A mapping and ablation catheter that reduces the risk of cardiac perforation during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The catheter comprises an elongate shaft including a proximal and distal portions, where the distal portion comprises a plurality of segments including a proximal-most segment, a distal-most segment and one or more intermediate segments between the proximal-most and distal-most segments. The catheter can include a diagnostic electrode in the distal most segment, an atraumatic tip located at the distal end of the distal-most segment, and an ablation electrode located in a segment proximal to the distal-most segment.