320 INTERESTING & REAL FACTS ABOUT CATS

320 Interesting & Real facts about Cats

 

  • 1) Facts about Cats: Every year, nearly four million cats are eaten in Asia.
  • 2)  Facts about Cats: On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life.
  • 3)  Facts about Cats: Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.
  • 4)  Facts about Cats: When a cat chases its prey, it keeps its head level. Dogs and humans bob their heads up and down.
  • 5)  Facts about Cats: The technical term for a cat’s hairball is a “bezoar.”
  • 6)  Facts about Cats: A group of cats is called a “clowder.”
  • 7)  Facts about Cats: Female cats tend to be right pawed, while male cats are more often left pawed. Interestingly, while 90% of humans are right handed, the remaining 10% of lefties also tend to be male.
  • 8)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.
  • 9)  Facts about Cats: Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
  • 10)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.
  • 11)  Facts about Cats: There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with approximately 40 recognized breeds.
  • 12)  Facts about Cats: Approximately 24 cat skins can make a coat.
  • 13)  Facts about Cats: While it is commonly thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was recently found in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more.
  • 14)  Facts about Cats: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, Pope Innocent VIII condemned cats as evil and thousands of cats were burned. Unfortunately, the widespread killing of cats led to an explosion of the rat population, which exacerbated the effects of the Black Death.
  • 15)  Facts about Cats: During the Middle Ages, cats were associated with witchcraft, and on St. John’s Day, people all over Europe would stuff them into sacks and toss the cats into bonfires. On holy days, people celebrated by tossing cats from church towers.
  • 16)  Facts about Cats: Cats are North America’s most popular pets: there are 73 million cats compared to 63 million dogs. Over 30% of households in North America own a cat.
  • 17)  Facts about Cats: The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette (a.k.a. “Astrocat”) In 1963, France blasted the cat into outer space. Electrodes implanted in her brains sent neurological signals back to Earth. She survived the trip.
  • 18)  Facts about Cats: The group of words associated with cat ( catt, cath, chat, katze ) stem from the Latin catus , meaning domestic cat, as opposed to feles , or wild cat.
  • 19)  Facts about Cats: The term “puss” is the root of the principal word for “cat” in the Romanian term pisica and the root of secondary words in Lithuanian ( puz ) and Low German puus . Some scholars suggest that “puss” could be imitative of the hissing sound used to get a cat’s attention. As a slang word for the female pudenda, it could be associated with the connotation of a cat being soft, warm, and fuzzy.
  • 20)  Facts about Cats: Approximately 40,000 people are bitten by cats in the U.S. annually.
  • 21)  Facts about Cats: According to Hebrew legend, Noah prayed to God for help protecting all the food he stored on the ark from being eaten by rats. In reply, God made the lion sneeze, and out popped a cat.
  • 22)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s hearing is better than a dog’s. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.
  • 23)  Facts about Cats: A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance.
  • 24)  Facts about Cats: A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.
  • 25)  Facts about Cats: Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their “righting reflex.” The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.
  • 26)  Facts about Cats: A cat rubs against people not only to be affectionate but also to mark out its territory with scent glands around its face. The tail area and paws also carry the cat’s scent.
  • 27)  Facts about Cats: Researchers are unsure exactly how a cat purrs. Most veterinarians believe that a cat purrs by vibrating vocal folds deep in the throat. To do this, a muscle in the larynx opens and closes the air passage about 25 times per second.
  • 28)  Facts about Cats: When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with tiny mummies of mice.
  • 29)  Facts about Cats: In 1888, more than 300,000 mummified cats were found an Egyptian cemetery. They were stripped of their wrappings and carted off to be used by farmers in England and the U.S. for fertilizer.
  • 30)  Facts about Cats: Most cats give birth to a litter of between one and nine kittens. The largest known litter ever produced was 19 kittens, of which 15 survived.
  • 31)  Facts about Cats: Smuggling a cat out of ancient Egypt was punishable by death. Phoenician traders eventually succeeded in smuggling felines, which they sold to rich people in Athens and other important cities.
  • 32)  Facts about Cats: The earliest ancestor of the modern cat lived about 30 million years ago. Scientists called it the Proailurus , which means “first cat” in Greek. The group of animals that pet cats belong to emerged around 12 million years ago.
  • 33)  Facts about Cats: The biggest wildcat today is the Siberian Tiger. It can be more than 12 feet (3.6 m) long (about the size of a small car) and weigh up to 700 pounds (317 kg).
  • 34)  Facts about Cats: The smallest wildcat today is the Black-footed cat. The females are less than 20 inches (50 cm) long and can weigh as little as 2.5 lbs. (1.2 kg).
  • 35)  Facts about Cats: Many Egyptians worshipped the goddess Bast, who had a woman’s body and a cat’s head.
  • 36)  Facts about Cats: Mohammed loved cats and reportedly his favorite cat, Muezza, was a tabby. Legend says that tabby cats have an “M” for Mohammed on top of their heads because Mohammad would often rest his hand on the cat’s head.
  • 37)  Facts about Cats: While many parts of Europe and North America consider the black cat a sign of bad luck, in Britain and Australia, black cats are considered lucky.
  • 38)  Facts about Cats: The most popular pedigreed cat is the Persian cat, followed by the Main Coon cat and the Siamese cat.
