101 Incredible Cat Facts

Your cat might be a favourite. However, you might not realize the awesomeness of your cat and her species is. For instance, did you realize that cats possess an extra organ that lets them smell scents? They also created meowing as a method to only communicate with humans?

There’s more to your cat’s companion than what’s apparent to the naked eye. Therefore, to let you know the fantastic cats and how amazing they are, we asked cat care experts, specifically, cats sitters and boarders, and groomers, to share their top fun facts about these mysterious creatures.

Then, we compiled some of the top 101 amusing cat facts that you could show your loved ones and friends.

Cat Facts

Facts About Cat Anatomy & Physiology

• The genome of a house cat includes 95.6 percent tiger. According to Layla Morgan Wilde, they have many traits in common with their ancestors from the jungle, a cat behavior expert and creator of Cat Wisdom 101. This includes scent marking with scratching, prey play with prey stalking, pouncing, chinning, and keeping urine.
• Cats are thought to be the only mammals that don’t enjoy the sweetness.
• Cats have nearsighted eyes. However, their night and peripheral vision are far superior to humans.
• Cats are believed to have 18 feet (five toes per front paw and four toes on each paw on the back).
• Cats can jump as high as seven times longer than their height.
• Cat claws are all curving downwards, meaning that they can’t climb trees head-first. Instead, they must return to the tree.
• The collarbones of cats don’t connect to their other bone since these bones are hidden within the shoulder muscles.
• The cat has 230 bones, and humans have only 206 bones.
• Cats possess a different organ that lets them detect scents in the air. This is the reason your cat stares at you with her mouth wide now and then.
• Cats sport whiskers on their backs—front legs.
• Cats are home to nearly double the number of neuronal cells within their brain cortex than dogs do.
• Cats have the biggest eyes about head size. They are the largest mammal with the biggest eyes.
• Cats emit a minimal sound when they move about. The soft, thick pads on their feet allow them to sneak past their prey — or even you!
• Cats’ tongues are rough and can clean a bone of any piece of meat.
• Cats use their tails to keep themselves balanced while jumping or walking across small ledges.
• Cats utilize the whiskers of their bodies to “feel” the world around them to find the smallest spaces they can squeeze into. The whiskers of a cat are usually roughly the same width as the cat’s body. (This is the reason why you should never cut the whiskers of your cat.)
• Cats walk in the same way as Giraffes and camels: They walk with their feet to the right before moving both left feet. There are no other animals that walk in this manner.
• Female cats tend to be left-pawed, whereas females are much more likely to be right-pawed.
• While cats can be aware of the speed of movement of prey animals, it usually appears to them as if slow-moving animals are, in fact, stagnant.
• Certain cats are ambidextrous; however, 40 percent are right or left-pawed.
• Cats can swim in certain areas.
• Some cats have over 18 feet. These cats with extra digits are known as “polydactyl.”

Facts About Cat Health & Wellness

• The lifespan of cats increased by a year between 2002 and 2012, as per the findings of a study conducted by Banfield Pet Hospital.
• As per The Huffington Post, cats generally sleep between 12 and 16 hours each day.
• Cats are crepuscular. This means they’re active in the early morning and at dusk.
• Cats are very particular about what they call their “bathroom.” If you have more than one cat, you need to have a separate litter box for each cat.
• Cats can spend nearly 1/3 of their daily time grooming.
• Cats live longer if they are kept in the house.
• The purr of cats could be a way to soothe themselves in that they can make the sound when they’re sick or upset or when they’re feeling happy.
• Cats are known to refuse food until it causes deprivation.
• Contrary to popular belief, a lot of cats have lactose intolerance.
• Female cats can be pregnant while they’re only at 4 months old!
• The grapes and raisins, garlic, onions, and chives, are all highly harmful food choices for cats. The combination of raisins and grapes can lead to kidney damage, though the reasons behind this aren’t evident. In addition, garlic, onions, and chives cause chaos in your cat’s digestive system and may cause anemia.
• If you can keep your cat engaged during the daytime, you will see him sleep better in the evening. If you’re not feeding the cat, you could assist her in getting an adequate night’s rest by feeding her an ample dinner.
• Catnip is believed to cause an effect that is similar to LSD as well as marijuana, which is a common occurrence in felines. Effects of nepetalactone, the chemical present in catnip that makes cats mad, will fade within 15 minutes and doesn’t be seen for several hours, regardless of whether your cat is still sniffing away.
• Kittens can be spayed and neutered at just 8 weeks old. If you can, the procedure should be completed within the first 5 months of your cat’s existence.
• Male cats that have been treated need fewer calories to sustain their weight.
• Spaying and neutering can prolong the lifespan of cats. A Banfield Pet Hospital study found that males who have been neutered have an average lifespan of 62 % longer than unneutered cats, and females who have been spayed have an average life span of 39 percent longer than non-spayed cats.
• The grooming process your cat goes through increases blood flow to the skin, which regulates his body temperature and allows him to relax.

