Loveable and Boring

“Cats are more interesting. Let's face it. Dogs are loveable and a bit boring.” (Angela Kinsey) [i]

Cats are strange and mysterious creatures (especially to dog lovers like me). It’s estimated that some feline domestication may have begun in the Middle East 12,000 years ago. Cats tend to have a love-hate with their human companions.

There is much more to felines than humans are aware of.  If you are the curious type, and wonder what you don’t know about your favorite pet; maybe it’s time to step into Mr. K’s classroom, and be educated just a little on this topic. (I promise it won’t be too painful.)

1.  Female cats tend to be right-handed; while male cats favor the left.

 

2.  A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.

 

3.  A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately thirty-one miles per hour (MPH) over a short distance.

 

4.  A cat named Andy fell sixteen apartment stories and survived (the record height for a cat fall).

 

5.  A cat reaches the approximate human age of fifteen during its first year, then twenty-four at age two. Each year thereafter, it ages approximately four cat years for every calendar year. A five-year-old feline would be approximately thirty-six in cat years.

 

6.  A cat spends two thirds of its life sleeping, and one third of its life grooming.

 

7.  A cat’s pulse is between 160-240 beats per minute, depending on their age.

 

8.  A group of cats is called a clowder, and a group of kittens is called a kindle.

 

9.  Cat urine glows in the dark when a black light shines on it. If you think your cat or kitten has had an accident in your home, use a black light to find the mishap.

 

10.      Cats can adapt their vocalizations to control your behavior. If they want food, they can make their cries sound more urgent.

 

 

11.      Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees.

 

12.      Cats don’t have collarbones. This allows them the flexibility to fit through openings the size of their heads.

 

 

13.      Cats eat grass, which is indigestible for them, to help vomit up hairballs.

14.      Cats have five claws on their front feet and four on their back.

 

15.      Cats have starred in films as early as the 1800s.

 

16.      Cats sweat through their paws, and cool themselves via panting and licking their fur.

  

17.      Domestic cats purr at a frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. This is the frequency at which muscles and bones best grow and repair themselves.

 

18.      Egyptians held funerals for their dead feline friends, and then entombed them in the family crypt or a pet cemetery (often surrounded by tiny mummies of dead mice). In Egypt, smuggling out a cat was punishable by death.

 

 

19.      Every cat's nose print is as unique as a human's fingerprints.

 

20.      Experts believe felines use the angle of the sun or have magnetized cells within their brains to act as a compass of sorts for long distances of travel.

21.      Giving felines a strip of raw meat everyday to chew on will keep their gums and teeth in good condition. (Suitable meats include poultry, rabbit, or beef that has been deboned).

 

22.      Grown cats rarely meow at one another.  Kittens meow to ask things of their mothers. If your grown cat talks to you, it may be an indication that they see you as a maternal figure.

 

23.      In 2006, Americans spent $23.2 billion on veterinary care for their cats or dogs.

 

24.      Neutered male cats live twice as long, and spayed females live 62% longer than those who have not had this procedure done.

 

25.      Thanks to their powerful livers, cats can survive by drinking seawater if they have to.

 

26.      The average cat has about 130,000 hairs per square inch.

 

 

27.      The first cat video on YouTube was uploaded in 2005.

 

28.      The lifespan of the average cat is between fifteen to twenty years.

 

 

29.      The pads of a cat's feet are very sensitive to vibration in the earth. They may behave strangely just before an earthquake hits.

 

30.      The primary use of a cat’s whiskers is to determine if they can fit through an opening.

 

 

31.      The world’s first cat show occurred in London in 1871.

 

32.      There are forty recognized breeds of domestic felines in the world. There are over 500 million domestic cats throughout the world.

“It is a difficult matter to gain the affection of a cat. He is a philosophical, methodical animal, tenacious of his own habits, fond of order and neatness, and disinclined to extravagant sentiment. He will be your friend, if he finds you worthy of friendship, but not your slave.” (Theophile Gautier) [ii]

Grumpy the Cat

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[i] Over the years, my cat facilitators have read my blog and occasionally about my love for dogs, which will never change. Maybe they’ve patiently wondered if I would ever give felines there time to shine. This is your day. My question is will cat ever allow ownership to anyone?

 

By the way, I disagree a great deal with Angela Kinsey’s quote. It is only presented to make the entire cat lover population know you are important to me.

 

[ii] Sources used:

·       “10 Fascinating Facts about Cats” (www.catchow.com)

·       “12 Weird Things You Didn't Know about Your Cat” by Lucia Peters

·       “13+ Things You Didn’t Know about Cats” by Reader’s Digest Editors

·       “15 Things You Didn’t Know about Cats” (karmacatzendog.org)

·       “20 Weird Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Cats” (www.lolwot.com)

·       “41 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Your Cat” by Guest Blogger