Feline Facts

Shorthaired Cats

Most cats were shorthaired until about 100 years ago when it became popular to have longhaired cats.

Hairy Cats

Cats have about 130,000 hairs per square inch.

Indecisive Cats

Isaac Newton invented the cat flap to keep himself and his pet cat, Spithead, happy.

Fancy Cats

The little tufts of fur in a cat's ears are known as "ear furnishings."

Heroic Cats

In Holland's embassy in Moscow, Russia, two Siamese cats showed the staff where hidden microphones planted by Russian spies were hidden in the walls as they meowed and scratched at that very spot. It was believed the cats could hear the microphones when they were turned on.

Fairy-tale Cats

In the original Cinderella, the fairy godmother was a cat.

Siamese Cats

Some Siamese cats appear cross-eyed because of some abnormal optic nerves that results in double vision. To correct this, the cat crosses its eyes to see normally.

Black Cats

Although most parts of North America and Europe think of black cats as bad luck, Britain and Australia actually consider black cats good luck.

Many Cats

The largest litter of kittens ever was in 1970 when a Burmese-Siamese mix gave birth to 19 kittens in the UK of which 15 survived.

Mummified Cats

In 1888, 300,000 mummified cats were found in ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, the person who found them didn't realize they're historical value. Only a few were saved and they are currently on display in the British Museum.

Purring Cats

Even with all of today's advanced technology, scientists aren't exactly sure how a cat purrs.

Famous Cats

The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicitte who left from France in 1963 and survived the trip. The electrodes on her head sent neurological signals back to earth.

Hunting Cats

During the middle ages, thousands of cats were killed because of superstitious reasons, and this led to the Black Death.

Emotional Cats

Humans and cats have identical regions in their brains for emotions.

Left and Right Pawed Cats

(Picture submitted by Teresa Troyer)

Male cats tend to be left pawed while female cats are more likely to be right pawed.

Chasing Cats

A cat chasing its prey keeps its head level unlike dogs and humans who bob their heads up and down.

Vital Signs of Cats

Here are the vital signs of a normal cat:
Respiration- 20-30 breaths per minute at rest
Body temperature-100-103 degrees Fahrenheit
Pulse rate: 130-240 beats per minute at rest.

Chewing Cats

The cat can't move its jaws laterally, or side to side, like humans and even dogs can. It can only go up and down to chew.

Lightweight Cats

The average cat weighs between 5-15 pounds or an average of 10 pounds, although some cats, such as the Ragdoll and Maine Coon can weigh up to 30 pounds!

Running Cats

A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph over a short distance.

Enticing Herbs

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is, like catnip, an enticing scent to some cats. It normally bears white or pinkish flowers.

Black Panther

The black panther is actually a black form of the leopard. Black panthers were once thought of as a different species, but if closely examined, sometimes it is possible to see the leopard spots that the black color masks.

Cats are Family

70% of people sign their pets' names on cards.

Special Cats

Cats were the only animals permitted to enter and dwell in Roman temples.

International Cats

Here is a list of the word "cat" in various languages:
Catus – Latin Chat – French
Chasul – Hebrew Gat – Catalan
Gato – Spanish Gatto – Italian
Gatta - Greek Kat – Dutch
Katt –Swedish Katze – German
Kot – Portuguese Kotchca – Russian
Mau - Egyptian Neko – Japanese
Quttah - Arabic

Lucky Cats

In Japan, Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat) is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity.

Cat Lovers and Cat Haters

Some of the world's most famous cat haters were Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler. Some famous cat lovers were Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, and Sir Winston Churchill.

Pouncing Pussies

About one out of every three times a cat pounces on his prey, he catches it.

Harmful Poinsettia

The poinsettia is a harmful flower to cats if ingested. Although not fatal, it will make the cat drool and vomit. There are hundreds of harmful and even deadly plants. Make sure you know which plants your cat is exposed to and make sure they are safe.

Habitual Cats

Cat's are creatures of habit and they love routines. Disrupting routines can make the cat have behavioral problem. Establishing and maintaining routines is the first step to a happy cat.

Clean Cats

Of the time a cat it awake, 30% of that time is spent grooming.

Calming Cats

It has been scientifically proven that pet owners have less stress and heart attacks.

Tip-Toeing Cats

Cat's literally walk on their toes.

Neutered Cats

Neutering a cat actually extends the cats life.

Muscular Cats

A cat has 517 muscles in its body. In contrast, a human has somewhere around 650 muscles.

Black Cats

Black cats are the least adopted cats at animal shelters. For one, there is still a hanging superstition about them. Also, some people can't see them in the dark cages and pass right by.

