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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) professionals on Care.com — namely, cat sitters (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), boarders (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), and groomers (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)— 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), and they share many behaviors with their jungle ancestors, says Layla Morgan Wilde (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
Cats are nearsighted (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) up to six times their length.
Cats’ claws all curve downward, which means that they can’t climb down trees head-first (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre). Instead, they have to back down the trunk.
Cats’ collarbones (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) don’t connect to their other bones, as these bones are buried in their shoulder muscles.
Cats have 230 bones (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), while humans only have 206.
Cats have an extra organ (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) on the backs of their front legs, as well.
Cats have nearly twice the amount of neurons in their cerebral cortex (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) as dogs.
Cats have the largest eyes relative to their head size (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) of any mammal.
Cats make very little noise when they walk around (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre). The thick, soft pads on their paws allow them to sneak up on their prey — or you!
Cats’ rough tongues (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) can lick a bone clean of any shred of meat.
Cats use their long tails to balance themselves (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) when they’re jumping or walking along narrow ledges.
Cats use their whiskers to “feel” the world around them (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre): 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
Some cats are ambidextrous (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).”
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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
According to The Huffington Post (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), cats typically sleep for 12 to 16 hours a day.
Cats are crepuscular (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
Cats can spend up to a third of their waking hours (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)grooming.
Cats live longer when they stay indoors (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
Cats’ purring may be a self-soothing behavior (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), since they make this noise when they’re ill or distressed, as well as when they’re happy.
Cats will refuse an unpalatable food (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to the point of starvation.
Despite popular belief, many cats are actually lactose intolerant (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
Female cats have the ability to get pregnant when they are only 4 months old (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)!
Grapes and raisins (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), as well as onions, garlic, and chives (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
It’s believed that catnip produces an effect (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), and won’t surface again for a few hours, even if your cat remains in sniffing distance.
Kittens can be spayed or neutered (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to maintain their weight.
Spaying and neutering can extend a cat’s life. The Banfield Pet Hospital study (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) 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 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)stimulates blood flow to his skin, regulates his body temperature and helps him relax.
Facts About Cat Communication Cues