\nIf you love cats, you’re in for a treat today, as here we have 100 cat facts you won’t want to miss!\n
They\u2019re cute, furry, and one of the most popular house pets in the Western world.\n
Have you ever wanted to overload yourself with an enormous amount of awesome facts about cats and kittens?\n
If the answer is yes, you’re in luck because, from this point onward, cat facts are all we\u2019re going to be talking about!\n
So without further ado, here are 100 cute facts about cats and kittens!\n
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No American household is complete without a furry little friend.\n
While there are more US households with pet dogs, there are way more cats than dogs!\n
A 2019 survey of US households found there to be around 94.2 million pet cats, while there were only 89.7 million pet dogs.\n
That\u2019s almost 5 million more cats than dogs!\n And no, we\u2019re not just talking about the names that we give our feline companions.\n We\u2019re talking about the technical term to refer to cats by gender.\n A male cat is specifically called a Tom, but a female cat is more complex.\n Normally, a female cat would be referred to as a Molly, but if it\u2019s pregnant with kittens, then it\u2019s a Queen!\n It\u2019s actually accurate, in most cases, at least! Cats have a natural ability to land on their feet called the \u201crighting reflex.\u201d\n This reflex allows cats to quickly assess which way is down and rotate their bodies while in mid-air.\n It turns out that if a cat falls from a lower height, say less than 7 stories high; then it\u2019s actually more likely to be injured!\n If a cat falls from a greater height, it has more time to correct its position mid-flight and prepare itself more for the landing.\n There are even reports of cats falling from as high as 32 stories high and coming away with just a chipped tooth and a punctured lung.\n It really depends on the cats, too. The collective noun for wild cats, for example, is \u201ca destruction of cats.\u201d\n Regular house cats are generally called a \u201cclowder of cats.\u201d\n However, they can also be called a \u201cglaring of cats\u201d if the cats you\u2019re referring to don\u2019t know each other and are glaring at each other.\n The most commonly used collective noun for kittens is \u201clitter of kittens.\u201d\n They can also be called an \u201cintrigue of kittens\u201d due to their curious nature.\n An \u201centanglement of kittens\u201d is another name, as it\u2019s often hard to tell where one kitten ends and another begins when they\u2019re playing!\n Finally, they can also be called a \u201ckindle of kittens,\u201d although this usage is less common.\n Patting a cat has been proven to release oxytocin, which lowers stress levels.\n There\u2019s also a clear link between cat ownership and a lowered risk of strokes or heart problems, as a cat\u2019s purr lowers blood pressure.\n Most importantly, cats keep you from being lonely \u2013 and it\u2019s now known that loneliness plays a big part in many diseases!\n Most people associate a cat\u2019s purr with it being happy, but that\u2019s not always true.\n Some cats have a slightly different purr for when they\u2019re hungry, and mother cats also use their purr to communicate with their newly birthed kittens.\n Most unexpectedly, cats sometimes purr when injured, and it\u2019s been suggested their purr helps their body heal faster!\n It\u2019s common knowledge that cats are fans of milk, but many of them are actually lactose intolerant.\n While kittens can drink their mother\u2019s milk, feeding them cow\u2019s milk could be very dangerous to their health.\n If you really want to reward your cat with some milk, make sure you buy lactose-free!\n Physically, at least, their brains are about 90% similar to ours.\n Their brains are smaller, weighing just 0.9% of their total weight, while ours weigh 2%.\n While most people think that cats aren\u2019t as smart as dogs, they can also be trained – they just think it\u2019s a little bit beneath them!\n While he lived in the White House, he kept a number of pet cats, most famously Dixie and Tabby.\n He adored all cats and would quite often bring home strays that he had found.\n He was even known to feed Tabby directly from the table during formal dinners, much to his wife\u2019s displeasure!\n On October 18, 1963, a black & white \u201ctuxedo\u201d cat named C 341 was rocketed out into space, making world history.\n Upon its safe return, it was decided that it deserved an actual name, so it was named F\u00e9licette, after the popular cartoon character Felix the Cat.\n On the other hand, \u201cdog people\u201d make up 45% of the world.\n \u201cCat people\u201d are said to be more open but also more neurotic.\n \u201cDog people\u201d are quite different and are said to be more extroverted and hard-working.\n The record is held by a Burmese cat called Tarawood Antigone, who was just four years old at the time.\n She gave birth to the entanglement of kittens on August 7, 1970, in her owner\u2019s home in Oxfordshire, UK.\n Of the fifteen kittens that survived birth, just one of them was female!\n Dusty was your ordinary-looking cat with no pedigree or special background.\n She lived with her owners in Bonham, Texas, where she gave birth to the world-record-holding number of kittens.\n Her last litter was born on June 12, 1952.\n Her name was Kitty, and she belonged to a man called George Johnstone.\n They lived in Staffordshire, UK, where Kitty broke the record by having a litter of two kittens when she was 30.\n She gave birth to a total of 218 kittens throughout her life.\n The TV show featured a cat sewn out of old cloth and falling apart at the seams.\n Although it originally aired in 1974, the show was appreciated for a long time.\n In 1999 the TV show was ranked as the 4th best TV show for children that ever aired on the BBC.