Cats keep us guessing. As they squeeze through the tightest spaces, obsess over cardboard boxes, and dominate social media, we can’t help but love them even more after learning these amazing cat facts.
Check out our top 15 favorites, and see what you already know, and what you didn’t. You learn something new (about cats) every day!
1. Cats can’t taste sweetness. They don’t particularly enjoy sugary foods, and can’t digest them well. Even so, high-carb, corn-based cat foods may be causing an increase in the occurrence of feline diabetes.
2. A cat’s ear can rotate 180 degrees, using 20 muscles to control its movement.
3. The cat’s meow has no other purpose than to communicate with humans. They sometimes replicate the sound of a crying human baby to manipulate us into nurturing them and spoiling them with tasty treats.
4.In Ancient Egypt, it was custom to shave your eyebrows off to mourn the death of your cat.
5. A litter of kittens can have multiple different fathers.
6. Cats can drink seawater to stay alive. When it comes to humans, the high salt content in seawater means the more you drink, the more dehydrated you’ll get. Cats, however, are different; their highly efficient kidneys can filter out the salt.
7. Disneyland in Anaheim is home to over 200 feral cats, which keep the rodent population under control. The cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, then returned to the park. They typically only come out at night, but you might occasionally spot one during the daytime. Guests are discouraged from petting them, but if they do get too people-friendly, they’re adopted out to cast members.
8. A group of cats is called a clowder. A group of kittens is called a kindle.
9. For a cat, closing one’s eyes in the presence of another is the ultimate sign of trust. If your cat slowly blinks at you, it means they trust you. You can try slow-blinking at unknown cats to earn their friendship more quickly.
10. When a cat drinks water, the top of their tongue touches the water just briefly. It creates a column of water, which the cat’s tongue quickly draws up into its mouth so fast, it basically defies gravity while keeping their chin dry.
11. Owning a cat can lower your risk of having a heart attack by 30 percent.
12. Cats don’t only purr when they’re happy. They also purr when they’re nervous, hungry or injured. Cats purr at 26 Hertz, in a range that promotes tissue regeneration.
13. By 7 weeks old, kittens fully develop their “righting reflex,” the ability to land on their feet when they fall from heights of 12 inches or more. A 1987 study found that cats were more likely to be injured falling from heights under 7 stories high – however, the study only accounted for live cats brought into the vet, not those who died on impact.
14. Over 30% of American homes have a cat. There are 73 million pet cats in America, compared to just 63 million dogs.
15. Declawing a cat is akin to amputating the tips of your fingers up to the first joint. It can lead to lifelong complications, and it’s illegal in many parts of the world.
How many of these cat facts did you already know? Meow at us in the comments!
