Cats come in different varieties of colors, which means no two cats should ever look alike. Yet many cats have white paws that make them look like they’re wearing socks.

Scientists call this piebaldism, which creates this odd but common visual appearance on cats. This same genetic quirk works with other animals too such as horses, giving them a similar common appearance.

Still it’s easier to think that cats simply like walking around in socks because they’re civilized. Either that or it’s because cats don’t want to wear shoes because that gives them a chance to be more casual and lounge around the house all day, which they do anyways whether they have socks or not.

To learn more about why cats appear to have socks, click here.