Cat Facts
Did you know?
The oldest cat still living is a Burmese called Kataleena Lady who lives in Melbourne, Australia. Kataleena Lady was born on March 11th, 1977.
At birth, kittens can't see or hear. Cats open their eyes after five days and begin to develop their eyesight
and hearing at approximately 2 weeks. They begin to walk at 20 days.
Kittens begin dreaming at just over one week old.
Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
A cat's brain is more similar to a man's brain than that of a dog.
A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than a human does.
An adult cat has 32 teeth.
The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
Cats use their noses not only for smelling, but also for detecting temperature changes.
Cats have twenty-four whiskers on average. These whiskers are arranged twelve to each side of the nose, in four horizontal rows. Not only do whiskers act as feelers which enable a cat to learn whether a given opening is wide enough to admit the cat, but they also operate as air current detectors, which greatly enhance a cat's ability to hunt at night. A cat with damaged whiskers will have trouble hunting in the dark. This is why we must never cut them or never pull them out.
A cat's heart beats is between 140 and 160 beats per minute which is twice as fast as a human heart, at
the average heart rate of 72 beats per minute.
A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a human’s.
Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, about 26 cycles per second.
Cats can be right-pawed or left-pawed.
Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
A cat has four rows of whiskers on each side.
Cats must have fat in their diet because they can't produce it on their own.
Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.
Cats can see in color!
Unlike humans, cats do not need to blink their eyes on a regular basis to keep their eyes lubricated.
The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their
tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison SquareGarden in New York City, New York.
Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.
Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (compared to human's 6 muscles each).
A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and can turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog.
Cat's urine glows under a black light.
Cat litter was "invented" in 1947 when Edward Lowe asked his neighbor to try the dried granulated clay used to sop up grease spills in his factory. In 1990, Mr. Lowe sold his business for $200 million. It is now part of the Ralston Purina Company.
In multi-cat households, cats of the opposite sex usually get along better.
The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.
People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
The oldest cat still living is a Burmese called Kataleena Lady who lives in Melbourne, Australia. Kataleena Lady was born on March 11th, 1977.
At birth, kittens can't see or hear. Cats open their eyes after five days and begin to develop their eyesight
and hearing at approximately 2 weeks. They begin to walk at 20 days.
Kittens begin dreaming at just over one week old.
Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
A cat's brain is more similar to a man's brain than that of a dog.
A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than a human does.
An adult cat has 32 teeth.
The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
Cats use their noses not only for smelling, but also for detecting temperature changes.
Cats have twenty-four whiskers on average. These whiskers are arranged twelve to each side of the nose, in four horizontal rows. Not only do whiskers act as feelers which enable a cat to learn whether a given opening is wide enough to admit the cat, but they also operate as air current detectors, which greatly enhance a cat's ability to hunt at night. A cat with damaged whiskers will have trouble hunting in the dark. This is why we must never cut them or never pull them out.
A cat's heart beats is between 140 and 160 beats per minute which is twice as fast as a human heart, at
the average heart rate of 72 beats per minute.
A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a human’s.
Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, about 26 cycles per second.
Cats can be right-pawed or left-pawed.
Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
A cat has four rows of whiskers on each side.
Cats must have fat in their diet because they can't produce it on their own.
Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.
Cats can see in color!
Unlike humans, cats do not need to blink their eyes on a regular basis to keep their eyes lubricated.
The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their
tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison SquareGarden in New York City, New York.
Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.
Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (compared to human's 6 muscles each).
A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and can turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog.
Cat's urine glows under a black light.
Cat litter was "invented" in 1947 when Edward Lowe asked his neighbor to try the dried granulated clay used to sop up grease spills in his factory. In 1990, Mr. Lowe sold his business for $200 million. It is now part of the Ralston Purina Company.
In multi-cat households, cats of the opposite sex usually get along better.
The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.
People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
