A character is supposed to be imitating or acting like a cat, so they start batting at a moving object with their fingers curled inwards to imitate the rounded look of a cat paw. Bonus points if they start licking this faux paw. This move is often favored by Catgirls.
This move also doesn't actually make any sense if the person in question is supposed to be acting on actual cat instinct: when a real cat grabs at something, its digits will be splayed out as far as possible to maximize their grab capacity. When that's not what they're doing, the motion serves two purposes: it more closely mimics the shape of a cat's paw than a fingers-extended position does, and it reinforces that the person is imitating a cat, not merely swatting at a mosquito.
Contrast Humanlike Foot Anatomy.
Examples:
- Tokyo Mew Mew: Ichigo bats and licks when she first becomes a Mew.
- Ranma ½: Ranma does this when his ailurophobia drives him into thinking he's a cat. Justified in that he's not actually supposed to be a cat or part-cat; he's just acting how he perceives a cat would.
- Soul Eater: Blair in her human form. Strange, since she as a cat would stretch her arms out.
- Botan from YuYu Hakusho does this when behaving "catty".
- Matsuri and Miu, in episode 51 of Strawberry Marshmallow, each don kitty ears (not the kitty hat from episodes 8 & 43). Matsuri mimics does the Faux Paw maneuver (just batting, no licking), to Nobue's delight. Miu behaves more like a cat that's lashing out. Nobue doesn't think so highly of this.
- Himari, the title catgirl of Omamori Himari, is quite prone to this, as seen in Chapter 1.
- In K-On!, Azusa does this while donning cat ears, resulting in the other girls swooning over her (and giving her the nickname "Azu-nyan").
- Hazuki in Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, especially in the opening. You can watch it here.
- Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran: Meow is using the "Iron Cat Fist."
- High School D×D: Official illustrations of Kuroka often have her doing the gesture, fitting for her habit of mimicking cat-like mannerisms as much as possible.
- Used in Jim Gaffigan's stand-up routine. "Just cause I make a hot catwoman... meow..."
- According to behind-the-scenes commentary, this is how Will Ferrell auditioned for Saturday Night Live. He did a deadly serious impersonation of a cat playing with various objects and grooming himself.
- Empowered as Schrodinger's Catgirl (in an Imagine Spot).
- In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Luna does this when she's in human form.
- Big Wolf on Campus: An episode features a werecat who performs the Faux Paw maneuver.
- Kamen Rider:
- Shoutaro of Kamen Rider Double claims to be able to work out where a missing cat is the same way he finds missing people: by getting into the cat's mindset. He does so by performing a Faux Paw and meowing. Not only does this work, but the woman he was hired by had ulterior motives, and never actually had a cat in the first place.
- As part of her cat motif, Neon Kurama of Kamen Rider Geats does this as part of her transformation pose whenever she turns into Kamen Rider Na-go.
- Used by performers in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats.
- Project Diva Extend: Hatsune Miku in the Nekomimi Switch PV.
- Done by Ellen to Nanase's ponytail in El Goonish Shive several times starting here.
- The character of Charles "Upchuck" Ruttenheimer in Daria, Kavorka Man and would-be romeo, tends to do this a lot when appreciating a feisty lady, usually with a noise sounding like "Rrrrowlll!"
