A curated list of fun facts about your Feline Best Friend to help you become the Kings or Queens of the following Special Trivia Night In front of All your Ailurophile friends!
A cat shows their owner happiness in life!
Cats belonging to the Felidae family are the most petite carnivores protected and domesticated by humans.
There are more than just a few things to love about our feline friends, and I’m sure you might not even remember a lot of these. So today, we bring you 25 fun facts about cats that you probably didn’t know!
For years now, people have been incapable of ignoring the irresistible charm of these small, adorable creatures! But there’s more to your little pet cat than meets the eye.
Did you know, for example, that a house cat is believed to be the only mammal that cannot taste sweetness? And adult cats have the biggest eyes of any creature compared to their head size!
No wonder they can easily charm any cat lover.
In recent studies, it has been revealed that around 20% of households in India own a cat, and yet there is so much to be discovered and learned about them.
So if you’re a cat person like us and spend hours and hours of your day consuming cat content and mean cat videos online daily, then you’re at the correct address, my friend!
Because I have a bunch of exciting cat facts for all of you pet owners that will leave you all fuzzy inside and ask for more facts about cats!
I’m sure you liked reading the facts about cats. Did you know that domestic cats meow to communicate with you, and your beloved house cats purr to express various emotions, such as love or pain relief? To know more such facts about cats, keep reading on!
25 fun facts about cats you would love to know!
1. Quick Reflexes: Cats don’t always land on their feet.
Contrary to popular belief and in trending cat fall videos, they do not often fall. Most likely, the paws will touch the ground.
The ability of cats to land on their feet may be one of their most outstanding characteristics. These animals can twist their bodies to fall on their paws even if they fall from approximately 10 feet.
Our feline friend Always has the same correcting reaction every time they fall, and they have a perfect sense of balance. They might even restore their position by as little as three feet off the ground.
A cat may also spread her legs out on a parachute because they are small, light and covered by thick fur, which means their fall is not as painful as that of a dog.
2. Cats give birth to live kittens
Kittens are born when a female cat gives birth to live offspring. The female cat often consumes the amniotic sac in which the infants are born.
The newborn babies must be nursed by their mothers until they reach the age of 8 weeks. A young one might take anything from 5 to 30 minutes to be born.
Where the mother cat encourages the young ones to respire by scrubbing them with her rough tongue.
3. Big ol’ Cats!
This cat fact will astound you!
According to one recent study, our domesticated cats share 95.6% of their genetic makeup with tigers.
Tigers, you read that right.
They also share behavioural patterns, such as odour and urine marking, prey stalking, and pouncing.
4. Canines with long, sharp teeth! Watch out.
When smaller, feral cats have 26 deciduous or “baby” teeth. But they end up with 30 permanent teeth as adults.
Domestic cats’ descendants seemed to have significantly impacted their skulls, providing a specialised jaw with two long canine teeth.
Their teeth are much smaller for other domestic animals because they no longer have to hunt and kill their prey actively.
Even though their teeth are razor-sharp, their molars are rarely used for chewing food.
So don’t forget to take some special care of those pearly whites!
5. 18 Beans on the Toes!
Have you ever paid attention to your feline paws? How many toes did you observe?
The world’s feline population possesses four paws. Each paw has at least four small digital pads, often referred to as “toe beans”, due to their appearance.
Most cats have 18 toes, 5 each on their front paws and 4 on their back paws. Several cats, however, are born with “extra toes,” a condition known as polydactylism.
Cats move on all four limbs, using their toes to balance themselves. Cats walk like camels and giraffes, with both right feet and then both left feet.
The legs on each side of the body start moving together, which allows them to hunt prey quietly and avoid detection. This is known as “digitigrade walking.”
6. A Cat’s Dominant Paw!
A dominant front paw is possible in cats!
According to some studies, male cats prefer their left paw, whereas female cats prefer their right paw.
7. Cats Spend 70% of their lives Sleeping!
Do you think cats sleep only at night, or do they sleep mostly at any time?
Cats are crepuscular. They have two activity peaks, one being in the early morning before sunrise and the other one being in the evening time. Around sunset, cats typically sleep for about 13 to 16 hours per day.
This means that a cat Passes 70% of its life sleeping. It is done so they can conserve energy.
In the wild, they have to save their energy for hunting. For house cats, this is not necessary as they get food easily served to them!
It must be fun to live a cat’s life!
8. The oldest recorded pet cat lived 9,500 years ago.
Did you know that the Ancient Egyptians were considered to have domesticated the oldest cat? For over 3,000 years, cats were represented in social and religious practices in ancient Egypt.
However, French archaeologists discovered a 9,500-year-old cat grave in Cyprus in 2004. This makes it the oldest known pet cat, predating Egyptian cat art over 4,000 years!
9. The world’s richest cat was worth £7 (or $12.5).
According to Guinness World Records, Blackie is the world’s wealthiest cat. The World’s Most Popular Pet, Blackie, Came Into the Riches with the Demise of His Owner, British recluse Ben Rea, in 1988.
When his millionaire owner died, he refused to mention his family in his will instead of leaving his seven-million-pound fortune to Blackie!
The owner wrote off his wealth and riches to three cat charities, asking them to take care of his beloved pet in return!
Yes, you read it right!
We can’t get over that fascinating cat fact Either!
10. For 20 years in Alaska, a town was led by a cat!
Stubbs, an orange tabby cat, was indeed the mayor of Talkeetna, a tiny town in Alaska, for 20 years!
He won several uncontested elections, and even though he had no legislative power, he was well-liked by both locals and tourists.
11. A cat’s nose has catnip receptors.
Have you ever considered whether all cats go into trances?
