Cats are amazing creatures. There are so many facts about Cats whole books have been written on just house cats. Cats are also one of the most popular pets in the United States because they don’t require walking and are very friendly. While not known as man’s best friend cats can be just as loyal as dogs.
Here is a list of some amazing facts about Cats
Fact #1 Cats Can Survive Huge Falls
Cats have been reported to fall over 19 stories with only bruises. This ability comes from the fact that domesticated cats are descended from wild cats who had to be able to withstand falls from high branches. They also have a large surface area which helps to slow them down during falls.
Fact #2 Cat Naps
We have all heard the phrase but did you know cats have earned it with good reason? Cats sleep up to 70% of their lives. This is because they are made to exert a lot of energy when living in the wild to hunt down prey. They want to be well rested so they can catch their food.
Fact #3 Cats like Politics
Well okay, they might not like politics but they have been part of politics for a while now. Stubbs is the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska and has been for the last 15 years since he was a kitten. Stubbs has run for Senate too. Also, in 2013 Vota Morris, a cat, ran for mayor of Mexico City.
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Fact #4 Every Ship Has A Cat
Since ancient times cats have been companions to sailors. Most older ships had cats as mascots and aids. This tradition is still carried on today by some ships. Cats keep sailors from being lonely during long voyages but they also hunt rodents that can damage parts of the ship. Some Navy’s around the world have banned cats after World War II due to potential health hazards.
Fact #5 Cats Can Reduce Health Risks
Cats are friendly and love being best friends with humans, when they buddy up with humans they reduce stress and anxiety. Reduced stress and anxiety make you live a healthier life but it also reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke.
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Fact #6 Domestic Cats Date before the Pharaohs
When many people think of domesticated cats they think the oldest ones come from ancient Egypt where they were worshipped. Cats date back much further than that, around 2,000 years before the pharaohs.
Fact #7 Purr
Most people have heard a cat purr when it is being pet and assume that it is the sound of happiness, but this isn’t always true. The purr that a cat lets out can also be a sign of nervousness, something that cats are well known for. They will also purr when they are in pain and there is some scientific evidence that leads professionals to believe purrs might be a process of self-healing.
Fact #8 The Meow
The meow is a form of communication for cats but most people think that it is also used for cat-to-cat communication. While it is very occasionally used to communicate with other cats, such as to find a mate, it isn’t common. Most of the time cats meow to communicate with humans, such as to request food or to greet their human companions. An excessive amount of meowing may also be a sign that your cat is in distress from a medical issue or Cat Alzheimer’s.
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Fact #9 Cats and Milk
Thanks to cartoons many people give their cats milk and then wonder why they throw up or have other stomach issues. This is because cats are often lactose intolerant. If your cat reacts badly to milk stop giving him/her milk.
Fact #10 Secret Agent Cat
Cats have played spies on TV and in cartoons but there has been a real spy. In the 1960s the CIA commissioned a program to turn a cat into a spy. This cat was kitted out with a microphone and a small speaker in its ear. The program showed great promise but when the cat got hit by a taxi on its first mission the program was ditched.
Some More Fun Facts about Cats
- A group of cats is called a clowder
- Cats can’t taste sweetness
- Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees. They use 32 muscles to control them. They can also move their ears separately.
- The hearing of the average cat is at least five times sharper than that of a human adult
- A cat cannot see directly under its nose. Most cats have no eyelashes but have three eyelids.
- The world’s largest cat measured 48.5 inches long
- Evidence suggests domesticated cats have been around since 3600 B.C., 2,000 years before Egypt’s pharaohs
- The world’s richest cat is worth $13 million after his human passed away and left her fortune to him.
- Female cats are typically right-pawed while male cats are typically left-pawed.
- Cats make more than 100 different sounds whereas dogs make around 10
- A cat’s nose is as unique as a human’s fingerprint. Cats only sweat through their paws and nowhere else on their body.
- The average cat can jump 8 feet nearly six times of its body length.
- A cat only has the ability to move their jaw up and down, not side to side like a human can
- The Egyptian Mau is the oldest breed of cat. This breed is also the fastest pedigreed cat. The Egyptian word for cat is, in fact, “mau.”
- When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would shave off their eyebrows as they mourned. Cats were mythic symbols of divinity in ancient Egypt
- Black cats are bad luck in the United States, but they are good luck in the United Kingdom and Australia
- The first cat in space was French. She was named Felicette, or “Astrocat” and she survived the trip.
- Cats have free-floating clavicle bones that attach their shoulders to their forelimbs, which allows them to squeeze through very small spaces.
- Cats use their whiskers to detect if they can fit through a space.
