Our feline friends are unique and wonderful companions. Below is a collection of interesting and fun facts about cats.
- Cats are members of the Felidea family.
- A litter of kittens is called a kindle, and a group of cats is called a clowder.
- A cat's IQ is only surpassed by that of monkeys and chimps in the world of animals
- Cats are the only animals that purr. They can purr at around 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
- Purring doesn't necessarily mean a cat is happy. Sometimes cats will purr when they are scared or hurt.
- A cat's nose pad is as unique as a human fingerprint. No two nose prints are identical.
- Petting or stroking a cat has actually been proven to help in lowering one's blood pressure.
- One way a cat shows s/he trusts you is by rolling over on his/her back.
- A cat's hearing is much stronger and more sensitive than a dog's or a human's. Our hearing stops at 20 khz; a cat's at 65 khz.
- Cats have 32 muscles in each ear and can turn their ear very quickly to catch noise. Much faster than a very alert watchdog.
- A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than ours.
- Cats have five toes on their front paws and four on their back paws. If a cat is polydactyl, s/he has extra toes.
- Cats have over 100 vocals sounds, while dogs have only 10.
- Normal body temperature for a cat is between 100.5 F and 102.5 F.
- Cats drink liquid from the underside of their tongue, not from the top.
- Cats use their whiskers to determine if the space they are entering is big enough for them.
- To calm a frightened cat put your hand over his/her eyes and forehead or let him/her bury his/her head in your armpit.
- Only about 80% of cats have the gene that allows them to respond to the effects of catnip. The other 20% are not affected by it.
- Domestic cats are the only cats that can hold their tails vertically while they walk. Wild cats hold theirs horizontally or between their legs.
- Cats get an average of 16 hours of sleep per day.
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