Perhaps this cat, like some wild cats, was trying to scrape together a mound of debris to mark territory . This is the left front foot of a domestic cat. No cats were harmed to obtain this photo. My cat was sleeping when I snuck up on him and took the picture. The heel pad on the front foot is larger than that of the hind foot.
Front feet are generally larger than hind feet on many animals, including cats and dogs.
The fifth 'toe' located further up on the left of the wrist does have a claw and it is used in hunting. Often it is assumed that cats only have four claws on their feet, but they actually do use this claw when hunting. Bobcats and mountain lions also have this extra claw. The pad on the right, furthest from the toes, is just a pad without a claw. Cat hind feet do not have any extra pads or claws, just the four toes with their claws.