Cat Factoids

Purr · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 553

:arrow: The cat is the only animal that purrs. Domestic cats can purr while inhaling and exhaling, while the big cats, lions and tigers, can only purr while exhaling. :D

:arrow: Cats licks themselves clean after dinner, because instinct has taught them that the sonner they remove food odors, the less likely a predator will get a whiff them them.

:arrow: Cats bury their waste to hide their evidence from predators and avoid turf battles.

:arrow: When a domestic cats goes on the prowl mousing, they catch one about every third time. :shock:

:arrow: Among the world's greatest cat haters were Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napolean and Hitler.

:arrow: Cat litter was invented in 1947, when delivery man Edward Lowe suggested to a cat owner she use a grease and oil obsorbent clay called sodium bentonite, instead of sand.

:arrow: In ancient Rose, cat feces were thought to hold healing powers. :?

:arrow: The term for an adult group of cats is a clowder.

:arrow: In 1993, Canadians Jack and Donna Wight were found to have 640 cats living in their house.

:arrow: The term cat's pajamas comes from an English tailor (E. B. Katz) of the late 1700's and early 1800's who made the finest silk pajamas for royalty and other rich patrons.

:arrow: More than 300,000 cat mummies were found in one Egyptian temple in 1850.

:arrow: A cat can turn its outer ear toward a sound about 10 times faster than a dog.

:arrow: A cat can hear sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.

:arrow: At the back of a cat's foot is a single carpal pad that doesn't touch the ground. Possibly, it acts as a brake when a cat leaps forward or stops from speeds up to 31 mph.

:arrow: Cats are the only species than can hold their tail vertically while walking. :)

:arrow: Cats eyes appear to glow at night because of a layer on the back of the retina, called the tapetum lucidium which possesses reflective properties.

:arrow: Cats can see in low light but not total darkness.

:arrow: About half of cats carry a gene that causes them to like catnip, and get a hallucinatory high from eating, smelling or rubbing catnip.

:arrow: A cat has 9 lives might come from a popular 1400's recipe, which called for one part cat to nine parts chicken livers. :(

:arrow: In the U.S., the superstition about having bad luck if a black cat crosses your path grew from the belief that the cat was on its way to the devil.

:arrow: In Britain, black cats are considered good luck.

:arrow: Cats have about 24 whiskers (vibrissae), 12 on each side of the face, divided in upper and lower rows. The whiskers move independently of each other and are used to detect objects in low light and enhance their ability to slip through narrow openings.

:arrow: 70% of a cats day is spend sleeping. :wink:

:arrow: About 30% of a cats awake time is spent grooming.

Jonathan · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 208 Location: San Diego

:shock: :shock: :shock:

squirrel · Joined: 22 Jun 2004 Posts: 155 Location: Bucharest, Romania

:lol: So true!

Purr · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 553

:arrow: In the U.S., there are 90 million cats versus 73 million dogs.

:arrow: Ancient Egyptians worshiped cats as gods.

Purr · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 553

:arrow: The size of terrritory of a tom cat may be anywhere from three to ten times that of a female. :shock:

darskayairene · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 148

- Cats always land on their feet.
- most cats love milk, but do not give it to them regularly. it gives them diarrhea (I didn't know about it! Now I understand why my cat has diarrhea after drinking a lot of milk!)
- like people, cats can gain weight by eating too much, not exercising enough or both
- cats can carry rabies
- cats can come infected with tape worms from swallowing fleas
- Garlic may make the animals food taste better, but it has no effect on worms

Sammy's Mom · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 36

Purr wrote: :arrow: The size of terrritory of a tom cat may be anywhere from three to ten times that of a female. :shock: And did you know that a nuetered male's terrritory is much smaller, too?
I don't think my cat knows he's been nuetered. (sp?)
It wasn't done until he was 2, so maybe that's why he still sprays and marks, inside and out.

Also, I've seen some kittens across the way who looked suspiciously like little Sammys...

Purr · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 553

Maybe the neutering operation wasn't totally successful. I seem to recall reading about such a thing, even cases where the male cat was still interested in mating afterwards. So, those kittens might well belong to your cat. I hope your neighbor doesn't request a paternity test. :D

darskayairene · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 148

- Cats are capable of jumping 5 times as high as they are tall.
- When grooming, cats lose almost as much fluid through saliva as they do when they urinate.
- Cats' brains are more similar to the human brain than they are to dogs. In fact, cats and humans have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.

bmason · Joined: 28 Jul 2005 Posts: 77

Purr wrote: 70% of a cats day is spend sleeping. :wink:

It must be nice to be able to get all that sleep and it to be expected. :lol:

Purr · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 553

bmason wrote: Purr wrote: 70% of a cats day is spend sleeping. :wink:

It must be nice to be able to get all that sleep and it to be expected. :lol:

At least cats will be well rested. :D :wink:

bmason · Joined: 28 Jul 2005 Posts: 77

Purr wrote: bmason wrote: Purr wrote: 70% of a cats day is spend sleeping. :wink:

It must be nice to be able to get all that sleep and it to be expected. :lol:

At least cats will be well rested. :D :wink:

Yeah, to get up and eat and the lick themselves before sleeping again. My cats are always worn out from sleeping all day. :lol: