Cat Facts

  • The technical term for cat lovers is ailurophiles, from the Greek word for cat: ailouros.
  • Cats do not think that they are little people. They think that we are big cats.
  • Most cats have no eyelashes.
  • Americans spend more annually on cat food than on baby food.
  • The Fishing Cat, found in Asia, actually enjoys getting wet! And hunts fish and other aquatic life using specially adapted webbed paws and water-resistant fur.
  • Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
  • A group of kittens is called a kindle; while adult cats form a clowder.
  • A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
  • A polydactyl cat is a cat with more than the typical amount of toes.
  • The Guinness World Record holder had 28 toes in total: seven toes on each paw.
  • A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find titbits on the floor.
  • There is no such thing as a “Black Panther”: this is actually a catchall phrase for any wild cat, typically jaguar or leopard, with large amounts of the dark pigment called melanin in their skin and fur, producing a Melanistic, or very dark, colouring.
  • Cats are the only animals that walk on their claws not the pads of their feet.
  • In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
  • A cat’s jaws cannot move sideways.
  • A cat can jump seven times as high as it is tall.
  • The Guinness World Record-holding longest domestic cat measured 121.9 cm from nose to tail and weighed 15.8 kg.
  • Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
  • Cats step with both left legs then both right legs when they walk or run. The only other animals to do this are the giraffe and the camel.
  • A female cat can mate with more than one male when she is in heat, meaning different kittens in a litter may have different fathers.
  • The cheetah is the only cat in the world that can’t retract its claws.
    Cats cannot taste anything sweet. (Oh yeah? Mine can!)
  • Better known as catnip, or catmint, nepeta is a group of flowering plants encompassing 250 species and occurs across the world.
  • A tiger can eat as much as 40 kg (90 lb) of meat in a day.
  • The Guinness World Record for longest cat whiskers is 19 cm (7.5 in), which belong to a Maine Coon cat in Finland.
  • While a Bengal Tiger’s roar can be heard up to 3.2 km (2 miles) away, a Lion’s is audible for up to 9.7 km (6 miles) from its location.

Why Are Meerkats Not Classified As Cats?

The Meerkat, or Suricate, is really a mongoose, not a cat as its name may suggest. The name Meerkat is an English loan word from Afrikaans, which itself was borrowed from Dutch. In Afrikaans, it means “lake cat” because it is often found near water, but in Dutch, Meerkat, as Meerkatze in German, means “long-tailed monkey”, in reference to the guenon, a species of monkey. The Dutch settlers incorrectly gave the name to the Meerkat. It is actually called Stokstaartje, or “little stick-tail”, in Dutch.

How to Recognise a Cat’s Sense of Humour.

Along with being spoiled and many other things cats have a real sense of humour. However, they may be the only ones that fully understand it. Nevertheless, in time, you may begin to. This article is put together after dealing with some very amusing cats.

Get a new sofa or shift the cat gently

Do you find yourself sitting in the middle of the sofa while one of your cats is laying in your favourite place to sit? If so chances are your cat is spoiled, especially if you try to reclaim your spot and he or she isn’t moving. Instead, they fuss at you for the annoying idea of moving them. If you look over and your cat has a very pleased look on its face, well that’s the cat’s sense of humour showing. What you need is an extra sofa or sweet talk the cat into moving.

Try to enjoy your meal despite the cat’s displeasure

Do you find yourself feeding the cat before eating yourself? And yet when you sit down to eat they are right there checking out your dinner plate? However, when they see that you do NOT plan to share your meal they’ll eat their cat food. Nevertheless, they are not very happy about it, nor with you. Their sense of humour, suddenly, took a “nose dive”, so to speak. Well just continue to enjoy your meal. They’ll get over it, or get you back.

Do your reading elsewhere

Do you ever try to read the newspaper or a magazine and your cat comes over and lies down on top of it? The cat wants you to stop what you are doing and pet them. And you oblige – figuring you’ll read the article later. The trouble with that idea is that they just cat nap and then are back up for more petting. So by the time that you get to read the newspaper, it is old news and the magazine is a back issue. You can always go to the park or a restaurant to catch up on your reading.

Buy the cat a gift too

Have you ever bought your spouse a greeting card or a balloon and your cat ends up puncturing the balloon with their claws or teeth, or tears up the card? Cats get jealous too and it might be a good idea to get it a little something as well.

Expect unwanted interruptions

Have you ever been sitting on the couch, holding hands with your mate, and the cat comes over and sits smack dab in the middle of you two? They haven’t heard that three’s a crowd. So pick back up later during their catnap. Cats do the funniest things, but sometimes not so humourous at the time.