\n The majority of the world loves cats and is appalled at the thought of eating one, but this is not the case everywhere.\n Cat meat is still consumed today in some regions of Africa and Asia, whether legally or not.\n In times of war, cat meat was also consumed in some European countries, such as Italy, France, and Spain.\n It really depends on who you\u2019re asking, though.\n The International Cat Association recognizes 71 different cat breeds, while the Cat Fancier\u2019s Association only recognizes 44.\n There is no official number because different people have different ideas about what makes a breed official.\n Although, once again, this is a very difficult number to be sure of.\n There have been multiple attempts to count the number of pet cats worldwide, with some people even attempting this through an internet poll.\n The general estimates say there could be anywhere between 200-600 million pet cats.\n The goddess was originally known and worshiped throughout Ancient Egypt as Bast.\n Bast was a vicious half-lion, half-human warrior goddess of the sun.\n Over time she came to be known as Bastet, and instead of being half-lion, she was half-cat.\n The cat goddess Bastet was one of the most popular deities within the Egyptian pantheon.\n As such, cats were considered to be incredibly important creatures, bringing luck to anyone who looked after them.\n From at least the year 450 BC, if anyone even hurt a cat, though, the punishment was death.\n Cats are naturally nocturnal animals, which is why most domestic cats snooze throughout the day.\n They tend to sleep for such a large portion of the day as they would normally require great amounts of energy to hunt for food.\n Domestic cats still naturally try and conserve their energy for hunting, which can be used up by playing with toys instead!\n As a general rule, the younger a kitten is, the more sleep it will need!\n Kittens require more time cat-napping than older cats as they are developing mentally and physically at rapid rates.\n Newborn kittens, for example, sleep almost 90 percent of the time \u2013 or up to 22 hours a day!\n There\u2019s a pretty simple explanation for it too, and it\u2019s all to do with their front paws.\n Cats use their front paws more for everyday activities such as catching prey, grooming and balancing themselves.\n The amount of toes cats have is far from universal though, with some cats having more or less toes due to various genetic mix-ups.\n Cats with more than six toes on one or more of their toes are called polydactyl, which comes from the Greek term meaning \u201cmany fingers or toes.\u201d\n While it might be alarming to find that your cat has more than the regular number of toes, this is certainly not something to worry about!\n It\u2019s actually quite common for domestic cats to have a few extra toes, with some people finding their furry polydactyls even more adorable!\n Many cat owners claim that their cats love things like ice cream, but it\u2019s not the sugar they love \u2013 it\u2019s the fat!\n Cats, like most mammals, have different taste receptors.\n Humans, for example, have at least five \u2013 sweet, umami, bitter, salty, and sour.\n Cats, on the other hand, taste all but umami.\n While they can technically taste sweet things, they detect them in such minimal amounts it\u2019s like they can\u2019t taste them at all!\n Humans have kept cats at least as semi-domestic pets since at least 7,500 BC, initially for their keen rodent hunting skills.\n Holes have been cut in doors, walls, and barns for ages now with this very intent.\n At some point along the way, someone invented the cat flap so that a cat could come and go as it pleased without creating a horrible draft.\n An anonymous author published a story in 1893 relating to Isaac Newton creating holes in his door for cats, and ever since, he has been hailed as the inventor of cat flaps.\n The issue with this story is that not only was it published 166 years after his death, but it also never even mentions a cat flap, just holes for his cats!\n If you\u2019re not planning on your cat being a parent to an almost endless stream of kittens, it\u2019s probably a good idea to neuter it!\n Now, though, there\u2019s even more reason to:\n A study by Banfield Pet Hospital, the world\u2019s largest veterinary clinic, has announced that it can seriously increase your pets\u2019 lifespan.\n The data they analyzed showed that female cats could live, on average, 32% longer.\n Males, on the other hand, could live, on average, 62% longer!\n As mostly nocturnal creatures, cats rely on their eyesight to hunt at night.\n While they can\u2019t exactly see in complete darkness, they definitely have far greater vision than we do!\n If there is no light at all they\u2019re as bad as us, but otherwise, they only need about one-sixth of the amount of light we need to see.\n If you take a quick peek at the back of a cat food bag, you\u2019ll find that taurine is always a listed ingredient.\n You may already be familiar with this amino acid, as it\u2019s commonly an ingredient in energy drinks such as Red Bull.\n If a cat goes without taurine for long periods of time, it can cause a variety of health issues, even leading to blindness!\n If you\u2019ve been wondering why cats spend most of the day cat-napping, here\u2019s a good explanation.\n The average domestic cat can run up to 30 miles per hour (46km\/h) and does so quite often!\n To put this in perspective, that\u2019s as fast as world-record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt!\n The hairs found inside a cat’s ears are much sought after in the world of cat breeding, but they also have a great use for cats too!\n They ensure that dirt doesn\u2019t go inside and also helps them to hear well by picking up sound vibrations.