Did You Know

ddcats

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Where whiskers abound.
  • It has been scientifically proven that owning cats is good for our health

    and can decrease the occurrence of high blood pressure and other illnesses.
  • Stroking a cat can help to relieve stress, and the feel of a purring cat on

    your lap conveys a strong sense of security and comfort.
  • The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to realize the

    cat's potential as a vermin hunter and tamed cats to protect the corn
    supplies on which their lives depended.
  • Sir Isaac Newton is not only credited with the laws of gravity but is also

    credited with inventing the cat flap.
  • A cat has more bones than a human being; humans have

    206 and the cat has 230 bones.
  • A cat's hearing is much more sensitive than humans and dogs.
  • The cat's tail is used to maintain balance.
  • Cats see six times better in the dark and at night than humans.
  • Cats eat grass to aid their digestion and to help them get rid of

    any fur in their stomachs.
  • A healthy cat has a temperature between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius.
  • Cats have the largest eyes of any mammal.
  • The female cat reaches sexual maturity at around 6 to 10 months and

    the male cat between 9 and 12 months.
  • A female cat will be pregnant for approximately 9 weeks or between

    62 and 65 days from conception to delivery.
  • The average litter of kittens is between 2 - 6 kittens.
  • Ailurophile is the word cat lovers are officially called.
  • Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy. Cats will also

    purr loudly when they are distressed or in pain.
  • In households in the UK and USA, there are more cats kept as pets than dogs.

    At least 35% of households with cats have 2 or more cats.
  • When a cats rubs up against you, the cat is marking you with it's

    scent claiming ownership.
  • About 37% of American homes today have at least 1 cat.
  • Milk can give some cats diarrhea.
  • The average lifespan of an outdoor-only cat is about 3 to 5 years while

    an indoor-only cat can live 16 years or much longer.
  • On average, a cat will sleep for 16 hours a day.
  • A domestic cat can run at speeds of 30 mph.
  • The life expectancy of cats has nearly doubled over the last fifty years.
  • Blue-eyed, white cats are often prone to deafness.
  • The cat's front paw has 5 toes and the back paws have 4. Cats born with

    6 or 7 front toes and extra back toes are called polydactl.
  • An adult cat has 30 teeth, 16 on the top and 14 on the bottom.
  • There are approximately 60,000 hairs per square inch on the back of a cat

    and about 120,000 per square inch on its underside.
  • Cats and kittens should be acquired in pairs whenever possible

    as cat families interact best in pairs.
  • In multi-cat households, cats of the opposite sex usually get along better.
  • The first official cat show in the UK was organized at Crystal Palace in 1871.
  • All cats need taurine in their diet to avoid blindness. Cats must also have

    fat in their diet as they are unable to produce it on their own.
 

nimbus

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"Ailurophile is the word cat lovers are officially called."

That sounds so dirty



Thanks for all the facts

-Kristen
 

katiemae1277

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wow! I didn't know some of those!!
although I have to say, that as I have high blood pressure, I think the positive effecs must get reversed after a certain number of cats
 

icklemiss21

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I read that last week in a magazine at the shelter


They certainly make me feel better when I am down so I can imagine they do have some medical type benefits to our health too from just generally making us feel better
 

tierre0

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I think the most interesting fact I read about cats is that the Great Plague that sweep across Europe during the middle ages was a direct result of a lack of cats.
Cats were looked upon as the devil animal during that time and were literally exterminated because of it.

With no cat population to keep them under control rats which carried the fleas that produced the bubonic plague were out of control. In the end 2/3's of the population of England and Europe died from the disease.
 

sandtigress

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

"Blue-eyed, white cats are often prone to deafness."

Um, ya think?
lol I could give you the actual reason for that, but I'm afraid I'd scare people off by the nerdiness of it all!
 

stacyd1987

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Originally Posted by Sandtigress

lol I could give you the actual reason for that, but I'm afraid I'd scare people off by the nerdiness of it all!
Doesn't it have something to do with the genes?
 

sandtigress

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Originally Posted by StacyD1987

Doesn't it have something to do with the genes?
Sort of. The gene that allows for white cats with blue eyes affects certain pigments - hence the blue eyes. But these pigments are involved in hearing as well, so without them, the cat is deaf. That's why those cats who have one blue eye surrounded by white can sometimes be deaf in that side's ear as well, if they're blue eyed/white because of that gene.
 
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