The paw consists of the large, heart-shaped metacarpal pad (forelimb) or metatarsal… (More on Paw)