\n It\u2019s one of the reasons that cats are such great hunters!\n To put it mildly, cats have far superior senses than we do.\n Not only are their night-vision leagues ahead of ours, but their hearing also outshines ours too!\n Their ears can detect sounds ranging from the 55 Hz that we can pick up, all the way to 79 thousand hertz.\n While this means that they can detect ultrasonic sounds, it doesn\u2019t mean they communicate in such frequencies.\n Instead, their ultrasonic sensitivities help them when hunting for animals such as rodents.\n It\u2019s not just humans who are right or left-handed.\n While we humans are, for the most part, right-handed, this just isn\u2019t the case with cats.\n Studies have found that their preferred paw is more often associated with their gender.\n The study tested a range of cats, monitoring which paw they would use first when ascending or descending stairs, reaching for treats, and stepping into their litter trays.\n This third eyelid is known as the \u201chaw,\u201d and for the most part, it acts like a windshield wiper.\n When a cat blinks, the haw swipes horizontally, removing any dust or debris.\n You generally won\u2019t ever get a chance to see a cat’s haw, but if you do, it could indicate an underlying health issue.\n Nearly all animals have a haw, with humans and most other primates being the exception!\n Other than making us look good, eyelashes have a pretty specific purpose. They help keep dust and other bits and pieces out of our eyes.\n As cats have a third eyelid or haw, this just simply isn\u2019t necessary.\n Many cat owners claim their cat does indeed have eyelashes, but in reality, these are just longer bits of fur or even whiskers located above their eyes.\n Generally speaking, when a cat purposefully rubs up against anything, it\u2019s a way of transferring its scent to it.\n Cats also have scent glands in their cheeks, so the same can be said about their habit of \u201chead-butting\u201d you.\n So what does it really mean when they rub all over your legs? Well, it\u2019s most likely that they are claiming that they are yours.\n Now quickly, go give your new cat overlords a treat!\n The family that includes domesticated cats, tigers, and all other felines is called the Felidae family.\n The largest of all cats is the tiger, or Panthera Tigris, which measures up to 12.5 feet (3.9 meters) long.\n Tigers aren\u2019t just big; they\u2019re phenomenally heavy, too, weighing anywhere from 143 to 717 pounds (65-325 kg).\n The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is native to arid regions of Southern Africa and has a maximum recorded weight of just 5.4 pounds (2.34 kg).\n The other contender for the smallest cat in the world is the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), which is native to India and Sri Lanka.\n The former can be anywhere from 14 to 17 inches long (36.7\u201343.3 cm), while the latter has been recorded to measure from 14 to 19 inches (35\u201348 cm) from head to tail.\n Of Taylor Swift\u2019s three cats, Olivia Benson is by far the richest.\n Unlike most other rich pets, Olivia Benson actually made most of her own money, sort of.\n As of 2020, she was worth $97 million, which she gained through advertising certain brands such as Diet Coke and Keds.\n It was an event that started a trend that still takes place today.\n Held in the famous Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, the cat show took place in 1871.\n The flyer for the event claimed that there would be 500 rare and beautiful cats being showcased, including Siamese, Polydactyl, Manx, and Scottish Wild cats.\n The show was an instant success, with more than 200,000 people attending the event!\n This might be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but if you value your cat\u2019s health, then it\u2019s time to stop using them to deal with your mouse problem.\n Firstly, any mouse or rat that has eaten poison doesn\u2019t die immediately, so if your cat ate such a mouse, it could be poisoned too!\n Mice can also be infected with ticks, which your cat could then bring into the home.\n This is particularly bad if those ticks are carrying Lyme disease!\n If you ask anyone how to deal with a rat problem, they\u2019ll advise you to get a cat.\n It\u2019s an idea that has become more of a legend than a fact, though.\n The reality is that cats will hunt whatever is easiest and available, which generally means they prefer to hunt birds, mice, and small lizards rather than rats!\n A healthy cat\u2019s heart rate is actually quite varied, depending on how relaxed or excited it is.\n The normal range for a cat is anywhere between 140-220 beats per minute (BPM).\n If a cat suffers from a heart condition or heart disease, the BPM can be more than 220.\n It goes without saying that ancient Egyptians simply adored their pets, especially the cats that graced their homes with their presence.\n Whenever a pet cat passed away, there would be a mourning period in which the owners would shave their eyebrows off.\n The mourning period lasted at least until their eyebrows grew back.\n In fact, Mau is simply the Egyptian word for \u201ccat.\u201d\n It\u2019s quite difficult for us to know what the oldest domesticated cat breed was, but all evidence points to the Egyptian Mau.\n While other cats didn\u2019t come onto the scene until around 1000 AD, there are mummified remains of Egyptian Maus dating from at least 1500 BC!\n There are a lot of general rules when it comes to pairing cats.\n Two male cats, for example, could have territorial issues and fight instead of bonding.\n Bringing an older cat into your home isn\u2019t the best idea either, as it will try to assert its dominance over your original cat.\n Research has found that you should introduce a cat of the opposite gender instead\u2013 just make sure it\u2019s neutered!