Multiplying by Kittens

An un-spayed female cat can have three to seven kittens every four months. Spaying and neutering cats can help control this.

Purring Cats

Cats purr an average of 10,590 hours of their life.

Sleeping Cats

If a cat is in a deep enough sleep, it may snore.

Popular Cats and Dogs

There are about 72,000,000 pet dogs and 82,000,000 pet cats in America, making cats more populous. However, more households own dogs than cats which means that cat owners normally own more than one cat.

Cat's Nose and Tail

Like fingerprints on humans, the nose pad of cats are in a pattern that is completely unique to that cat. The tails on bobbed tailed cats are also uniquely designed to that particular cat.

Tortoiseshells

For every 3,000 tortoiseshell or calico cats born, only one will be male. This has to do with the male and female's chromosomes and how it pertains to coat color and pattern. (Look at Cat Coats for more information.)

Cat Terms

The technical term for a group of cat is a "clowder." A male cat is called a "tom" or a "gib," while female cat is called a "molly" or a "queen." A cat lover can call himself an "ailurophile."

Cool Cats

When cats get hot, one way they cool off is by sweating. They have sweat glands in between their paw pads, on their tongue, and in several other smaller areas. Because the paw pad is such a small area, cats use other methods to stay cool such as stretching out to release all body heat, staying in the shade, drinking lots of water, grooming themselves (which helps spread the sweat on their tongues), and as a last resort, they will even pant like dogs.

Domestic Cat's Wild Relative

The domestic cat is probably a domesticated breed of the African Wild cat. The main difference between the African Wild cat and the domestic cat is that the domestic cat lives in our home and has many different breeds while the African Wild cat lives in the wild.

*Please Note: This is fact is NOT saying the domestic cat evolved from the African Wild cat. It is merely showing how it might be related to its wild relatives, because I believe in the Biblical account of Creation.*

Cat's Tail

About 10% of a cat's bones are in its tail. With an average of 244 total bones, that's about 24 bones in the tail.

Popular Cat Breeds

According to the Cat Fanciers' Association 2011 registration statistics, the top ten most popular cat breeds were as follows: 1. Persian, 2. Exotic, 3. Maine Coon, 4. Ragdoll, 5. Sphynx, 6. Siamese, 7. Abyssinian, 8. American Shorthair, 9. Cornish Rex, 10. Oriental. Starting at left clockwise is pictured the Persian, Maine Coon, and Exotic.

White Cats

Along with white cats being prone to deafness, they are also susceptible to skin cancer and sunburn.

Cat Breeds

There are an estimated 80 registered cat breeds world wide. This is estimated as there are always new, experimental breeds, but there is an overall guess of about 80 breeds including the Persian, Siamese, Maine Coon, Abyssinian, and many more. (Many breeds are depicted under Cat Breeds.)

Milk-Free Cats

Cats cannot properly digest lactose, the sugar in cow's milk. Therefore, it should not be given to a cat as it may result in diarrhea.

Flying Felines

Cats have such powerful hind legs, that they can jump up to five times their own height in a single bound!

Hypoallergenic Cats

Although at the present there is no true hypoallergenic cat, breeders are working on trying to create one. Some breeds that are not entirely hypoallergenic, but may help cat lovers that are allergic to cats, are the Siberian, Russian Blue, Sphynx, LaPerm, Cornish Rex (pictured left), and Devon Rex. These cats would be the best choice for cat lovers who only have a mild allergy to cats.

Cat Anatomy

A cat's body is extremely flexible. This is because of it's backbone of 30 vertebrae that is very bendable. Cats also have a very free floating collarbone seemingly buried by other muscles, so if a cat's head will fit through an opening, it can squeeze the rest of its body through as well.

Cat's Tail

The domestic cat is the only one of all of the cat family that can walk with it's tail straight up. Other wild cats walk with their tails down.

Cat Gait

Of all animals, only the cat, giraffe, and camel walk contralaterally. This means that the front right leg and the back right leg move at the same time, followed by the front left leg and back left leg.

Kitten's Senses

Kittens are born helpless and very tiny without sight, hearing, or very much fur. They open their eyes within about a week. Their hearing develops a little later on, after about two weeks.

Cat Lifespan

The average cat lives to the age of 15 years old. The longest a cat has ever lived is 38 years old!

Cat Lifestyle

Domestic cats are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. "Big" cats tend to be more nocturnal, active most at night.

Catnaps

A cat spends as much as 18 hours a day sleeping, with most of those hours being spent on short, light cat naps.

Back to top