  • 39)  Facts about Cats: The smallest pedigreed cat is a Singapura, which can weigh just 4 lbs. (1.8 kg), or about five large cans of cat food. The largest pedigreed cats are Maine Coon cats, which can weigh 25 lbs. (11.3 kg), or nearly twice as much as an average cat weighs.
  • 40)  Facts about Cats: Some Siamese cats appear cross-eyed because the nerves from the left side of the brain go to mostly the right eye and the nerves from the right side of the brain go mostly to the left eye. This causes some double vision, which the cat tries to correct by “crossing” its eyes.
  • 41)  Facts about Cats: Researchers believe the word “tabby” comes from Attabiyah, a neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq. Tabbies got their name because their striped coats resembled the famous wavy patterns in the silk produced in this city.
  • 42)  Facts about Cats: Cats hate the water because their fur does not insulate well when it’s wet. The Turkish Van, however, is one cat that likes swimming. Bred in central Asia, its coat has a unique texture that makes it water resistant.
  • 43)  Facts about Cats: The Egyptian Mau is probably the oldest breed of cat. In fact, the breed is so ancient that its name is the Egyptian word for “cat.”
  • 44)  Facts about Cats: The costliest cat ever is named Little Nicky, who cost his owner $50,000. He is a clone of an older cat.
  • 45)  Facts about Cats: A cat usually has about 12 whiskers on each side of its face.
  • 46)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s eyesight is both better and worse than humans. It is better because cats can see in much dimmer light and they have a wider peripheral view. It’s worse because they don’t see color as well as humans do. Scientists believe grass appears red to cats.
  • 47)  Facts about Cats: Spanish-Jewish folklore recounts that Adam’s first wife, Lilith, became a black vampire cat, sucking the blood from sleeping babies. This may be the root of the superstition that a cat will smother a sleeping baby or suck out the child’s breath.
  • 48)  Facts about Cats: Perhaps the most famous comic cat is the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. With the ability to disappear, this mysterious character embodies the magic and sorcery historically associated with cats.
  • 49)  Facts about Cats: In the original Italian version of Cinderella, the benevolent fairy godmother figure was a cat.
  • 50)  Facts about Cats: In Holland’s embassy in Moscow, Russia, the staff noticed that the two Siamese cats kept meowing and clawing at the walls of the building. Their owners finally investigated, thinking they would find mice. Instead, they discovered microphones hidden by Russian spies. The cats heard the microphones when they turned on.
  • 51)  Facts about Cats: The little tufts of hair in a cat’s ear that help keep out dirt direct sounds into the ear, and insulate the ears are called “ear furnishings.”
  • 52)  Facts about Cats: The ability of a cat to find its way home is called “psi-traveling.” Experts think cats either use the angle of the sunlight to find their way or that cats have magnetized cells in their brains that act as compasses.
  • 53)  Facts about Cats: Isaac Newton invented the cat flap. Newton was experimenting in a pitch-black room. Spithead, one of his cats, kept opening the door and wrecking his experiment. The cat flap kept both Newton and Spithead happy.
  • 54)  Facts about Cats: The world’s rarest coffee, Kopi Luwak, comes from Indonesia where a wildcat known as the luwak lives. The cat eats coffee berries and the coffee beans inside pass through the stomach. The beans are harvested from the cat’s dung heaps and then cleaned and roasted. Kopi Luwak sells for about $500 for a 450 g (1 lb) bag.
  • 55)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s jaw can’t move sideways, so a cat can’t chew large chunks of food.
  • 56)  Facts about Cats: A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats.
  • 57)  Facts about Cats:          A cat’s back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans only have 34.
  • 58)  Facts about Cats: Approximately 1/3 of cat owners think their pets are able to read their minds.
  • 59)  Facts about Cats: All cats have claws, and all except the cheetah sheath them when at rest.
  • 60)  Facts about Cats: Two members of the cat family are distinct from all others: the clouded leopard and the cheetah. The clouded leopard does not roar like other big cats, nor does it groom or rest like small cats. The cheetah is unique because it is a running cat; all others are leaping cats. They are leaping cats because they slowly stalk their prey and then leap on it.
  • 61)  Facts about Cats: A cat lover is called an Ailurophilia (Greek: cat+lover).
  • 62)  Facts about Cats: In Japan, cats are thought to have the power to turn into super spirits when they die. This may be because according to the Buddhist religion, the body of the cat is the temporary resting place of very spiritual people.
  • 63)  Facts about Cats: Most cats had short hair until about 100 years ago, when it became fashionable to own cats and experiment with breeding.
  • 64)  Facts about Cats: Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (humans have only 6). A cat can independently rotate its ears 180 degrees.
  • 65)  Facts about Cats: One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep.
  • 66)  Facts about Cats: Cats have about 130,000 hairs per square inch (20,155 hairs per square centimeter). i
  • 67)  Facts about Cats: The heaviest cat on record is Himmy, a Tabby from Queensland, Australia. He weighed nearly 47 pounds (21 kg). He died at the age of 10.
  • 68)  Facts about Cats: The oldest cat on record was Crème Puff from Austin, Texas, who lived from 1967 to August 6, 2005, three days after her 38th birthday. A cat typically can live up to 20 years, which is equivalent to about 96 human years.
