1. Cats can drink seawater.
Unlike humans, cats have kidneys that can filter out salt
and use the water content to hydrate their bodies.
2. They can’t taste sweet things.
Scientists believe that a mutation in a key taste receptor
has prevented cats from being able to taste sugar. No cat will ever know the
joy of a cupcake ;(
3. Some cats have thumbs.
Apparently these aren’t “true” thumbs, but just extra toes.
4. The furry tufts on the inside of cats’ ears are called
“ear furnishings”.
They insulate the ear, and help filter out direct sounds and
debris.
5. Cats can hear dolphins. Theoretically.
Cats can hear the ultrasonic noises that rodents (and
dolphins) make to communicate.
6. The ridged pattern on cat’s nose is as unique as a human
fingerprint.
7. Cats can’t see directly below their noses. That’s why
they miss food that’s right in front of them.
8. Isaac Newton invented the cat flap after his own cat,
Spithead, kept opening the door and spoiling his light experiments.
And when Spithead had kittens, he cut each kitten a cat flap
of its own.
9. Nikola Tesla was inspired to investigate electricity
after his cat, Macak, gave him a static shock.
10. Kittens start to dream when they’re about a week old.
11. Kittens sleep a lot because their bodies release a
growth hormone only when they’re asleep.
12. Adult cats don’t release any particular key hormones
during sleep. They just snooze all day because they can.
13. Cats sleep so much that, by the time a cat is 9 years
old, it will only have been awake for three years of its life.
14. By neutering a cat, you add about two to three years to
its life.
15. Most female cats are right-pawed, and most male cats
favour their left paws.
16. A female cat is called a “molly” or a “queen”.
17. Male cats are called “toms”.
18. Cats sweat through the pads of their paws.
19. Cats have a third eyelid called a “haw”. It’s generally
only visible when they’re unwell.
20. Cats can run 3 mph faster than Usain Bolt.
Usain’s record is 27 mph. A domestic cat’s fastest time is
30 mph.
21. In the original Italian version of Cinderella, the fairy
godmother figure was a cat.
22. Cats’ homing instinct may be due to magnets in their
BRAINS.
Cats find their way home through a process called
“psi-travelling” — experts think they navigate via the angle of sunlight, or
that they have magnetized brain cells that act like compasses.
23. Cats may have evolved their “tone of voice” to
communicate with humans.
Cats’ natural vocal range would be inaudible to humans, but
they communicate feelings such as affection, hunger, and fear within the range
of human hearing. Some researchers believe that this is learned behavior to
help cats to relate to humans.
24. The more you talk to your cat, the more it will talk to
you.
If you chat to your cat, it will increasingly chirrup and
meow at you.
25. In fact, cats can make over 100 vocal sounds.
Dogs can only make 10.
26. Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel
engine (26 purrs per second).
27. Cats aren’t the only animals that purr — squirrels,
lemurs, elephants, and even gorillas purr too.
28. If your cat’s tail is vibrating, it’s excited to see
you.