Facts About Cat Communication Cues

• A cat that has a question mark-shaped tail is asking, “Want to play?”
• According to Wilde, Slow blinks are equivalent to a “kitty kiss.” This motion demonstrates trust and contentment.
• Cats have a distinct “vocabulary” with their owner. Every cat has a variety of vocalizations, purrs, and other behaviors.
• Cats can use more than 100 different vocalizations, while dogs have 10.
• Cats perceive it as a threat when you make eye contact with them.
• Cats identify them as territorial.
• When they rub their faces or bodies against yours because they have smell glands located in these areas.
• Cats can yawn as an option to get out of an argument with an animal. Consider it as a “talk to the hand” gesture.
• Hissing is not aggressive but defensive. It’s defensive, not aggressive, according to Wilde. “It’s an expression of fear, stress, or discomfort of a threatened cat communicating ‘stay away,'” she declares.
• If there’s a fight between cats and the screaming cat is more vulnerable, Wilde says. Wilde.
• If your cat comes up to you with an almost tense, straight tail, it means she is very happy to meet you.
• Kneading, which is sometimes referred to as “making biscuits,” signifies satisfaction and happiness. Cats kiss their mothers as they nurse to increase the flow of milk.
• Meowing is a behavior that cats have developed to communicate with other cats.
• If a cat lies down and exposes his belly, it’s never an invitation to rub his belly. Cats do this when he’s calm and show confidence.
• When cats attack your body with claws that are retracted, They’re playing, not attacking.
• If dogs are seen wagging their tails, it could be an expression of joy. However, this isn’t the case for cats! If your cat is wagging her tail, this is her way of telling you that you’re getting off her nerves.
• If your cat sticks his tongue into your face, the cat is doing it to show his affection.
• Whiskers are also a great indicator of how a cat’s temperament is. If a cat is afraid, then he puts his whiskers back. However, when cats are in hunting mode, it moves their whiskers forward.
• Your cat’s tail is draped over another pet, or your dog, or even you, as a sign of friendship.

Facts About Quirky Cat Behaviors — And Why They Happen

• Cats can be very picky regarding their water bowls. Certain cats prefer to avoid their bowls completely in favor of drinking directly from the sink’s faucet.
• Cats groom other cats, sometimes even people, in a process known as allogrooming.
• Cats are known to lie on objects that smell just like their owners, like their pillows and their dirty laundry (ick! ).
• Cats are fond of sleeping in laundry baskets since they’re hideouts with peepholes.
• Cats are known to bite your ankles when they’re bored.
• Certain cats have a craze for items you might not expect, such as potato chips, olives, and hops in beer.
• There is a reason why cats aren’t a fan of citrus scents.
• If you’re unable to find your cat, check a box or bag since these are among their most sought-after hiding places!
• Male cats that try to approach the female during their fetus may exhibit bizarre behavior like, for instance, certain cats have been known to fall chimneys!
• A lot of cats love to lick their owners’ freshly washed hair.
• Cats love the smell of chlorine.
• The behavior of stealing is not unusual in cats. They often pick up objects such as feather dusters, stuffed animals, and other objects that make them think of their prey.

Facts About Cats Who Made History

• A cat with green color was born in Denmark in 1995. Some believe that the high copper levels in the nearby water pipes may have caused his fur to have the verdigris effect.
• It was discovered it was Abraham Lincoln was a crazy cat president! Four cats resided inside his White House with him.
• Maria Assunta left her cat, Tomasso, her entire $13 million fortune when she passed away in 2011.
• The cat of President Bill Clinton, Socks, was a celebrity in the Clinton administration. It was reported to get more letters than President Clinton himself.
• Stubbs 17, a 17-year old orange tabby, is the mayor in the district that is historic Talkeetna, Alaska.

Other Surprising Cat Facts You Didn’t Know.

• The cat’s learning style is similar to that of an infant or a child.
• The purr of a cat resonates at a rate of 25-150 hertz that’s the same frequency at which bones and muscles are repaired.
• A litter of kittens is known as”kindle “kindle.”
• A cat from the house could beat world-class sprinter Usain Bolt during the 200-meter dash.
• The majority of cats worldwide react to the scent of catnip.
• Cat breeders are known as “catteries.”
• Cats are toilet-trained.
• Cats can drink seawater to live. (In case you’re wondering, we can’t.)
• Cats aren’t subject to an incest taboo, so they could choose to be mates with their siblings and brothers.
• Cats dream, just like people do.
• Cats have played a role in the loss of 33 distinct species.
• Cats see people as huge hairless animals, says Wilde.
• Cats were introduced into the Americas in the colonial era to eliminate rodents.
• Common nouns for adult cats are “clowder,” “clutter,” “glaring,” and “pounce.”
• Every cat’s nose print is unique, just like human fingerprints.
• According to Cheryl Hogan, a Scottish Fold breeder and chairman of the committee for the breed at the International Cat, each Scottish Fold cat in the world can trace its history to the first that was discovered within Scotland around the year 1960 Association (TICA).
• It’s not unusual to find cats at food stores in large cities for free and cute — pest control.
• Kittens from the same litter may have multiple fathers. This is because the female cat can release multiple eggs over just a few days once pregnant.
• The male cats tend to be most prone to catnip. Cats less than 3 months old show none at all.
• Most world languages use a similar word for”meow” sound “meow” sound.
• Many people believe that they’ve found the purebred on the street or at a shelter. However, Hogan claims that this is extremely rare. “Ninety-nine times out of 100, what you have found on the street will not be purebred anything,” Hogan declares. “Very seldom do breeders sell kittens that are not already spayed or neutered,” since purebred cats must adhere to very stringent standards.
• A staggering 700 million feral cats reside within the United States, and many shelters offer trap-neuter-release to stop the growth of the population.
• The evidence suggests that domesticated cats first appeared in the year 3600 B.C.
• The first cat video that was recorded was recorded in 1894.
• There are around 88 million cats that have pets within the United States, which makes them the most sought-after pet in the nation!
• The park is home to two hundred wild cats throughout the theme park of Disneyland performing their role to keep rodents under control that do not wear funny costumes and talk in loud, squeaky voices.
• Blue eyes and white cats can be deaf.