Many people think that cats are not remarkably interesting. After all, they tend to just laze about the house in a warm spot and only come to life when they are hungry or want the toilet. But cats are actually very fascinating creatures and there is probably a lot interesting cat facts you don’t know about them. Below are just a few interesting cat facts that might surprise you about your kitty:
- Cats can be trained to walk on a leash. It might surprise you to know that a growing trend involves a cat harness and a leash. The folk at Voyager Harness say that training a cat to walk on a leash allows owners to take their beloved pets out for day trips or on vacations. While some cats do not enjoy being placed in a harness, others love it.
- Speaking of walks, have you ever noticed how your pet moves her feet? Well, if you have a look, you will see that she moves both of her right feet forward and then both of her left, meaning they shift one side of their body at a time as they walk. The only other animals that walk in a similar way are giraffes and camels.
- A domestic cat’s genes are 95.6% similar to those of a tiger. Cats and tigers actually share some behaviors too such as urine marking, stalking their prey, playing with prey, chinning, and scratching to scent mark.
- Cats have more bones than humans do. We have 206, while they have 230.
- Have you ever wondered why your cat’s tongue feels so rough? It is because of filiform papillae, which are backward facing hooks. These hooks allow cats to lick a bone clean of meat!
- Cats that are neutered and spayed live longer than those that are not. A neutered male will live for 62% longer than an unneutered male, while a spayed female lives for 39% longer than an unspayed female.
- Some owners are known to leave money for the care of their pets in their wills, but one lucky cat was left £7 million (around $8.5 million). Although that pales in comparison to the fortune of Nala, the Instagram sensation said to have a net worth of $100 million!
- Cats are similar to dogs in that their nose is like their unique fingerprint. No two cats have the same nose pattern.
- You probably already know that your cat can jump from the floor to the sofa or a nearby table. But did you know that cats can actually jump five times their own height? That is quite remarkable.
- In 2004, the grave of a cat was found in Cyprus by a French archeologist. It dated back 9,500 years, proving that humans have had pet cats for thousands of years.
- We all know that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, but it is also believed that he invented the cat flap. While working on experiments at the University of Cambridge, he was frustrated by the constant interruptions from his cats. To stop them constantly scratching at the door, he asked the carpenter to come and cut two holes in the door (one for his cat and the other for her kittens).
- The oldest recorded cat was called Creme Puff, who died at the ripe old age of 38. The previous oldest cat was Grandpa Rex Allen, who died at the age of 34. Both cats were owned by the same person!
Hopefully, you have learned some new and interesting facts about cats from the above. You might find yourself watching your pet a bit more closely now to see if she really does walk like a camel!
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