\n Research has shown that the closer a cat\u2019s lifestyle is to that of a cat in the wild, the healthier and happier they are.\n This same rule apparently applies to their feeding schedule, too.\n Cats in the wild normally eat many tiny meals throughout the day as they hunt small animals.\n You can simulate this by giving it five or more much smaller portions at different points in the day.\n Poinsettia is a popular flower to decorate with during Christmas, but if you have any furry friends in the house, you should stay vigilant.\n The milky-white sap of the poinsettia plant is mildly toxic to both cats and dogs.\n Although the flower isn\u2019t deadly, it\u2019s probably better to avoid bringing it into your house if you have pets.\n It\u2019s quite a hard life for feral cats.\n They\u2019re constantly on the hunt for the next meal, a clean source of water, and appropriate shelter.\n Combine this with the lack of medical care such as vaccinations, dental care, as well as any First Aid, and it\u2019s no surprise that they live much shorter lives than their domestic cousins.\n Domesticated cats generally live much longer, healthier, and happier lives than their feral cousins.\n Some breeds of cats, such as the Manx or the Siamese cat, are known to live even longer lives, but this isn\u2019t the only factor.\n Providing optimal nutrition and sufficient exercise, as well as giving them appropriate medical care when needed, can greatly increase a cat\u2019s life.\n It\u2019s a well-known fact that cats are massive lovers of fish.\n If you feed your cat a small portion of tuna, you\u2019ll probably notice they love it far more than their regular food.\n It\u2019s important to only give it in moderation, though, as they can actually become addicted to it and refuse to eat anything else.\n This is an issue, as tuna does not provide all the necessary nutrients that a cat needs; in long term, a cat\u2019s health will deteriorate on a diet of tuna.\n Being licked by a cat is a very strange sensation, and this is because of the tiny spikes (called papilla) that cover their tongues.\n These spikes are no evolutionary accident, though.\n The tiny spines help collect dirt, grime, and loose fur when they groom themselves.\n They also act like a brush, which keeps fur from becoming matted or tangled.\n It turns out that this is true for all mammals, too, but the color isn\u2019t exactly blue.\n The reason their eyes appear to be blue is that the pigment which colors their eyes hasn\u2019t developed yet.\n It takes a few more weeks after their eyes open for the true color of their eyes to develop.\n The gene that gives cats blue eyes seems to be closely linked to the gene associated with hearing.\n Around 85% of all white cats with blue eyes will have some form of congenital deafness.\n In extreme cases, these cats will be completely deaf, but if they\u2019re lucky, it can just affect them in one ear.\n If you\u2019ve ever played with a young kitten, you\u2019ll know just how sharp their teeth are!\n The good news is that they don\u2019t have these teeth for long.\n Cats have two sets of teeth, just like us. Their milk teeth grow first, with their adult teeth forming around the 1-month point.\n By the time they are three months old, their milk teeth start to fall out, with their adult teeth surfacing beneath.\n At around 6 months old, all 30 of a kitten\u2019s adult teeth should have fully developed.\n Nicknamed the \u201cswimming cat,\u201d the Turkish Van originates from the eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, by Lake Van.\n They\u2019re one of the known breeds of cats that consistently has a love of water.\n They have a silky medium-length coat of hair and are quite often found splashing in any water they can find \u2013 rivers, streams, or even puddles!\n In fact, fat is absolutely essential in a cat\u2019s diet.\n Many essential vitamins and nutrients can only be absorbed properly with the aid of fat, so a lack of fat can be bad for a cat\u2019s health.\n Certain fats are also a good source of Omega 3 and 6, which are good for their joints, kidneys, intestines, and skin!\n Just remember to keep everything in moderation; otherwise, you\u2019ll end up with a fat cat!\n The next time you get up close and personal with a cat, take a closer look at its nose.\n You\u2019ll find that they are covered in hundreds of tiny bumps.\n The pattern these bumps and ridges make is unique to every cat.\n Maybe one day, we\u2019ll be able to scan cat noses to identify them instead of using microchips!\n Both humans and cats can get seasonal allergies from pollen, dust, and other particles like grass seeds, but this is no surprise.\n The surprise here is that cats can be allergic to us like we are to them!\n In such rare cases, cats can be allergic to the dead skin and other particles that we shed throughout the day.\n It\u2019s a figure which is, unfortunately, rather similar to American adults.\n While fat cats may be quite adorable to look at and provide us all with some much-needed joy, their weight could seriously impact their health.\n It\u2019s always important to keep an eye on your cat’s weight and make regular trips to the vet to keep their health in check!\n Cats and humans have another thing in common \u2013 the older we get, the more our mental and physical health goes downhill.\n Just like us, cats can develop a condition similar to dementia called cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS).\n CDS can affect a cat\u2019s responsiveness, general awareness, and memory, as well as being a major cause of anxiety.\n Unfortunately, there is no cure for CDS. The best thing you can do for a cat with CDS is to ensure it is fed a balanced diet and gets plenty of physical and mental stimulation.