According to Statista, besides fish, cats are the most popular pet of choice in America. There are more than 94 million cat owners in America that love their little feline friends so much! If you are also one of them, you will love this article. We have dug up the most surprising facts about cats that you might not be familiar with before today:
Your Cat Spends About 30 To 50 Percent of Its Day Grooming Itself
Have you witnessed your cat licking itself? It licks due to several reasons, such as:
- Licking reduces their scent so they can avoid predators.
- Licking cools them down.
- Licking promotes blood flow.
- Licking distributes natural oils evenly around their coat.
- Licking allows them to stay warm and dry.
Also, cats remain busy in grooming the whole day because they like to keep themselves clean all the time.
Unlike Humans, Cats Can Drink Seawater
Cats have a special type of kidneys that can filter out salt from water in order to hydrate their bodies (unlike humans).
Read more here.
Cats Meow to Communicate With Us Humans, Not Other Cats
You used to think that cats make that cute meowing sound to communicate with other cats? That is not true. According to PetCarex, kittens might use this meowing sound to communicate with their mothers when hungry, but adult cats don’t meow at each other. However, cats yowl to other cats when they are angry.
Cats Purr for a Reason
No one knows quite accurately the reason why cats purr, but according to one hypothesis, the sound frequency of purring, which is between 25 and 150 Hertz can improve cats’ bone density and promote healing.
Cats Cannot Detect Sweetness
Ever wondered why your little furry friend doesn’t get attracted to those mouth-watering sweet dishes? This is because scientists believe that there is a mutation in a key taste receptor that doesn’t let cats taste sugar. So don’t worry, your cat won’t eat your cupcake because it couldn’t detect sweetness.
Read more here.
Cats Have More Bones than Us Humans
You must be amazed by this fact because they can easily fit through even the tightest places having more bones than humans. The truth is that cats have more than 230 bones in their bodies, while we humans only have 206. The extra bones are in cats’ tail and spine that give them the extra flexibility and allow them to pull off their trademark back arch.
The reason why cats can easily fit through small spaces is that they have a small chest cavity and don’t have collar bone.
Your Cat’s Nose Has Catnip Receptors
Have you seen your cat getting all crazy after sniffing catnips? This is because the herb contains various chemical compounds, including nepetalactone, which your cat can detect with its mouth and nose. The compounds trigger different weird reactions such as head shaking, head rubbing, and rolling around here and there on the ground.
Cats Have Three Eyelids
You are familiar with two eyelids, but there is a third eyelid as well, known as palpebratertia. It is an inner membrane that plays a vital role in eye health as it removes debris and excess moisture. It is also known for helping cats’ eyes while they are in a field having tall grass or preying in the wild.
You Cat Can Make an Excellent Private Detective
If you need someone to keep an eye, your cat can pretty much do the job for free. In the 1960s, Ambassador Henry Helb, who was living in the Dutch Embassy in Moscow, noticed that his two Siamese kittens were clawing at one of the walls and arching their backs. Helb knew that something is wrong, and later he found that there were 30 microphones hidden behind the boards.
So, are you ready for making your cat – your private detective?
Read the full story here
Cats Are Far-Sighted
Have you noticed that your cat cannot see the food right in front of its nose? Although cats have excellent night vision and can see far-off things better than us, they have difficulty focusing on objects that are right in front of them.
Also, cats have a blind spot in front of their noses. But this weakness is balanced out by whiskers and their excellent sense of smell.
The Wealthiest Cat in the World
Cats can be rich too, not because they earn but because they can be left with a lot of money from their lovely owners. The same happened with a cat named Blackie who was left with nearly $13 million by a wealthy British antique dealer named Ben Rea.
Obviously, the feline couldn’t spend all that money, so it was split among three cat charities, which were instructed to keep an eye on the rich man’s beloved little furry friend. Blackie used to hold the Guinness World Record for Wealthiest Cat but currently, Taylor Swift’s cat, Olivia Benson is the richest cat in the world who has inherited a whopping $97 million fortune.
Read the full story here.
Cats Have Unique Nose Pads
Just like our fingerprints, cats have unique nose pads, which means no two cats’ nose pads are exactly alike. So, if you even need to catch a cat thief, this is the point you should keep in mind.