  • 69)  Facts about Cats: The lightest cat on record is a blue point Himalayan called Tinker Toy, who weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces (616 g). Tinker Toy was 2.75 inches (7 cm) tall and 7.5 inches (19 cm) long.
  • 70)  Facts about Cats: The tiniest cat on record is Mr. Pebbles, a 2-year-old cat that weighed 3 lbs (1.3 k) and was 6.1 inches (15.5 cm) high.
  • 71)  Facts about Cats: A commemorative tower was built in Scotland for a cat named Towser, who caught nearly 30,000 mice in her lifetime.
  • 72)  Facts about Cats: In the 1750s, Europeans introduced cats into the Americas to control pests.
  • 73)  Facts about Cats: The first cat show was organized in 1871 in London. Cat shows later became a worldwide craze.
  • 74)  Facts about Cats: The first cartoon cat was Felix the Cat in 1919. In 1940, Tom and Jerry starred in the first theatrical cartoon “Puss Gets the Boot.” In 1981 Andrew Lloyd Weber created the musical Cats , based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
  • 75)  Facts about Cats: The normal body temperature of a cat is between 100.5 ° and 102.5 °F. A cat is sick if its temperature goes below 100 ° or above 103 °F.
  • 76)  Facts about Cats: A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.
  • 77)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
  • 78)  Facts about Cats: If they have ample water, cats can tolerate temperatures up to 133 °F.
  • 79)  Facts about Cats: Foods that should not be given to cats include onions, garlic, green tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, and raisins. Though milk is not toxic, it can cause an upset stomach and gas. Tylenol and aspirin are extremely toxic to cats, as are many common houseplants. Feeding cats dog food or canned tuna that’s for human consumption can cause malnutrition.
  • 80)  Facts about Cats: A 2007 Gallup poll revealed that both men and women were equally likely to own a cat.
  • 81)  Facts about Cats: A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute.
  • 82)  Facts about Cats: Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws.
  • 83)  Facts about Cats: In just seven years, a single pair of cats and their offspring could produce a staggering total of 420,000 kittens.
  • 84)  Facts about Cats: Relative to its body size, the clouded leopard has the biggest canines of all animals’ canines. Its dagger-like teeth can be as long as 1.8 inches (4.5 cm).
  • 85)  Facts about Cats: Cats spend nearly 1/3 of their waking hours cleaning themselves.
  • 86)  Facts about Cats: Grown cats have 30 teeth. Kittens have about 26 temporary teeth, which they lose when they are about 6 months old.
  • 87)  Facts about Cats: A cat called Dusty has the known record for the most kittens. She had more than 420 kittens in her lifetime.
  • 88)  Facts about Cats: The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Male Ragdolls weigh between 12 and 20 lbs. (5.4-9.0 k). Females weigh between 10 and 15 lbs. (4.5-6.8 k).
  • 89)  Facts about Cats: Cats are extremely sensitive to vibrations. Cats are said to detect earthquake tremors 10 or 15 minutes before humans can.
  • 90)  Facts about Cats: In contrast to dogs, cats have not undergone major changes during their domestication process.
  • 91)  Facts about Cats: A female cat is called a queen or a molly.
  • 92)  Facts about Cats: In the 1930s, two Russian biologists discovered that color change in Siamese kittens depend on their body temperature. Siamese cats carry albino genes that work only when the body temperature is above 98° F. If these kittens are left in a very warm room, their points won’t darken and they will stay a creamy white.
  • 93)  Facts about Cats: There are up to 60 million feral cats in the United States alone.
  • 94)  Facts about Cats: The oldest cat to give birth was Kitty who, at the age of 30, gave birth to two kittens. During her life, she gave birth to 218 kittens.
  • 95)  Facts about Cats: The most traveled cat is Hamlet, who escaped from his carrier while on a flight. He hid for seven weeks behind a pane. By the time he was discovered, he had traveled nearly 373,000 miles (600,000 km).
  • 96)  Facts about Cats: The most expensive cat was an Asian Leopard cat (ALC)-Domestic Shorthair (DSH) hybrid named Zeus. Zeus, who is 90% ALC and 10% DSH, has an asking price of £100,000 ($154,000).
  • 97)  Facts about Cats: The cat who holds the record for the longest non-fatal fall is Andy. He fell from the 16 th floor of an apartment building (about 200 ft/.06 km) and survived.
  • 98)  Facts about Cats: The richest cat is Blackie who was left £15 million by his owner, Ben Rea.
  • 99)  Facts about Cats: The claws on the cat’s back paws aren’t as sharp as the claws on the front paws because the claws in the back don’t retract and, consequently, become worn.
  • 100)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
  • 101)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are sometimes born with extra toes. This is called polydactyl. These toes will not harm the cat, but you should keep his claws trimmed just like any toe.
  • 102)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have true fur, in that they have both an undercoat and an outer coat.
  • 103)  Facts about Cats:  Newborn kittens have closed ear canals that don’t begin to open for nine days. When the eyes open, they are always blue at first. They change color over a period of months to the final eye color.
  • 104)  Facts about Cats:  Most cats have no eyelashes.
  • 105)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have a full inner-eyelid, or nictitating membrane. This inner-eyelid serves to help protect the eyes from dryness and damage. When the cat is ill, the inner-eyelid will frequently close partially, making it visible to the observer.
  • 106)  Facts about Cats:  A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.
