You may love your cat, but you may not be fully aware of just how cool your she — and her overall species — really is. For example, did you know that cats have an extra organ that allows them to taste scents? Or that they developed meowing as a way to communicate exclusively with humans?
Clearly, there’s more to your little feline friend than meets the eye. So, to help you fully appreciate how awesome cats are, we asked cat care (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) professionals on Care.com — namely, cat sitters (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), boarders (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and groomers (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)— to share their favorite fun facts about these mystical creatures. We then pulled together a list of the 101 most amusing cat facts that you can share with your friends and family.
Facts About Cat Anatomy & Physiology
A house cat’s genome is 95.6 percent tiger (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and they share many behaviors with their jungle ancestors, says Layla Morgan Wilde (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), a cat behavior expert and the founder of Cat Wisdom 101. These behaviors include scent marking by scratching, prey play, prey stalking, pouncing, chinning, and urine marking.
Cats are believed to be the only mammals who don’t taste sweetness (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Cats are nearsighted (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), but their peripheral vision and night vision are much better than that of humans.
Cats are supposed to have 18 toes (five toes on each front paw; four toes on each back paw).
Cats can jump (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) up to six times their length.
Cats’ claws all curve downward, which means that they can’t climb down trees head-first (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). Instead, they have to back down the trunk.
Cats’ collarbones (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) don’t connect to their other bones, as these bones are buried in their shoulder muscles.
Cats have 230 bones (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), while humans only have 206.
Cats have an extra organ (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) that allows them to taste scents on the air, which is why your cat stares at you with her mouth open from time to time.
Cats have whiskers (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on the backs of their front legs, as well.
Cats have nearly twice the amount of neurons in their cerebral cortex (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) as dogs.
Cats have the largest eyes relative to their head size (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) of any mammal.
Cats make very little noise when they walk around (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). The thick, soft pads on their paws allow them to sneak up on their prey — or you!
Cats’ rough tongues (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) can lick a bone clean of any shred of meat.
Cats use their long tails to balance themselves (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) when they’re jumping or walking along narrow ledges.
Cats use their whiskers to “feel” the world around them (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)in an effort to determine which small spaces they can fit into. A cat’s whiskers are generally about the same width as its body. (This is why you should never, EVER cut their whiskers.)
Cats walk like camels and giraffes (Öffnet in neuem Fenster): They move both of their right feet first, then move both of their left feet. No other animals walk this way.
Male cats are more likely to be left-pawed (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), while female cats are more likely to be right-pawed.
Though cats can notice the fast movements of their prey, it often seems to them that slow-moving objects are actually stagnant (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Some cats are ambidextrous (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), but 40 percent are either left- or right-pawed.
There are cats who have more than 18 toes. These extra-digit felines are referred to as being “polydactyl (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).”
Facts About Cat Health & Wellness
A cat’s average lifespan increased by a year over the span of time between 2002 and 2012, according to a study by Banfield Pet Hospital (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
According to The Huffington Post (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), cats typically sleep for 12 to 16 hours a day.
Cats are crepuscular (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), which means that they’re most active at dawn and dusk.
Cats are fastidious creatures about their “bathroom.” If you have more than one cat, you should have one litter box for each (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Cats can spend up to a third of their waking hours (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)grooming.
Cats live longer when they stay indoors (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Cats’ purring may be a self-soothing behavior (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), since they make this noise when they’re ill or distressed, as well as when they’re happy.
Cats will refuse an unpalatable food (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to the point of starvation.
Despite popular belief, many cats are actually lactose intolerant (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Female cats have the ability to get pregnant when they are only 4 months old (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)!
Grapes and raisins (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), as well as onions, garlic, and chives (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), are all extremely harmful foods for cats. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure — although the reasoning behind that isn’t clear. Meanwhile, onions, garlic, and chives wreak havoc on your cat’s gastrointestinal system and can cause anemia.
If you keep your cat active during the day (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), he will sleep better at night. If you’re not free-feeding your cat, you can also help her get a good night’s sleep by providing her with a substantial evening meal (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
It’s believed that catnip produces an effect (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)similar to LSD or marijuana in cats. The effects of nepetalactone — the chemical in catnip that can makes cats crazy — wears off within 15 minutes (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and won’t surface again for a few hours, even if your cat remains in sniffing distance.
Kittens can be spayed or neutered (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) when they are only eight weeks old. If possible, these procedures should be performed in the first 5 months of your cat’s life.
Male cats who have been fixed need fewer calories (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to maintain their weight.
Spaying and neutering can extend a cat’s life. The Banfield Pet Hospital study (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) found that neutered males live an average of 62 percent longer than unneutered cats and spayed females live an average of 39 percent longer than unspayed cats.
Your cat’s grooming process (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)stimulates blood flow to his skin, regulates his body temperature and helps him relax.
Facts About Cat Communication Cues