There Are Special Songs for Cats
Your cat might hate your music because it can’t get what the music is about. But a composer named David Teie partnered with animal scientists to compose an album called Music for Cats. The album was released back in 2015, and the songs were all based on feline vocal communications and environmental sounds that were supposed to be liked by cats.
Cats Can Become Addicted To Tuna
Just like we humans can get addicted to drugs, cats can become addicted to tuna. Although a little meal of tuna is harmless, having too much of it can be bad for your cat’s health. Tuna has strong flavor and taste that can make cats addicted to it, and later they may refuse to eat anything else. The cats who get addicted to tuna may end up suffering from malnutrition.
A Kindle is a Group of Kittens
You might be familiar with an e-reader named Kindle, but did you know that a group of kittens born to one mother cat is also known as a Kindle? On the other hand, a group of adult cats is called a Clowder.
Housecat vs. Usain Bolt
Your pet cat can easily outrun the fastest Usain Bolt by running at a speed of 30 miles per hour – where Bolt averages 27 miles per hour.
Abraham Lincoln Loved Cats
Abraham Lincoln was a big fan of pets, including cats and dogs. Once, the wife of Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, was asked that if her husband has any hobbies – Mary, without thinking much, said “Cats!”
Cats Are Unable To Climb Down With Their Heads Down
Yes, cats can climb a tall tree in no time, but when it comes to coming down, they would instead jump or climb down the tree with its head first down. They can’t do so because its claws are curved backwards that facilitates them when climbing a tree or wall. What cats do is hook their claws in cracks and push themselves upward.
When a cat is coming down, the claws curve upwards and are unable to hold it securely on a climbing surface, this is why the cats who don’t know how to come down will remain there until help comes their way.
Cats Have 32 Muscles in Their Ears
Wonder why cats can hear even the slightest rustle? This is because they have 32 complex muscles in their ears that control the exterior part of their ears. Also, the most amazing part is that cats can figure out the source of sound more accurately when they are not moving. This is the reason why they stop and listen.
Cats Spend About 70 Percent of Their Lives Sleeping
If you own a pet cat, you will know that they do mostly one of four things: eat, run, play, and sleep. According to a study, cats spend most of their time sleeping – they dedicate about 70 percent of their lives to sleep.
Cats are known as top-sleeping in the animal world because, to hunt, they need to conserve a lot of energy.
Cats Have Dreams
Cats spend most of their time sleeping and dreaming. Just like us humans, cats also experience Rapid Eye Movement sleep, a stage when dreams occur. They can dream just like us about day-to-day activities. If your cat is chattering, twitching, and moving its paws while sleeping, then it is most likely dreaming.
Cats Sweat through Their Paws
The way cats sweat is completely different from the way sweat manifests in humans. If a cat overheats, it sweats through its paws. An overheated cat can leave a trail of its wet footprints on the floor.
Raw Fish Is Not Good For the Health of Cats
According to the professionals at VetStreet, uncooked fish may contain harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning to cats. While cats seem to be really crazy for raw fish in cartoons, it is awful for their health in real life. Also, raw fish has an enzyme that can destroy thiamine, an essential B vitamin, leading to neurological problems in cats.
Your Cat can get ill Due To Changes in Routine
When you change a specific routine, such as feeding schedule, caretaker, or location, they can start getting ill. Your cat may even vomit and refuse to eat anything that you feed. Cats who have adopted a routine can lead to unusual behavior and lethargy if their routine is disrupted.
The World’s Oldest Living CatThe title of the world’s oldest living cat belongs to a cat named Rubble, who celebrated its 31st birthday in June 2018.
Read the full story here.
America’s Favorite Cat Breed
According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, in 2018, America’s most popular cat breed was the Exotic, now in 2019, it is on second place while Ragdoll has taken the first place on the list as America’s most popular cat breed.
Not All Cat Breeds Have Fur
While you may have seen all the cats with furry coats, there are some breeds, such as Sphinx cats that don’t have fur coats. But still, their body temperature is four degrees warmer than your typical cat.
Final Verdict
We hope that you liked these amazing facts about cats and learned a lot about your little furry friend in this article. If you think that your cat-loving friends should also know about these facts, you can share the article with them as well.