  • 107)  Facts about Cats:  You can tell a cat’s mood by looking into its eyes. A frightened or excited cat will have large, round pupils. An angry cat will have narrow pupils. The pupil size is related as much to the cat’s emotions as to the degree of light.
  • 108)  Facts about Cats:  It is a common belief that cats are color blind. However, recent studies have shown that cats can see blue, green and red.
  • 109)  Facts about Cats:  A large majority of white cats with blue eyes are deaf. White cats with only one blue eye are deaf only in the ear closest to the blue eye. White cats with orange eyes do not have this disability.
  • 110)  Facts about Cats:  Cats with white fur and skin on their ears are very prone to sunburn. Frequent sunburns can lead to skin cancer. Many white cats need surgery to remove all or part of a cancerous ear. Preventive measures include sunscreen, or better, keeping the cat indoors.
  • 111)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can jump even seven times as high as it is tall.
  • 112)  Facts about Cats:  The cat’s footpads absorb the shocks of the landing when the cat jumps.
  • 113)  Facts about Cats:  Cats lack a true collarbone. Because of this lack, cats can generally squeeze their bodies through any space they can get their heads through. You may have seen a cat testing the size of an opening by careful measurement with the head.
  • 114)  Facts about Cats:  If left to her own devices, a female cat may have three to seven kittens every four months. This is why population control using neutering and spaying is so important.
  • 115)  Facts about Cats:  A cat is pregnant for about 58-65 days.
  • 116)  Facts about Cats:  Mother cats teach their kittens to use the litter box.
  • 117)  Facts about Cats:  The way you treat kittens in the early stages of its life will render it’s personality traits later in life.
  • 118)  Facts about Cats:  Contrary to popular belief, the cat is a social animal. A pet cat will respond and answer to speech, and seems to enjoy human companionship.
  • 119)  Facts about Cats:  When well treated, a cat can live twenty or more years but the average life span of a domestic cat is 14 years.
  • 120)  Facts about Cats:  Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.
  • 121)  Facts about Cats:  Cats, especially older cats, do get cancer. Many times this disease can be treated successfully.
  • 122)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can’t taste sweets.
  • 123)  Facts about Cats:  Cats must have fat in their diet because they can’t produce it on their own.
  • 124)  Facts about Cats:  Some common houseplants poisonous to cats include: English Ivy, iris, mistletoe, philodendron, and yew.
  • 125)  Facts about Cats:  Tylenol and chocolate are both poisonous to cats.
  • 126)  Facts about Cats:  Many cats cannot properly digest cow’s milk. Milk and milk products give them diarrhea.
  • 127)  Facts about Cats:  The average cat food meal is the equivalent to about five mice.
  • 128)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can get tapeworms from eating fleas. These worms live inside the cat forever, or until they are removed with medication. They reproduce by shedding a link from the end of their long bodies. This link crawls out the cat’s anus, and sheds hundreds of eggs. These eggs are injected by flea larvae, and the cycle continues. Humans may get these tapeworms too, but only if they eat infected fleas. Cats with tapeworms should be dewormed by a veterinarian.
  • 129)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can get tapeworms from eating mice. If your cat catches a mouse it is best to take the prize away from it.
  • 130)  Facts about Cats:  Though rare, cats can contract canine heart worms.
  • 131)  Facts about Cats:  The gene in cats that causes the orange coat color are sexed linked, and is on the X sex chromosome. This gene may display orange or black. Thus, as female cat with two X chromosomes may have orange and black colors in its coat. A male, with only one X chromosome, can have only orange or black, not both.
  • 132)  Facts about Cats:  If a male cat is both orange and black it is (besides being extremely rare ) sterile. To have both the orange and the black coat colors, the male cat must have all or part of both female X chromosomes. This unusual sex chromosome combination will render the male cat sterile.
  • 133)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have AB blood groups just like people.
  • 134)  Facts about Cats:  A form of AIDS exists in cats.
  • 135)  Facts about Cats:  The color of the points in Siamese cats is heat related. Cool areas are darker.
  • 136)  Facts about Cats:  Siamese kittens are born white because of the heat inside the mother’s uterus before birth. This heat keeps the kittens’ hair from darkening on the points.
  • 137)  Facts about Cats:  People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to cat saliva or to cat dander. If the resident cat is bathed regularly the allergic people tolerate it better.
  • 138)  Facts about Cats:  Studies now show that the allergen in cats is related to their scent glands. Cats have scent glands on their faces and at the base of their tails. Entire male cats generate the most scent. If this secretion from the scent glands is the allergen, allergic people should tolerate spayed female cats the best.
  • 139)  Facts about Cats:  Cats do not think that they are little people. They think that we are big cats. This influences their behavior in many ways.
  • 140)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are subject to gum disease and to dental caries. They should have their teeth cleaned by the vet or the cat dentist once a year.
  • 141)  Facts about Cats:  Many people fear catching a protozoan disease, Toxoplasmosis, from cats. This disease can cause illness in the human, but more seriously, can cause birth defects in the unborn. Toxoplasmosis is a common disease, sometimes spread through the feces of cats. It is caused most often from eating raw or rare beef. Pregnant women and people with a depressed immune system should not touch the cat litter box. Other than that, there is no reason that these people have to avoid cats.