\n The oldest record of a tamed cat comes from the island of Cyprus. Remains of an African wildcat were found in the same burial ground as a human.\n No cats are native to the island, so the villager must have brought the cat to the island and tamed it there.\n Interestingly, the notion of cat breeds didn\u2019t come to life until much later, in the 19th Century.\n Refusing to eat, vomiting, or going to the bathroom outside of their litter box are commonly passed off as \u201ccats just being cats.\u201d\n It turns out that there\u2019s actually a very solid reason for cats to act like this, and it\u2019s far from voluntary!\n Cats can become ill and act like this if you change their routine or environment too much.\n If you find your cat acting up in such a way, try and reduce the variation in your life, and it could solve the issue!\n If a cat meows at you for food in the middle of the night, you\u2019re probably going to get annoyed and try to shoo it away.\n But here’s the cutest cat fact you could possibly read:\n As a reaction to this, cats have developed a hybrid sound that combines a purr and a meow, and they actually modeled it off the sounds babies make!\n This hybrid sound is much more likely to get you up and out of bed to feed them in the dead of night, so it definitely works!\n Have you ever noticed that if a cat has a choice in where to cat-nap, it\u2019s generally in a warm place like on top of a radiator, in a sunbeam, or even on your laptop?\n It turns out that cats have a good reason to seek out warm spots to nap.\n Any external warmth helps cats to regulate their body temperature without the need to expend any energy.\n This means that they can save their energy for more important things, like meowing in the middle of the night and passive-aggressively knocking things off your desk.\n A cat drinking water from literally anywhere except its water bowl is a common complaint among cat owners.\n The explanation is a rather simple one, with roots returning to the wild ancestors of domesticated cats.\n Cats instinctively avoid water sources that are potentially contaminated, meaning they won\u2019t drink water when it\u2019s too close to their food.\n The solution? Keep the food and water bowls separate, and make sure you top them up with fresh water regularly!\n If you thought the answer to your cat\u2019s drinking problem would be simple, think again!\n Some cats prefer to drink running water, while others simply disapprove of the bowl you have chosen for them.\n Even pickier cats will refuse to drink from a bowl if the level of the water is too low or too high!\n The next time you\u2019re wondering whether your kitty should be an indoor or outdoor cat, consider this.\n As of 2016, at least 63 mammals, birds, and reptiles have disappeared off the face of the earth for good due to cats around the world.\n The reality here is that cats are generally an invasive species and are not part of the normal food chain.\n Their predatory abilities are simply too good, and this is putting a lot of wildlife at risk!\n The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii, and in general, it\u2019s something best to avoid.\n It\u2019s been linked to a number of mental health issues and can strongly affect pregnant women and those with weak immune systems.\n It was also found that people infected with the parasite were less able to control their anger, with fits of rage twice more likely than normal.\n The good news is that cases of infection are becoming more and more infrequent as general hygiene levels are increasing!\n We\u2019re not the only ones to cool ourselves down by sweating. But have you ever noticed your cat sweating?\n There’s a reason you haven’t! They only sweat through areas that are not covered in fur.\n The largest sweat glands are on their feet, and this is why you might see damp paw prints on a hot summer day.\n Shortly after Disneyland Park opened its doors in the 1950\u2019s it began to have issues with rodents.\n Fortunately for the park and its visitors, the problem soon began to solve itself; a group of feral cats had moved into the park and begun to hunt the unwanted mice.\n The park staff soon realized the value of the cats and has since taken care of them and their offspring.\n The whiskers of a cat are long, flexible hairs that are attached around its mouth, eyes, and even on the backs of its legs.\n Other than looking quite dashing, their whiskers are about as wide as their body is.\n This aids cats greatly, as they can determine whether they can fit through a gap or a hole just by sticking their head through it and testing whether their whiskers fit.\n If a cat is in a good mood, feeling generally content, or even curious, it will relax its facial muscles, and its whiskers will be pushed forwards a little.\n You can also determine whether a cat is angry or defensive by its whiskers, as they will pull its whiskers back.\n If a female cat breeds with a single male cat, then all of the kittens will be their sole offspring.\n However, if the female cat breeds with any other male cats during the next 20-50 hours, though, things can get a little complicated!\n For example, if a female cat breeds with five male cats during this period and then has 5 kittens, it\u2019s possible for each kitten to have a different dad!\n The term for this is called Superfecundation and isn\u2019t unique to cats. The same thing can happen with dogs, too!\n If you call a cat\u2019s name, there\u2019s a strong chance it won\u2019t even get up to come to you.\n Instead, it will turn its ear towards you to listen to you.\n In fact, cats can rotate both of their ears 180 degrees in different directions at the same time.\n This means that they can listen carefully to anything, anywhere, with their combined 360-degree hearing abilities!\n Cats are relatively complex creatures, and we often understand so little of what is going through their heads!