Close the bathroom door – properly

Do you ever go into the bathroom and leave a small crack in the door and suddenly hear a creak? It is the cat coming to join you. Who needs privacy anyway? But sometimes their timing can be a bit off especially on wanting to be petted or on being cute. Also if your cat can easily get to the tank of the toilet you could end up with a cat standing on your shoulders. Close that door all the way. You should pay no mind to that little paw poking under the door… even if you hear a soft “miaow”. Some things do call for a certain amount of privacy.

Accept your fall from grace

Do you ever try to walk and your cat keeps getting under your feet while herding you towards their cat food? Well, the only thing that you can do is take precautions and do not trip. Then go ahead and feed them. If you should trip don’t be amazed if the cat finds it humourous.

Be phone-savvy around your cat

Be careful getting on phones that aren’t cordless, especially while handling business calls. Have you ever been talking on the phone and had to switch to the cordless? You leave the one that you were on off the hook, start talking on the other, and suddenly hear “miaow, miaow”. You then have to excuse yourself and go hang up the other phone ruining the cat’s curiosity and fun. It is a good thing that cats can’t easily dial numbers, especially long-distance.

Tips:

Your cat or cats might be spoiled; plus their humour and your humour may differ. However are they helpful around the house? A good cat can help keep the lawn down low while rolling around, waiting for a belly rub. Don’t forget to rub your kitty’s belly – after all your cat took time out just for you. The cat may have already finished sliding around on the kitchen floor giving it a freshly polished look.

If you notice that your clean clothes basket is filled to the brim, not to worry –  if you have a cat, they’ll be more than glad to flatten things out for you. Then you’ll have lots of space left in the basket, with just a little fur on the clothes. Cats do tend to look for soft cosy places to sleep. It might pay to buy them a cat bed. However, it may not, for cats tend to pick their own chosen spots to cat nap – like the clothes basket. You may want to put an old towel on top of the clean clothes.

You may have noticed tiny pieces of cat food in your cat’s water bowl. Well, watch them to see if they are dipping their dry cat food in the water bowl. The cat may be trying to give you a hint that they prefer softer food. If your cat is getting old, his or her teeth may be going bad. It isn’t necessary to buy all canned cat food, just add water to the dry food. You’ll find that it will be less work on you because you won’t always need to clean their water bowl of food scraps.

Let’s say you’re using a spray bottle to train your cat. In some cases, the cat may act as though it’s bathtime and will jump in your lap to be dried off. That’s just part of their sense of humour.

Cats are very clean animals and might sometimes dip one paw into their water bowl and wipe their faces and heads. Therefore, it is important to always make sure that they have plenty of clean water… they do totally depend on us for their care.

Warnings:

Cats do love to rearrange your closet, so be sure to keep your closet door closed and latched if possible. Before leaving the house, always check to see if there is any chance at all that your cat has gotten past you and inside your closet. Think how dangerous it would be for them to be locked up in a closet all day without water.

A few exotic cat breeds

American Curl

The American Curl has strange ears that curl back away from the face, giving it a unique look. It occurs with either long or short hair and with any coloured fur. They are very affectionate and love people, some say as much as dogs love their masters. American Curls are very playful. Compared to other purebred cats, it is quite healthy and free of many genetic defects that affect others.

Cornish Rex

Unlike other breeds of cats that have three layers of fur, the Cornish Rex only has the shortest: the downy undercoat – and because of this doesn’t shed like other cats. They are excellent indoor pets and will often find the warmest places to lie near. A genetic mutation, the breed originated in the UK in the 1950s on a farm in Cornwall.

Exotic

Resembles the Persian breed, except that it has short hair. It is a cross between the American Shorthair and the Persian and was first bred in 1960s USA. The Persian breed is the most popular in the world, but often with the busy lifestyles most people live today it is difficult if not impossible to keep the beautiful coat of a Persian in good order. Thus the Exotic.

Scottish Fold

Strange in that its ears have a natural bend in them that make the ears fold forward. Subsequent selective breeding has increased the folds in the ears, making them lie completely flat against the head. The breed is known for sleeping on its back. They are actually born with straight ears and the ears fold or not when the kitten reaches the age of twelve weeks.

Sphynx

A breed itself, the Sphynx is the only cat to have no whiskers as well as almost no fur, except, occasionally, for very short hair. Their skin is the colouring, down to the pattern, that the fur would have been. Sphynx are very social and affectionate. They should be kept warm. Hairless cats have always been born, but the current breed naturally mutated in Canada in the 1960s.