  • 142)  Facts about Cats:  The ancestor of all domestic cats is the African Wild Cat which still exists today.
  • 143)  Facts about Cats:  In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
  • 144)  Facts about Cats:  In ancient Egypt, mummies were made of cats, and embalmed mice were placed with them in their tombs. In one ancient city, over 300,000 cat mummies were found.
  • 145)  Facts about Cats:  In the middle Ages, during the Festival of Saint John, cats were burned alive in town squares.
  • 146)  Facts about Cats:  The first cat show was in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London.
  • 147)  Facts about Cats:  Today there are about 100 distinct breeds of the domestic cat.
  • 148)  Facts about Cats:  Like birds, cats have a homing ability that uses its biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth’s magnetic field. A cat taken far from its home can return to it. But if a cat’s owners move far from its home, the cat can’t find them.
  • 149)  Facts about Cats:  Cats bury their feces to cover their trails from predators.
  • 150)  Facts about Cats:  Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours per day. When cats are asleep, they are still alert to incoming stimuli. If you poke the tail of a sleeping cat, it will respond accordingly.
  • 151)  Facts about Cats:  Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an additional organ called the Jacobson’s organ, located in the upper surface of the mouth.
  • 152)  Facts about Cats:  The chlorine in fresh tap water irritates sensitive parts of the cat’s nose. Let tap water sit for 24 hours before giving it to a cat.
  • 153)  Facts about Cats:  Abraham Lincoln loved cats. He had four of them while he lived in the White House.
  • 154)  Facts about Cats:  Julius Ceasar, Henri II, Charles XI, and Napoleon were all afraid of cats.
  • 155)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have an average of 24 whiskers, arranged in four horizontal rows on each side.
  • 156)  Facts about Cats:  The word “cat” in various languages: French: chat; German: katze; Italian: gatto; Spanish/Portuguese: gato; Yiddish: kats; Maltese: qattus; Swedish/Norwegian: katt; Dutch: kat; Icelandic: kottur; Greek: gata; Hindu: katas; Japanese:neko; Polish: kot; Ukranian: kotuk; Hawiian: popoki; Russian: кошка (koshka); Latin: cattus; Egyptian: mau; Turkish: kedi; Armenian: Gatz; Chinese: mio; Arabic: biss; Indonesian: qitta; Bulgarian: kotka; Malay: kucing; Thai/Vietnamese: meo; Romanian: pisica; Lithuanian: katinas; Czech: kocka; Slovak: macka; Armenian: gatz; Basque: catua; Estonian: kass; Finnish: kissa; Swahili: paka.
  • 157)  Facts about Cats:  Statistics indicate that animal lovers in recent years have shown a preference for cats over dogs!
  • 158)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can be taught to walk on a leash, but a lot of time and patience is required to teach them. The younger the cat is, the easier it will be for them to learn.
  • 159)  Facts about Cats:  Purring not always means happiness. Purring could mean a cat is in terrible pain such as during childbirth. Kitten will purr to their mother to let her know they are getting enough milk while nursing. Purring is a process of inhaling and exhaling, usually performed while the mouth is closed. But don’t worry, if your cat is purring while your gently petting her and holding her close to you – that is a happy cat!
  • 160)  Facts about Cats:  The catnip plant contains oil called hepetalactone which does for cats what marijuana does to some people. Not all cats react to it those that do appear to enter a trancelike state. A positive reaction takes the form of the cat sniffing the catnip, then licking, biting, chewing it, rub & rolling on it repeatedly, purring, meowing & even leaping in the air.
  • 161)  Facts about Cats:  Of all the species of cats, the domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All species of wild cats hold their talk horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
  • 162)  Facts about Cats:  A happy cat holds her tail high and steady.
  • 163)  Facts about Cats:  Almost 10% of a cat’s bones are in its tail, and the tail is used to maintain balance.
  • 164)  Facts about Cats:  Cat families usually play best in even numbers. Cats and kittens should be acquired in pairs whenever possible.
  • 165)  Facts about Cats:  Baking chocolate is the most dangerous chocolate to your cat.
  • 166)  Facts about Cats:  You check your cats pulse on the inside of the back thigh, where the leg joins to the body. Normal for cats: 110-170 beats per minute.
  • 167)  Facts about Cats:  Jaguars are the only big cats that don’t roar.
  • 168)  Facts about Cats:  A cats field of vision is about 185 degrees.
  • 169)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have individual preferences for scratching surfaces and angles. Some are horizontal scratchers while others exercise their claws vertically.
  • 170)  Facts about Cats:  The Maine Coone is the only Native American long haired breed.
  • 171)  Facts about Cats:  The Maine Coon is 4 to 5 times larger than the Singapura, the smallest breed of cat.
  • 172)  Facts about Cats:  Tabby cats are thought to get their name from Attab, a district in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq.
  • 173)  Facts about Cats:  Retractable claws are a physical phenomenon that sets cats apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. I n the cat family, only cheetahs cannot retract their claws.
  • 174)  Facts about Cats:  Not every cat gets “high” from catnip. Whether or not a cat responds to it depends upon a recessive gene: no gene, no joy.
  • 175)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can sprint at about thirty-one miles per hour.
  • 176)  Facts about Cats:  In ancient Egypt, when a family cat died, all family members would shave their eyebrows as a sign of mourning.
  • 177)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have been domesticated for half as long as dogs have been.
