Interesting facts about Cats

Here are all the interesting facts about Cats:

1. When cats chases their prey they do not lower their head. {remove}
2. The cat which goes to space is French cat named Felicette (a.k.a “astrocat”)
3. Approx. 400 000 cat bites reported annually in US.
4. When a cat died in ancient Egypt they mourn cats’ death by shaving their eyebrows off.
5. Amur Tigger is the biggest cats living on earth today.
6. Every year, nearly four million cats are eaten in Asia._[10] { research }
7. 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._[8] {Research}
8. 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._[8] {Research}
9. During the Middle Ages, cats were associated with withcraft, 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._[8]
10. 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._[8]
11. 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._[2]
12. A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance._[2]
13. 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._[2] What is this means i did not understand.
14. 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]
15. 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._[8]
16. The most popular pedigreed cat is the Persian cat, followed by the Main Coon cat and the Siamese cat._[2]
17. 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._[6]
18. 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._[11]
19. A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound._[2]
20. 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._[11]
21. The first commercially cloned pet was a cat named “Little Nicky.” He cost his owner $50,000, making him one of the most expensive cats ever._[11]
22. A cat usually has about 12 whiskers on each side of its face._[7]
23. 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._[6]
24. 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._[11]
25. Most cats sleep around 16 hours a day { caption }
26. A cat’s jaw can’t move sideways, so a cat can’t chew large chunks of food._[8]
27. Cats don’t actually meow at each other, just at humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats._[8]
28. A cat’s back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans only have 34._[6]
29. All cats have claws, and all except the cheetah sheath them when at rest._[7]
30. 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._[2]
31. A cat lover is called an Ailurophilia (Greek: cat+lover)._[8]
32. One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep._[8]
33. 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._[1]
34. In the 1750s, Europeans introduced cats into the Americas to control pests._[7]
35. The first cat show was organized in 1871 in London. Cat shows later became a worldwide craze._[7]
36. 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._[7]
37. 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._[6]
38. 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._[6]
39. Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (humans have only 6). A cat can independently rotate its ears 180 degrees._[11]
40. A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human._[6]
41. 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._[8]
42. A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute._[11]
43. In just seven years, a single pair of cats and their offspring could produce a staggering total of 420,000 kittens._[11]
44. 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)._[2]
45. Cats spend nearly 1/3 of their waking hours cleaning themselves._[6]
46. Grown cats have 30 teeth. Kittens have about 26 temporary teeth, which they lose when they are about 6 months old._[6]
47. Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws._[8]
48. A cat called Dusty has the known record for the most kittens. She had more than 420 kittens in her lifetime._[11]
49. 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)._[1]
50. Cats are extremely sensitive to vibrations. Cats are said to detect earthquake tremors 10 or 15 minutes before humans can._[6]
51. In contrast to dogs, cats have not undergone major changes during their domestication process._[2]
52. A female cat is called a queen or a molly._[8]
53. 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._[8]
54. There are up to 60 million feral cats in the United States alone._[13]
55. 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._[1]
56. The most traveled cat is Hamlet, who escaped from his carrier while on a flight. He hid for seven weeks behind a panel on the airplane. By the time he was discovered, he had traveled nearly 373,000 miles (600,000 km)._[1]
57. 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._[11]
58. 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)._[1]
59. The cat who holds the record for the longest non-fatal fall is Andy. He fell from the 16th floor of an apartment building (about 200 ft/.06 km) and survived._[1]
60. Rome has more homeless cats per square mile than any other city in the world._[3]
61. The richest cat is Blackie who was left £15 million by his owner, Ben Rea._[1]
62. 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._[8]
63. There is a show in Iceland called “Keeping Up With the Kattarshians.” It’s a cat reality show that features 4 kittens who live together in fully-furnished “cat” house, Big Brother-style._[9]
64. Researchers say your cat *does* know her name. She just doesn’t care._[14]