Neat facts about cats you might not have known

I love all things cats. Neat facts about cats are all over google and there are memes galore if you know where to look.

“DID YOU KNOW?” FACTS ABOUT CATS.

• Cats don’t have sweat glands.
• A cat can jump as high as seven times its height.
• Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.
• Some cats have a genetic mutation called polydactyly which is extra toes on their front or back feet.
• Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
• A pack of kittens is called a kindle, while a pack of adult cats is called a clowder.
• An adult cat can run about 12 miles per hour, and can sprint at nearly 30 miles per hour.
• A cat’s tongue is scratchy because it’s lined with papillae-tiny elevated backwards hooks that help to hold prey in place.
• The nose pad of each cat has ridges in a unique pattern, not unlike a person’s fingerprints.
• Cat’s bodies are extremely flexible; the cat skeleton contains more than 230 bones (a human has about 206), and the pelvis and shoulders loosely attach to the spine.  This adds to their flexibility and allows them to fit through very small spaces.
• Cats have better memories than dogs.  Tests conducted by the University of Michigan concluded that while a dog’s memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat’s can last as long as 16 hours—exceeding even that of monkeys and orangutans.
• Cats spend about 3/4 of their day sleeping. Certainly mine do!
• Cats also purr when they are stressed or hurt
• If you love cats you are an ailurophile. If you dislike cats you are an ailurophobe. 
• If you are an ailurophobe you are like catnip to a cat. Imagine being a cat chilling on the couch taking a nap. A cat lover sees you as the most interesting thing in the room and they beeline towards you for a greeting. Ailurophobes generally avoid eye contact and any interaction with a cat. That makes you the most interesting and least threatening person in the room!
• The musical Cats is based on T.S. Eliot’s poem collection called Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

Janie Budnick

Janie founded 4-Legged Kids, Inc in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997 and provides education through her PetBizHIVE podcast and her PetBizMBA membership and courses. She is a Certified Professional Animal Care Operator, Fear Free certified and a Certified Professional Pet Sitter. Learn more about the Founder, Janie Budnick.