\n Another way we can get a bit of insight into what they\u2019re feeling is by paying attention to the position of their ears.\n If their ears are angled slightly, pointed forwards but still relaxed, then they\u2019re probably happy!\n Although if a cat is angry, it will normally flatten its ears against its head to protect them in the case of a fight.\n If a cat is a little bit nervous or upset by something, its ears will generally shake slightly.\n Most people know that dogs are fiends for chocolate, but it\u2019s quite toxic for them.\n Less known, though, is that it\u2019s just as bad for cats \u2013 fortunately, they just don\u2019t seem quite as fond of it.\n Cocoa products such as chocolate contain an ingredient called theobromine.\n Humans are able to digest this completely, but our furry friends simply cannot.\n Instead, it builds up in their bodies and can lead to serious problems such as liver failure.\n If you do discover your cat has got into your chocolate stash, the best thing you can do is to take it straight to the vet.\n The heights that cats reach when they jump never cease to amaze.\n It turns out the reason for this is rather simple, too, and it comes down to their powerful leg muscles and long limbs!\n An average-sized cat of good health can jump as high as 8 feet (2.4 m).\n The more practice jumping a cat gets, the better it generally becomes at it.\n This is why outdoor cats usually excel at it, while your average indoor cat ends up becoming a star on the internet due to yet-another spectacular failure!\n In fact, it means that they consider you to be a part of their pack!\n It\u2019s most common for female cats to bring little \u201cgifts\u201d to you as they feel the instinctive need to share their hunting skills with you.\n So the next time your cat wakes you up in the middle of the night by dropping a dead mouse on your pillow, just remember that it means your cat thinks you suck at hunting!\n No hard feelings, right?\n It doesn\u2019t matter what your own dietary beliefs are, cats simply need meat to thrive.\n While we are omnivores and can survive and do well on a meat-free diet, cats are carnivores.\n The reality is that any cats that are fed anything other than a meat-based diet will develop serious health issues that can turn fatal.\n While it is possible to find vegan and vegetarian cat food supplies, you won\u2019t ever find a respected vet who would ever dream of recommending them.\n If you want to get a cat but don\u2019t want to feed it meat, you should probably consider getting a guinea pig instead!\n Maybe you\u2019ve experienced it personally, or maybe you\u2019ve heard a story from a friend of a friend.\n The classic tale of a lost cat making it home despite all odds is both heartwarming and confusing.\n While we\u2019re still not exactly sure how they manage to do it, we have some theories.\n Some claim that cats can detect the earth\u2019s natural magnetic fields and can navigate using them.\n A more realistic theory is that they use their amazingly powerful senses to retrace their steps, often covering miles of territory to return home.\n While there are always exceptions, the majority of cats roam no further than four or five houses away from their homes.\n Males tend to explore further afield than females, with their territories extending to a 1500-foot (457 m) radius from home.\n Females explore much less, with the average female cat only exploring a radius of around 750 feet (228 m) from home.\n Unfortunately for black cats, superstition is alive and well, apparently.\n For hundreds of years, black cats have been associated with witchcraft & bad luck.\n Whatever the reason, this is bad news for black cats, with their tabby counterparts being twice as likely to be adopted.\n While we cannot speak to cats to understand what they are thinking, there are some clues they give us.\n Cat\u2019s tails are the most expressive parts of their bodies. They use them to communicate their different feelings.\n If a cat\u2019s tail is pointed straight up and shaking or quivering, it means they\u2019re happy, excited, and glad to see you!\n If a cat is shaking its tail and swinging it around almost violently, it\u2019s probably best to leave it alone as it\u2019s very, very annoyed, or even angry!\n A slight flick of their tail every now and then can also be a sign of annoyance.\n If just the tip of their tail is twitching a little, it can mean that they\u2019re deeply concentrated on something.\n The most alarming message a cat\u2019s tail can give is when they\u2019re angry, scared, or getting ready to fight.\n In this case, the hairs of its tail stand on end, puffing the volume of the cat up!\n Unlike dogs, they don\u2019t need much attention and can be very happy without any companionship.\n While most people imagine their cats pining for attention while their owners are out and about all day, it turns it this isn\u2019t quite true.\n Cats actually enjoy solitude most of the time, with your daily absences giving them the rest they\u2019ve been waiting for!\n It\u2019s best practice to start feeding your cats from different bowls.\n While they may all be willing to share a bowl in the beginning, it’ll get more complex over time.\n As cats age, they develop different dietary needs, so training them to use individual bowls from the beginning is much easier.\n While not as much as dogs, cats can get aggressive during feeding times. Separate bowls can help prevent this.\n It\u2019s tempting to fill your house with a wide variety of plants to give the place a bit of color and freshness. Although be careful while doing so if you have any feline friends hanging about.\n There are many common plants and flowers which vary from mildly irritable to highly toxic, which should never be brought into the home.