  • 178)  Facts about Cats:  A cat’s whiskers are thought to be a kind of radar, which helps a cat gauge the space it intends to walk through.
  • 179)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can spend five or more hours a day grooming himself.
  • 180)  Facts about Cats:  All cats have three sets of long hairs that are sensitive to pressure – whiskers, eyebrows, and the hairs between their paw pads.
  • 181)  Facts about Cats:  Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.
  • 182)  Facts about Cats:  A cat’s brain is more similar to a man’s brain than that of a dog.
  • 183)  Facts about Cats:  A cat has more bones than a human; humans have 206, and the cat – 230.
  • 184)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have 30 vertebrae–5 more than humans have.
  • 185)  Facts about Cats:  The cat has 500 skeletal muscles (humans have 650).
  • 186)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (compared to human’s 6 muscles each). A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and can turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog.
  • 187)  Facts about Cats:  Cats’ hearing stops at 65 khz (kilohertz); humans’ hearing stops at 20 khz.
  • 188)  Facts about Cats:  In relation to their body size, cats have the largest eyes of any mammal.
  • 189)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have 30 teeth (12 incisors, 10 premolars, 4 canines, and 4 molars), while dogs have 42. Kittens have baby teeth, which are replaced by permanent teeth around the age of 7 months.
  • 190)  Facts about Cats:  When a cat drinks, its tongue – which has tiny barbs on it – scoops the liquid up backwards.
  • 191)  Facts about Cats:  Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, about 26 cycles per second.
  • 192)  Facts about Cats:  Cats step with both left legs, then both right legs when they walk or run.
  • 193)  Facts about Cats:  Cats walk on their toes.
  • 194)  Facts about Cats:  Cats take between 20-40 breaths per minute.
  • 195)  Facts about Cats:  Normal body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees F.
  • 196)  Facts about Cats:  Cats respond most readily to names that end in an “ee” sound.
  • 197)  Facts about Cats:  A cat will tremble or shiver when it is extreme pain.
  • 198)  Facts about Cats:  When a domestic cat goes after mice, about 1 pounce in 3 results in a catch.
  • 199)  Facts about Cats:  Declawing a cat is the same as cutting a human’s fingers off at the knuckle. There are several alternatives to a complete declawing, including trimming or a less radical (though more involved) surgery to remove the claws. Preferably, try to train your cat to use a scratching post.
  • 200)  Facts about Cats:  Cats with long, lean bodies are more likely to be outgoing, and more protective and vocal than those with a stocky build.
  • 201)  Facts about Cats:  A steady diet of dog food may cause blindness in your cat – it lacks taurine.
  • 202)  Facts about Cats:  It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one’s blood pressure.
  • 203)  Facts about Cats:  If your cat snores, or rolls over on his back to expose his belly, it means he trusts you.
  • 204)  Facts about Cats:  Cats respond better to women than to men, probably due to the fact that women’s voices have a higher pitch.
  • 205)  Facts about Cats:  Florence Nightingale owned more than 60 cats in her lifetime.
  • 206)  Facts about Cats:  When your cat rubs up against you, she is actually marking you as “hers” with her scent. If your cat pushes his face against your head, it is a sign of acceptance and affection.
  • 207)  Facts about Cats:  Tests done by the Behavioral Department of the Museum of Natural History conclude that while a dog’s memory lasts about 5 minutes, a cat’s recall can last as long as 16 hours.
  • 208)  Facts about Cats:  Has your cat ever brought its prey to your door? Cats do that because they regard their owners as their “kittens.” The cats are teaching their “kittens” how to hunt by bringing them food. Most people aren’t too delighted when a pet brings in their kill. Instead of punishing your cat, praise it for its efforts, accept the prey, and then secretly throw it away.
  • 209)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can predict earthquakes. We humans are not 100% sure how they do it. There are several different theories.
  • 210)  Facts about Cats:  A queen (female cat) can begin mating when she is between 5 and 9 months old.
  • 211)  Facts about Cats:  A tomcat (male cat) can begin mating when he is between 7 and 10 months old.
  • 212)  Facts about Cats:  Tomcats can mate at any time, while queens can only mate during a period of time called heat or estrus .
  • 213)  Facts about Cats:  Heat occurs several times a year and can last anywhere from 3 to 15 days.
  • 214)  Facts about Cats:  At 4 weeks, it is important to play with kittens so that they do not develop a fear of people.
  • 215)  Facts about Cats:  Kittens remain with their mother till the age of 9 weeks.
  • 216)  Facts about Cats:  It is estimated that cats can make over 60 different sounds.
  • 217)  Facts about Cats:  The cat’s footpads absorb the shocks of the landing when the cat jumps.
  • 218)  Facts about Cats:  Ailurophile – that’s what we’re officially called. It’s what cat lovers are known as.
  • 219)  Facts about Cats:  A cat that bites you for rubbing his stomach is often biting from pleasure, not anger.
  • 220)  Facts about Cats:  The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak back. You will learn a lot from your cat’s wide vocabulary of chirps and meows.
  • 221)  Facts about Cats:  Cats often overact to unexpected stimuli because of their extremely sensitive nervous system.
  • 222)  Facts about Cats:  Kittens who are taken along on short, trouble-free car trips to town tend to make good passengers when they get older. They get used to the sounds and motions of traveling and make less connection between the car and the visits to the vet.
