Estimated Read Time: 5 ½ minutes
Whether you love cats or aren’t too keen on them, they’re fascinating creatures with unique personalities – there’s no denying it. They’ve been domestic pets for over 9,500 years, with the oldest known domestic cat grave discovered and located in Cyprus! And in the US alone, 35.7% of households own a cat, with an average of 2 cats each – that’s 42.7 million cats that are living in our homes, here in America!
Here at Petlab Co., we thought we’d gather together some fun facts about cats in today’s blog, so we can get to know the history of our popular feline friends better! When 95% of Americans consider their pets to be equal to family members, why wouldn’t you want to know some interesting facts about cats…?
A cat’s walking sequence is both back and front foot on each side moving in unison, so both left feet move together, and then the right – half their body moves forward first at once. And, giraffes and camels are the only other two animals to walk like this!
Isaac Newton discovered and calculated gravity, but he’s also thought to have invented the concept of a cat flap! When attending Cambridge University in England, UK his pet cats would continuously scratch at the door and bother him whilst he studied, so he had two holes drilled into his door!
Cats can make over 100 different vocal sounds (Doggos can only produce around 10), but the “Meow” isn’t for interpersonal communication between fellow kitties… Meowing was developed for communicating with humans. Meowing is usually just used as an attention-seeking tactic because they want something they can’t get without their pet parent (food, access to somewhere, or simply affection!)
Petlab Co. Pro Tip: If your cat's "meow" is annoyingly frequent, this may be a cause for concern as they could be unwell or stressed… And this should be ruled out by a vet.
Cats love to keep clean! You’ll often catch them giving their fur a good, thorough lick and this is for several reasons:
Did you know that people used to observe cats for when they’d lick their fur to try and predict the weather? Be mindful of spotting your cat over-grooming though, as this can indicate an underlying issue. And, what do cats spend most of the rest of their time doing? Sleeping! Cat’s can sleep around 14 hours a day!
That’s right! If you see a group of cats together, they are a “clowder of cats”! However, if they are uncertain of each other or not very friendly toward each other, the clowder can also be referred to as “a glaring of cats”. And, if it’s a group of kittens? Then, they are “a kindle of kittens”!
Cat’s, unlike us and dogs, don’t carry the protein that enables them to taste sweetness. Scientists believe it’s because they simply don’t need to be able to taste sweet things; the only thing they really need to eat is meat, unlike other animals, like dogs, who need carbohydrates and additional fiber.
Cat’s development is pretty accelerated in the first two years of their lives when compared to humans.
A cat’s ears can rotate up to 180 degrees
A cat uses its whiskers to measure if they can fit through certain spaces
A cat cannot see directly under its nose
Most cats have no eyelashes
In Ancient Egypt, around 4000 years ago, cats were kept as pets and were truly treasured members of the family, believed to be magical creatures and extremely lucky. If your cat passed away and you were an ancient Egyptian, you would shave your eyebrows off as a sign of respect and mourning. Your mourning period would be over once your eyebrows had grown back.
Ancient Egyptians would mummify their cats too, and embalm their bodies within a wooden mask. And, if someone harmed or killed a cat (accidentally or otherwise)? That offense would be punishable by death!
This means in a 200m dash, your agile kitty could beat Usain Bolt in a race! Cats are pretty quick!
People who attend college are more likely to opt for becoming a cat parent over a dog parent: in fact, you’re 1.36 times more likely according to a study conducted by The University Of Bristol in England, UK. Cats are typically more low maintenance than dogs, so this may be because people with college degrees have typically (absolutely not always!) more demanding careers and lifestyles.
Which makes the comment “you look like the cat that’s got the cream” sound a bit silly, right? Once a kitten has been weaned onto meat, the lactase enzyme in their stomach begins to diminish and ultimately disappears as there’s no longer a need for it. Therefore, ingesting milk or cream can actually cause an upset stomach in most of our grown feline fur babies! So, really the phrase should be: “you look like the kitten that’s got the cream!”
So, there you have it! Some interesting and fun facts about cats: our wonderful feline friends!
The Things A First Time Cat Owner Should Know
Comes from a family of animal lovers and got to grow up with a menagerie of pets! I believe owning a pet is a privilege and I love researching and creating informative, fun content for fellow pet owners to help their furry friends have the happiest and healthiest lives. When I’m not writing blogs, you can find me sharing a walk with my pet dachshund or at a yoga class!
