Cats, along with dogs, represent some of the most beloved and popular pets. Moreover, cats, along with dogs, dolphins, horses, elephants, and monkeys, represent the smartest animals known to mankind. Therefore, it isn't surprising that scientists have been engaged in the study of cats, their behavior, habits, and unusual abilities for decades. In our article, we will talk about the most fascinating scientific facts related to these felines, loved by many.
Interesting Facts About Cats
There are 33 cat breeds in total. The number of domestic cats on the planet reaches 500 million.
The heart rate of cats is higher than the rate of humans and ranges from 110 -140 heartbeats /min.
Generally, cats weigh around 11 pounds, but felines of the Singapura breed only reach 5.5 pounds.
The tiniest cat is the representative of the Indian red spotted breed, living in Sri Lanka. Their weight does not exceed 3.3 pounds, and their size is around 6 inches.
Although the lion is considered the king of animals, it is not the largest feline. Tigers are much larger than lions. An average adult is around 10 feet long and weighs about 661 pounds. A tiger can eat about 88 pounds kilograms of meat during one meal.
In the UK, cats are willingly guarding granaries. One mouse-hunting cat can save up to 10 tons of grain/year. Cats are also used to guard food warehouses and are officially put on an allowance.
Cat language
If a cat is standing near you with a raised back and a slightly trembling tail, this is an expression of its love for you.
A cat will wag its tail when it cannot make a choice.
When experiencing pleasure, cats often spread their fingers, releasing and retracting the claws.
In the wilderness, felines keep their tails horizontal or down, while domestic cats walk with their tail up in a trumpet.
Domestic cats don't communicate with other cats by meowing. The "meow" is specifically used for communication with humans.
During their life, a cat is able to birth hundreds of kittens. In the 50s, in Texas, a cat named Dusty made it to a record - 400+ kittens were born from her during her long life. Additionally, the last kittens were born to her when she was around 18 years old.
The largest number of surviving kittens after 1 birth is 14, which was recorded in a cat called Bluebell, in South Africa.
The pattern on a cat's nose is commensurable in its singularity to a human fingerprint.
A cat has 517 muscles. Moreover, 24 of them are used to control their ears.
There are around 40 more bones in a cat's skeleton than in a human one.
The age of a feline in relation to a human is as follows: if a cat is 3 years old, this corresponds to about 21 human years, when a cat is 8 years old, this corresponds to 40 human years, 14 years old cat = 70 human years.
Records
The oldest cat on the planet was called Puss, she lived in England. She died a little after her 36th birthday.
The medium lifespan of wild cats is much shorter than the one of domestic cats, representing around 5 years of difference.
One cat in Argentina lived on a tree for six years, where she delivered several litters of kittens.
The body temperature of cats is around the same as in humans - 38 degrees.
People who have cats at home are less prone to heart attacks and, generally, live longer than those who don't have cats.
Cats hate the odor of citrus. They are perfect for creating tools that discourage pooping in certain areas or claw sharpening.
Cats understand your mood and tone of voice well, even if they seem to ignore you.
The more you talk to your feline, the more they talk to you.
Cats don't distinguish small details well, but they see quite well if it's dark - a few hundredths of the illumination is enough for them, while the human eyes cease to distinguish anything in the dark.
Cats spend around 16 hours/per day sleeping. If counting only the time when they don't sleep - a third of this amount is spent on grooming.
Their whiskers help cats not only to determine whether they would fit through a hole but also to navigate in space as a whole and receive data on temperature, wind direction, and other environmental parameters.
A cat's whiskers are constantly in motion. If the animal is interested in something, the whiskers look forward; if the whiskers look back, the cat is frightened by something.
In England, according to statistics, there are 9 domestic cats/10 inhabitants.
On average, Americans spend about four billion dollars a year on cat food, which represents 1 billion less than they spend on infant food.
The heaviest domestic feline on the planet was Himmy from Australia. His weight was 46 pounds. His waist was 33 inches.
The tiniest domestic feline was a Himalayan cat named Tinker Toy, which weighed just over 1.1 pounds and had a height of 3 inches at its shoulders.
Cat sweat is only released through the pads on their paws.
Cats can make around 100 different noises- that's ten times more than a dog can.
Cats are quite farsighted and see well from a distance of at least 28 inches.
Cats are 3 times more sensitive to loud sounds. The frequency range perceived by these felines is around 50 Hz to 60 kHz, while a person is hardly able to hear a sound with a height of even 20 kHz.
A cat's smell is, on average, 14 times better than a human's.
If the cat defends itself, it presses its ears to its head, and when it attacks, it spreads its ears to the sides for greater intimidation.
According to some information, purring cats can have a beneficial effect on human health, and their bioenergy has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Cats have paranormal abilities, anticipating trouble before it happens - they anticipate earthquakes, fires, floods, and other natural disasters.
In medieval Europe, cats were destroyed by being burned at the stake as servants of the devil. It is believed that it was the extermination of cats that contributed to the epidemics of the plague, carried by large populations of rodents.
Superstitions
If you see a cat in a dream - this will lead to deceit in love. If you see a cat that scratches you in a dream - in reality, this might mean you will get sick.
It is believed that adopting a homeless kitten will bring good luck to your house.
If you drive near a black kitten - you won’t have luck for 7 years.
If a cat dies in your home - this will bring doom to your family for 7 generations.
If a cat hisses at a person who came to your house, this means the person is unfriendly towards you, but if the cat caresses them, this means the person has good intentions.
If a cat lies on you or kneads a certain part of your body with their paws, this can mean they feel some kind of developing disease. By kneading, they try to help you get rid of it.
If the cat washes their fur - this means you'll soon have unexpected guests, and if it curled up in a ball, covering the nose with the tail - this means the weather will become colder.
Here are some more scientific details about domestic felines that you might not know:
In regards to physical development, the first 365 days of a kitty's life are equal to the first 15 years of a person's life.
Cats are able to turn their ears 180 degrees.
Domestic cats sleep around 70 % of the day.
A cat can't see directly under their nose.
Most felines do not possess eyelashes.
Cats have 5 toes on each front paw and only 4 toes on the back ones.
Cats are such amazing animals! No wonder having a domesticated feline at home has always been considered good luc1! So, if you want to live happily ever after, then just get yourself a cat and good luck will never leave you.