\n Some of the more commonly found dangerous plants include any types of lilies, aloe vera, daffodils, geraniums, and tulips.\n You should make sure that you do thorough research before bringing any new plants into the house.\n There are many good reasons to put a collar on a pet cat; they\u2019re not just cosmetic.\n Even though you may have microchipped your cat, a tag on a collar is the first place anyone will look for identification or contact details in case it becomes lost.\n A bell on a collar can also prevent your cat from hunting the local wildlife.\n The best collars are those that have a buckle that will snap open if it gets caught on anything to prevent injuries to your cat.\n It\u2019s also important to not have the collar too loose or tight, with it ideally being loose enough that you can fit 1-2 fingers underneath it.\n Creme puff was an average-looking tabby female cat who lived a more than-average life.\n Born on August 3, 1967, she spent her years with her owner Jake Perry in Austin, Texas, until her death on August 6, 2005, at the ripe old age of 38 years and 3 days old.\n Perry often claimed that Creme Puff\u2019s unusual diet was a key to her old age, with the diet consisting of dry cat food, eggs, broccoli, coffee with cream, turkey bacon, and even small amounts of red wine!\n It\u2019s the term for an intense fear of cats; for some people, it\u2019s a very, very real condition.\n It is also known as elurophobia, gatophobia, and felinophobia.\n We\u2019re not just talking about a mild dislike of cats, either.\n If you have a phobia, then you\u2019re at the point where you\u2019ll think of any way you can to avoid them.\n Even cartoon versions or photos of cats can freak you out. Even these cat facts would be scary!\n His name was Stubbs, and he ruled the town of Talkeetna from 1997 until his death in 2017.\n He became the town’s unofficial mayor when disgruntled residents mailed in their votes for him due to a lack of better human alternatives.\n Stubbs’s adoptive parents ran Nagley\u2019s General store in the town, which subsequently became his unofficial mayoral office, drawing 30-40 tourists a day.\n Such a long cat deserves a long name, and this cat\u2019s name doesn\u2019t disappoint!\n His full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan, although his friends called him Stewie.\n In 2010 his owners in Nevada, USA, decided to enter Stewie for the record of the longest cat in the Guinness World Records after many of their friends remarked upon his enormous length.\n He measured 48.5 inches (123 cm) long and gained the record for the longest cat that same year.\n As of 2020, Stewie still holds the record for the longest cat to ever be recorded officially.\n When you come to think about it, it\u2019s an incredibly cat-like thing to do.\n Researchers in Japan conducted experiments by playing recordings of cat owners and strangers in the presence of the cats and took note of their reactions.\n The cats clearly recognized their owner’s voices while paying no attention to the strangers.\n However, in both cases, they didn\u2019t bother getting up to investigate the sounds.\n In terms of publication, to syndicate means to publish in a number of newspapers, magazines, and so on at the same time.\n In terms of Garfield being the most widely syndicated cartoon, it means that it holds the record for the number of different places it\u2019s published every time a new comic strip is published!\n The first Garfield comic was released to just 41 newspapers in 1978.\n By the time it gained world-record status in 2002, the comic was being published in 2,570 newspapers worldwide!\n The long-haired tortoiseshell feline was born on April 21, 1963, and was owned by the Glenturret Distillery Ltd, a whiskey distillery near the town of Crieff, Scotland.\n From 1963 until her death in 1987, she prowled the distillery at night, keeping it safe from any intruding rodents.\n It is estimated that over the course of her life, she caught some 28,889 mice, averaging 3 mice per night.\n If you visit the Glenturret distillery, check out the bronze statue of Towser in the visitor\u2019s center.\n The first in a line of stationmaster cats was Tama, a black, white, and orange calico cat who had taken up residence by Kishi Station in the Wakayama Prefecture.\n She was awarded the position in 2007, shortly after budget cuts lead to a drop in staff along the train line.\n Instead of a salary, she was given a year\u2019s supply of cat food and a custom-made stationmaster\u2019s hat.\n And she was given a gold tag, which displayed her name and official position!\n Tama went on to become the honorary president of the railway line for life in 2013.\nA male cat is called a Tom. A female cat can be a Molly or a Queen.\n
\nThe saying, “A cat always lands on its feet,” isn\u2019t just an old myth.\n
\nThe higher the fall, the more likely a cat is to survive it.\n
\nThere are many ways to refer to a group of cats.\n
\nThere are also quite a few ways to refer to a group of kittens.\n
\nIt\u2019s been scientifically proven that cat owners are healthier people.\n
\nCats purr for many more reasons than you would think.\n
\nYou should probably stop feeding your cat milk.\n
\nCat brains are very similar to human brains.\n
\nPresident Abraham Lincoln was a bit of a crazy cat lady.\n
\nThe first cat to take a trip to space was called F\u00e9licette.\n
\nIf you think of yourself as a \u201ccat person,\u201d you\u2019re among 11.5% of people in the world.\n
\nThe record for the largest number of kittens in the same litter was 19.\n
\nOver her lifetime, a cat called Dusty had a total of 420 kittens.\n
\nThe oldest known cat to give birth was 30 years old.\n
\nThe British TV show “Bagpuss” was ranked as the fourth greatest kid\u2019s TV show.\n
\nUnfortunately, cats are still consumed as food in some parts of the world.\n