  • 223)  Facts about Cats:  Cats, just like people, are subject to asthma. Dust, smoke, and other forms of air pollution in your cat’s environment can be troublesome sources of irritation.
  • 224)  Facts about Cats:  Since cats are so good at hiding illness, even a single instance of a symptom should be taken very seriously.
  • 225)  Facts about Cats:  There is a species of cat smaller than the average housecat. It is native to Africa and it is the Black-footed cat ( Felis nigripes ). Its top weight is 5.5 pounds.
  • 226)  Facts about Cats:  A tortoiseshell is black with red or orange markings and a calico is white with patches of red, orange and black.
  • 227)  Facts about Cats:  The Ancient Egyptian word for cat was mau , which means “to see”.
  • 228)  Facts about Cats:  Cats that live together sometimes rub each other’s heads to show that they have no intention of fighting. Young cats do this more often, especially when they are excited.
  • 229)  Facts about Cats:  In 1987 cats overtook dogs as the number one pet in America.
  • 230)  Facts about Cats:  Kittens lose their baby teeth!! At three to four months the incisors erupt. Then at four to six months, they lose their canines, premolars and molars. By the time they are seven months old, their adult teeth are fully developed. This is one of the ways a vet (or you) can tell the age of a kitten.
  • 231)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are born with blue eyes. They change at approximately 12 weeks of age.
  • 232)  Facts about Cats:  Sometimes your cat will find it difficult to find the treats you throw him on the floor. The reason is because cats can’t see directly under their own nose.
  • 233)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can jump between 5 & 7 times as high as their tail.
  • 234)  Facts about Cats:  80% of all cats, big and small, have the same reaction to catnip, due to their feline genes. Cats that are younger than 6 months and tigers however, do not react to catnip.
  • 235)  Facts about Cats:  A cat uses it’s whiskers to tell if the space they are contemplating entering is big enough for them.
  • 236)  Facts about Cats:  Cats not only walk on their toes but they have 5 toes on their front paws and 4 toes on their back paws.
  • 237)  Facts about Cats:  Killing a cat was punishable by death in ancient Egypt.
  • 238)  Facts about Cats:  Just like fingerprints on humans, the nose pad of cats is rigid in a pattern that is completely unique.
  • 239)  Facts about Cats:  Sir Isaac Newton is credited for inventing the cat door.
  • 240)  Facts about Cats:  Start a garden inside your home. Cats love to eat grass, parsley, catnip, and sage. However, consult your Vet before planting a garden for your cat to eat. Many plants are harmful or even fatal to cats.
  • 241)  Facts about Cats:  Pet owners live longer, happier lives with less stress and less heart attacks.
  • 242)  Facts about Cats:  Cats prefer their food at room temperature.
  • 243)  Facts about Cats:  Don’t put your cat’s collar on too tight. Make sure you can slip 2 fingers between the collar and the cat.
  • 244)  Facts about Cats:  There are such diseases as feline leukemia and feline AIDS.
  • 245)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are not immune to cancer.
  • 246)  Facts about Cats:  A cat’s brain is actually more like a human brain rather than a dog’s brain.
  • 247)  Facts about Cats:  Cat’s sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day, but not soundly. They will react immediately too any stimulation.
  • 248)  Facts about Cats:  Chocolate and Tylenol are both harmful to cats.
  • 249)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are sensitive to lactose so milk is not good for them. In fact, it will give them diarrhea. Instead, give your cat cream. The butterfat is easier for them to handle and it’s good for them. It also has less lactose.
  • 250)  Facts about Cats:  You can extend your cat’s life by having them neutered.
  • 251)  Facts about Cats:  An indoor cat will live on average to be about 15 years old. An outdoor cat generally does not live past 5 years old.
  • 252)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can pivot its ears 180 degrees.
  • 253)  Facts about Cats:  Never leave your cat in a car alone. Temperatures, even with the windows cracked, are too much for your pet to handle.
  • 254)  Facts about Cats:  A female cat can start mating at 5 months old. A male cat must wait until he is at least 7 months old.
  • 255)  Facts about Cats:  Pregnancy in cat’s usually last between 58 and 65 days, about 2 months.
  • 256)  Facts about Cats:  In order to cover their trails from predators, cats bury their feces.
  • 257)  Facts about Cats:  A cat that rolls over and exposes its stomach to you, feel very safe and secure around you. They are also letting you know that they enjoy your company.
  • 258)  Facts about Cats:  Cats knead their paws when they are happy.
  • 259)  Facts about Cats:  Your cat will pick on your mood and will change their mood based on yours.
  • 260)  Facts about Cats:  If your cat likes to climb the Christmas tree, hang a lemon or orange scented air freshener on the bark. They don’t care for those smells and will leave the tree alone.
  • 261)  Facts about Cats:  Cats speak to humans who speak to them. They also get their security from your voice, so watch your tone.
  • 262)  Facts about Cats:  Cats rub up against objects and people in an attempt to put their scent on them, i.e. “mark them”
  • 263)  Facts about Cats:  Cats purr when they are feeling any strong emotions.
  • 264)  Facts about Cats:  30% of a cat’s waking hours are spent on grooming.
  • 265)  Facts about Cats:  Your cat prefers eating out of a clean bowl in the same quiet spot every day.
