Cats are just about the most popular pets around the world. Magnificent and fiercely independent, this furry bunch of joy and mischief wows us with their unconditional love. There are a certain few facts about cats that simply stagger us and there are few facts about cats that makes us love them even more.
Here are some of the lesser known facts that every cat lover should know.
1. Cats are actually more popular pets than dogs in America. There are 88 million cats compared to just 74 million dogs.
2. Evidence now suggests domesticated cats have been around since 3600 B.C., 2,000 years before Egypt’s Pharaohs.
3. Cats don’t have any taste receptors that react to sweet things. This means that cats, from lions and tigers right down to domestic felines, aren’t able to taste anything sweet.
4. The reason why cats have a vertical slit pupil is because they are considered ambush predators. The vertical slit pupil helps cats be able to judge the depth so that they can leap at their prey.
5. Just one single cat produces 2-8 kittens in a litter. The prolific cat produces 2-3 litters per years, which means that a single cat may produce 24 kittens per year! A cat can give birth to a total of 100 kittens during her productive years. Therefore one single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.
6. When our cats bring dead mice or birds back to their owners, “…they are teaching their human to hunt or helping their human as if feeding an elderly cat, or an inept kitten.”
7. Whenever a cat slowly closes its two eyes and opens them again or winks at you, that means they trust you and recognize you as a friend.
8. A study has found that pet cats do recognize their owner’s voice but choose to ignore their call/commands.
9. Cats can become addicted to tuna and in turn, refuse to eat anything. However, eating too much of Tuna may cause the dangerous “Steatitis” or “Yellow Fat” disease (Pansteatitis).
10. Ancestors of our modern day cats relied on their prey to get an adequate amount of water but the present day cats diet of dry foods prevent the cats from staying hydrated. This can lead to Kidney disease and various other complications. So keep your cats hydrated!
11. Feeding milk to an adult cat is a very bad idea because adult cats do not produce Lactase – which is an enzyme that digests lactose present in the milk.
12. Scientists believe cats are actually afraid of water because their ancestors lived in an area with very few large bodies of water and never needed to learn how to swim.
13. Despite what you may think, cats are not nocturnal. They are actually crepuscular, and that means they are most active at dusk and dawn.
14. Cats much more enjoy Species Appropriate Music than human music. They enjoy music which uses the frequencies and tempos similar to the ones cats use to communicate.
Who knew?
h/t: UNBFACTS
