Cat Facts

Egyptians worshipped cats as gods and shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when their cats died. In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was punishable by death.

Cats have been domesticated for only half as long as dogs.

Cats are the only animals that purr. They purr at about 26 cycles per second. After recording the purrs of domestic house cats, as well as ocelots, cheetahs, servals, and pumas at the Cincinnati Zoo, the Fauna Communications Research Institute (FCRI) has found that feline purrs fall within the same sound frequencies as those that have been showing great promise in speeding bone injuries in human medicine - that is, between 20 to 50 Hz. The FCRI hypothesizes that the cat's purr is actually a mechanism that enables the cat to speed her own healing. Veterinarians have long noted that broken bones heal quickly in cats. And both veterinarians and cat owners have noticed that cats will purr when they are injured or in distress. And there's more: Every cat owner has noticed that kitty spends an awful lot of time sleeping-so, how then does she keep in shape? The FCRI theorizes that purring is also a way cats keep their bones and muscles in good condition while they rest.

Cat nose pads are unique like fingerprints.

Cat hearts beat twice as fast as human hearts - 110 to 140 beats per minute.

The domestic cat is the only type of cat that can hold its tail upright when walking. Wild cats tuck their tails between their legs or hold them horizontal when walking.

Cat ears pivot 180 degrees and contain 30 muscles. It takes a minimum of 12 muscles to control a cat's ear movement.

Cats have some of the sharpest hearing in the animal kingdom.

A falling cat takes 1.8 seconds to right itself and land on its feet. First it rotates its head. Second it twists its spine. Third, it aligns its rear legs and finally it arches its back to lessen the impact of landing.

A cat walks by moving both left feet then both right feet. This promotes speed, agility and silence. The only other animals that walk this way are giraffes and camels.

Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Its peripheral vision is about 185 degrees.

In relation to their body size, cats have the largest eyes of any mammal. Their eyes come in 3 shapes - round, slanted, and almond.

A cat born with one blue eye is often deaf in the ear closest to the blue eye.

Cats have three eyelids. The third eyelid is called the "haw" or nictating membrane. 1t's the tiny triable of pink tissue that you see in the corner of a cat's eye.

If a cat becomes so fat that its sides stick out farther than its whiskers, it will lose its sense of perception and stability.

An average cat's meal is equivalent to five mice.

In cats and humans, the same region of the brain is responsible for emotion.

A cat can't see directly under its nose - that's why they have trouble finding treats on the floor.

A cat can jump 5 to 7 times its height.

A domestiic cat can run up to 30 mph.

Cats do not have a true collarbone - that's why they can squeeze into any opening big enough for their head.

Cats walk on their toes.

The life expectancy for a neutered, well-cared for, indoor male cat is 15-17 years; for a female it's 17-19 years. For an outdoor cat it's 3 to 5 years.

There are 600 million domestic cats in the world.

Ailurophilia is the love of cats. It comes from the Greek and means "tailwavers."

Ailurophobia is the fear or hatred of cats.

Cats rarely meow at another cat. They use this sound to communicate with humans.

More than 35,000 kittens are born in the US each year.

Cats sleep an average of 13 - 18 hours a day. That means a 7 year old cat has been asleep for 5 years of its life!

Americans spend $4 billion a year on cat food. They spend $3 billion a year on baby food.

There is about 1 cat for every 4 people in the U.S.

In 1987; cats reached the number one spot in popularity, replacing dogs as America's favorite pet.

Cats spend about 30% of their time grooming and do not ordinarily need to be bathed.

Cat bites are more likely to become infected than dog bites - but human bites are the most dangerous of all - much more bacteria.

A group of kittens is called a kindle. A group of grown cats is called a clowder.

Female cats are superfecund - that means that each kitten in a litter can have a different father.