  • 266)  Facts about Cats:  Cat’s bite out of pleasure as well, so when you’re done petting your cat, if he/she bites you, it may not be a negative response.
  • 267)  Facts about Cats:  Ailurophile is the “love of cats.”
  • 268)  Facts about Cats:  The most popular names for female cats in the U.S. are Missy, Misty, Muffin, Patches, Fluffy, Tabitha, Tigger, Pumpkin and Samantha.
  • People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.21% of dogs and 7% of cats snore.
  • 269)  Facts about Cats:  A cat uses its whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through.
  • 270)  Facts about Cats:  The average house cat spends approximately 10,950 hours purring in a lifetime.
  • 271)  Facts about Cats:  A cat can live twenty or more years.
  • 272)  Facts about Cats:  The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
  • 273)  Facts about Cats:  The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36th birthday.  (We wish we could have them all that long!)
  • 274)  Facts about Cats:  Most cats have no eyelashes.
  • 275)  Facts about Cats:  Cat’s fur easily becomes charged with electricity and sparks can be seen if their fur is rubbed in the dark.
  • 276)  Facts about Cats:  Cats purr at 26 cycles per second, the same as an idling diesel engine.
  • 277)  Facts about Cats:  A cat cannot see directly under its nose.
  • 278)  Facts about Cats:  If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you.   If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed — Time to distance yourself from her.
  • 279)  Facts about Cats:  A cat keeps purring, no matter if it is inhaling or exhaling.
  • 280)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
  • 281)  Facts about Cats:  A cat’s arching back is part of a complex body language system.
  • 282)  Facts about Cats:  The cat was domesticated over 4,000 years ago.
  • 283)  Facts about Cats:  All cats are members of the family Felidae.
  • 284)  Facts about Cats:  A house cat spends 70% of its time sleeping.
  • 285)  Facts about Cats:  A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
  • 286)  Facts about Cats:  There is no single cat called the panther. The name is commonly applied to the leopard, puma and the jaguar.
  • 287)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have true fur, in that they have both an undercoat and an outer coat.
  • 288)  Facts about Cats:  The cat was the symbol of liberty in ancient Rome.
  • 289)  Facts about Cats:  The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
  • 290)  Facts about Cats:  The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
  • 291)  Facts about Cats:  Cats do not think that they are little people. They think that we are big cats.
  • 292)  Facts about Cats:  Calico cats are almost always female.
  • 293)  Facts about Cats:  Cats knead with their paws when they’re happy.
  • 294)  Facts about Cats:  During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.
  • 295)  Facts about Cats:  In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.
  • 296)  Facts about Cats:  The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian in South Africa named Bluebell.  Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!
  • 297)  Facts about Cats:  A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.
  • 298)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
  • 299)  Facts about Cats:  A cat’s normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees.  This is slightly warmer than humans.
  • 300)  Facts about Cats:  A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order.  First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.
  • 301)  Facts about Cats:  Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture.  Still scratching?  Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area.  Cats hate these smells.
  • 302)  Facts about Cats:  According to myth, a cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather is coming.
  • 303)  Facts about Cats:  Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat.
  • 304)  Facts about Cats:  Cats get their sense of security from your voice.  Talk to your cats!  And be mindful of your tone of voice.  Cats know when you’re yelling at them (though they may not care).
  • 305)  Facts about Cats:  The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.
  • 306)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are partially color blind.   They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness.  (Reds appear green and greens appear red; or shades thereof.)
  • 307)  Facts about Cats:  Cats don’t see “detail” very well.  To them, their person may appear hazy when standing in front of them.
  • 308)  Facts about Cats:  Cats can see up to 120 feet away.   Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.
  • 309)  Facts about Cats:  Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see.  Their night vision is amazing!
  • 310)  Facts about Cats:  A group of kittens is called a “kindle.”
  • 311)  Facts about Cats:  A group of grown cats is called a “clowder.”
  • 312)  Facts about Cats:  Have you ever tried to feed your cat food that was just taken out of the refrigerator?  Most cats prefer their food at room temperature, and will boldly REFUSE any food that is too cold or too hot.
  • 313)  Facts about Cats:  Never feed your cat dog food.   Cats need five times more protein than dogs do.
  • 314)  Facts about Cats:  Cats are more active during the evening hours.
  • 315)  Facts about Cats:  Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
  • 316)  Facts about Cats:  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986.  Himmy’s waist was 33 inches!  The previous record-holder had been Spice, a ginger-and-white tom cat from Connecticut, who weighed 43 pounds when he died in 1977.
  • 317)  Facts about Cats:  Cats love high places.  They share this love with leopards and jaguars, who sleep in trees.  If a cat begins to fall, his inner ear canal (which controls balance) will help him right himself and land on his feet.
  • 318)  Facts about Cats:  Domestic cats are essentially loners.   When placed in a group, they develop their own hierarchy.  As long as there is plenty of food on hand, a cat can learn to share its domain with other cats.
  • 319)  Facts about Cats:  Unlike humans and dogs, cats do not suffer a lot from loneliness. It is a mistake to project our social feelings onto our cats. Cats are social to a degree, but they are far more concerned with territorial issues than we can even imagine.
  • 320)  Facts about Cats:  Cats have a weak sense of taste. They have only 473 taste buds, humans have 9,000.