This herb has several chemicals, including nepetalactone, a substance that cats are sensitive to through their noses and mouths. Another interesting Cat fact is Catnip lulls Felines’ Population!
When cats smell nepetalactone, they activate special receptors that detect chemicals known as “pheromones.” As a result of this chemical reaction, the cat experiences euphoria or overwhelming happiness. Therefore Cats Love Catnip!
The compound causes some typical odd behaviour that you associate with this bizarre kitty.
There Are still some Debates Between Researchers Explaining that ‘More than half of the world’s felines don’t respond to catnip’.
12. Cats can jump up to six times their height.
Okay, so cats are excellent jumpers with the ability to leap extremely high.
A Real cat could even jump up to six times its height.
They are generally found above garden fences. On an air-filled flight, a very strong leg muscle catches them.
Now that’s quite impressive!
13. Retractable Paws
Cat claws are a unique feature of their paws. While the animal is relaxed, the cat’s claws remain concealed underneath the fur and skin.
The claws are found around the toe pads instead of on the top of the toe to prevent them from wearing down.
Generally, five claws are found on each front paw, but only four claws are found on the back paws. They have such small paws, limiting visible tracks to keep them safe from predators in the wild!
14. A group of kittens is a Kindle! What?
A kindle is more than an electronic device—it is a term that describes Kitty’s born from one mom cat.
Although a group of young cats is more commonly referred to as a “litter,” they can also be called a “kindle” of kittens.
Meanwhile, clowders are known as cats who grow up.
15. There are more than 500 million cats!
Many people around the globe use cats as their pets because they can be a handy companion to have when you live alone in the city for work or just in general.
Cats provide a very familiar, warm, and loving ambience to the house. No wonder they are considered among the most popular pets of all time.
Almost 50% of adults are cat owners.
16. A house Cat can run as fast as 30 mph! Can you believe it?
If you’ve ever noticed your cat running around the house or in the park whenever you take them out for a walk, you must already know that cats are fast.
But you won’t believe this cat fact.
Over short distances, a housecat can reach speeds of up to 30 mph. A cat can outrun the Superstar runner Usain Bolt in the 200-metre dash!
17. One year of a cat’s life equals 15 years of human life.
As you know, cats age much faster than humans and live longer. If the cat is 1 year old, that would be 15 in human age!
We all already knew cats aged faster, but 15 years? We were indeed very surprised by this, weren’t you?
18. The oldest cat lived for 38 years!
Creme Puff, the world’s oldest cat, lived 38 years and 3 days old. From August 3rd of, 1967 until August 2005, Creme Puff lived in Austin, Texas, with her owner.
Cats can be found in different homes anywhere between 16 and 17.
19. The whiskers on a cat aren’t just cute!
I’m sure the whiskers on a cat must be extremely adorable, but they also serve an important purpose by assisting cats in getting around, particularly at night.
Whiskers are deeply embedded within the cat’s body and are linked to the delicate muscular and nervous systems, acting as touch receptors (or “kitty radar”). With the help of whiskers, a Cat detects Everything around it!
A cat’s whiskers facilitate identifying and reacting to new changes in its surroundings. Cats have whiskers on the backs of their front legs, as well.
20. One of the largest domestic cat breeds is the Maine Coon.
Maine coon is an excellent cat breed for cats with large family sizes. Barivel is the world’s longest domestic cat!
It has a length of 120 cm that lives in Italy.
21. Dictionary Mode Active: If you loved cats, what would you be called?
What can you learn only with words? What would you call yourself if you’re a cat enthusiast and meet fellow cat-loving friends?
Use the word “Ailurophile” for a simple conversation. Essentially, phire is a Greek word meaning “People who love cats”.
Ailurophobia: a combination of Ailuros and phobia that refers to someone who despises cats.
22. Cats groom themselves between 30 and 50% of the time.
One of the fascinating cat facts we know is that a cat lives 70% of its life sleeping and grooming itself for the rest of the time.
The behaviour has various functions:
- It helps cats reduce odours, clean scent glands, and avoid predators.
- It cools them down, encourages fluid circulation, and distributes oil evenly on their clothing, keeping them warm and dry. Therefore, it helps in the regulation of body temperature and blood flow.
- Grooming also indicates affection between cats and is considered to contain an enzyme that acts as a natural antimicrobial on the skin.
23. Guess who a fellow Ailurophile was?
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, adored cats and therefore would spend hours playing with them.
During his period in the White House, he had several cats.
24. Extraordinary Night Vision
Felines’ eyes allow them to see anything in the dark, requiring only 15%–20% of the light humans require to see the same world because of the tapetum lucidum present in their eyes.
When a cat takes in the most light, its pupils may expand to cover the entire exposed surface.
25. Cats’ Happiest Place on Earth: California!
The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, is known as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but it also provides a residence for a swarm of feral cats that roam freely throughout the park.
Feral cats have been roaming the Disneyland Resort for decades and are used to help control the amusement park’s rodent population.
I guess the park doesn’t need to hire a Tom!
Bonus Fact!
Since you’ve been reading the article so Patiently and enthusiastically, And for finishing the article, I Give one more Bonus Fact! Isn’t it Amazing?
Have you ever thought about how many bones a cat has in its body?
https://youtu.be/mbfiE40az_0
If you’re also one of those people who wonders how many bones a small cat even has,
Then you’d be surprised to know that your cat has 230 bones, while humans only have 206 bones!
Looking for even more interesting facts about our adorable felines? If you want to read more such articles about your favourite pet breed or know more interesting facts about these cute little feline beauties, let us know by commenting below.
And we’ll add them to the list next time!