\nThere are around 60 different recognized breeds of cats worldwide.\n
\nThere are more than 500 million pet cats in the world.\n
\nAncient Egyptians worshiped a goddess who was half cat and half woman.\n
\nIn Ancient Egypt, civilians would suffer severe punishment if they hurt a cat.\n
\nOn average, cats sleep for about 15 hours per day.\n
\nKittens require a lot more sleep than adult cats.\n
\nCats have more toes on the front paws than their back toes!\n
\nSome cats can have up to eight toes per paw!\n
\nCat\u2019s taste buds cannot detect sweet things.\n
\nAccording to urban legends, Isaac Newton invented the cat flap.\n
\nNeutering your cat can increase its average life expectancy by 62%!\n
\nCats have extraordinary night vision.\n
\nWithout a specific nutrient, cats can go blind.\n
\nHouse cats can run at a speed of 30 miles per hour.\n
\nThose cute furry bits inside a cat\u2019s ear are called \u201cear furnishings.\u201d\n
\nCats have a great sense of hearing and can hear ultrasonic noises.\n
\nMost female cats prefer using their right paw, while males are more likely to be \u201cleft-pawed.\u201d\n
\nCats actually have one more eyelid than humans do.\n
\nThey might have an extra eyelid, but they don\u2019t have any eyelashes.\n
\nWhen a cat rubs up against you, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they\u2019re being affectionate.\n
\nThe cat family consists of many animals, but the tiger is the largest.\n
\nThere are two different cat species that contend for the title of \u201cworld\u2019s smallest cat.\u201d\n
\nTaylor Swift\u2019s cat is one of the richest cats in the world.\n
\nThe world\u2019s first cat show took place in Hyde Park, London.\n
\nIt might not be the best idea to let your cat hunt mice.\n
\nCats aren\u2019t really that great at hunting rats, either!\n
\nCat\u2019s hearts beat around twice as fast as ours do.\n
\nAncient Egyptian cat owners would shave off their own eyebrows when mourning for their dead kitties.\n
\nThe oldest known breed of cat is most likely the Egyptian Mau.\n
\nCats usually get along better with cats of the same gender.\n
\nFeeding your cat smaller meals more frequently could be a key to a healthier lifestyle.\n
\nIf you decorate your house with Poinsettia flowers at Christmas, keep them away from your cats!\n
\nFeral cats that live outdoors have a life span of around 2 years.\n
\nIndoor cats live much longer lives, with the average cat living for around 10 to 15 years.\n
\nFeed a cat too much tuna, and they can become addicted to it.\n
\nThere\u2019s a good reason why a cat\u2019s tongue is rough.\n
\nAll kittens are born with blue eyes.\n
\nNearly all white cats with blue eyes are deaf.\n
\nKittens begin to lose their razor-sharp teeth at around 3 months of age.\n
\nMost cats hate water, but one Turkish breed absolutely loves it!\n
\nA small amount of fat is actually good for your cat\u2019s health.\n
\nJust as a human\u2019s fingerprints are unique, each cat has a completely different nose.\n
\nMany people are allergic to cats, but cats can also be allergic to humans.\n
\nAround 60 percent of cats in the US are obese.\n
\nWe\u2019re not the only ones who can develop dementia \u2013 it turns out cats can too.\n
\nCats have been domestic animals for at least 10,000 years.\n
\nPet cats can actually become ill due to changes in routine and environment.\n
\nCats developed a special type of purr to get their way with humans.\n
\nThere\u2019s a good reason cats always nap in warm places.\n
\nIf your cat isn\u2019t drinking water, it could be because of the water bowl\u2019s location.\n
\nThere are, unfortunately, many more reasons a cat won\u2019t drink water.\n
\nCats are responsible for the extinction of at least 63 animals and counting!\n
\nThere\u2019s a parasite you can catch from cats that are connected with uncontrolled anger issues.\n
\nAlthough you may never notice it, cats also sweat!\n
\nDisneyland Park \u201cemploys\u201d nearly 200 cats.\n
\nCats use their whiskers to judge whether they will fit through an opening or not.\n
\nYou can also tell the mood of a cat by its whiskers.\n
\nKittens from the same litter can have different fathers.\n
\nCats can rotate their ears 180 degrees.\n
\nYet another way to tell a cat\u2019s mood is by watching its ears.\n
\nKeep the chocolate to yourself; it\u2019s poisonous for cats!\n
\nCats are pretty amazing at jumping; they can jump up to six times their own height!\n
\nThere\u2019s a charming reason your cat brings dead mice to you. It means that your pet likes you!\n
\nYou should never, ever, ever feed cats a vegan or vegetarian diet.\n
\nCats can find their way home even if they have traveled miles away; we have no idea how they do it!\n
\nIn most cases, outdoor cats don\u2019t roam too far from home.\n
\nWhen it comes to adoption, black cats are the least popular.\n
\nA cat\u2019s tail will quiver if it is near somebody it loves.\n
\nThere are many more meanings we can gather from a cat\u2019s tail, too!\n
\nCats enjoy spending time alone.\n
\nYou shouldn\u2019t feed many cats from the same food bowl.\n
\nParsley, sage, and other herbs are among a cat\u2019s favorite foods.\n
\nIf you put a collar on your cat, make sure it\u2019s not too tight.\n
\nThe oldest cat to be recorded lived to be 38 years old.\n
\nIf you have an unreasonable fear of cats, you may have Ailurophobia.\n
\nA cat was the honorary mayor of an Alaskan town for 20 years.\n
\nThe record for the world\u2019s longest cat is 48.5 inches.\n
\nCats do recognize their owners\u2019 voices but often act like they don\u2019t care.\n
\nThe most widely syndicated cartoon in the world is Garfield, the lasagna-loving cat.\n
\nThe best \u201cmouser\u201d in the world was a cat called Towser.\n
\nA train station in Japan employs cats as stationmasters.\n
\nCute videos of cats have been around for more than 100 years.\n