Sir Isaac Newton invented the cat door.
Scratching is an innate feline behavior. It keeps their claws in shape by removing the old outer husk of the nail and it just feels good; just as a manicure feels good to humans. It does however, also serve as a territorial marker. The sebaceous glands in a cats’ paws, leave an odor at the scratched area. Try trimming your cats nails weekly and provide a scratching post because they like to stretch during this behavior.
When a cat spots prey, her excitement is told in a swishing tail and chattering teeth! The manner in which she is chomping is the same killing bite she would use on prey. In effect, she is carrying out the attack despite her inability to reach her target. Cats make 3 general types of sounds: murmurs, vowels and strained high-intensity sounds…and at least 16 distinct vocalizations and maybe more! The chatter, which falls into the category of strained high-intensity sounds, may come from the mother cat’s training. She uses much the same sound to alert her kittens to potential prey.
Some cats groom excessively. Sometimes these cats are bored, perhaps because they receive little human or feline interaction. These cats suck obsessively at their fur, some even going so far as to mutilate themselves. Often too, the cause can be allergies. On the other hand, a sick cat may groom less frequently or stop grooming altogether. Consult your veterinarian with any concerns you may have .
Cats with six toes (polydactyl) are so common in Boston and surrounding areas that they are considered an established mutation. They’re also common in Key West, where they’re known as Hemingway cats.
Feline ears are incredibly sensitive. They are able to detect sounds as high as 65 kilohertz, and ability some believe may be even greater than that of the dog. Not surprisingly, a cat’s hearing is far better than a human’s. The highly mobile pinna, or ear flap, permits the cat to move her ears in the direction of a sound, allowing her to determine the source of a sound with a high degree of accuracy.
Cats have about 100 different vocalization sounds. In comparison, dogs have about 10! Cats respond most readily to names that end in an “ee” sound!
Besides their noses, cats can smell with something called the “Jacobson’s organ”, located in the upper surface of their mouths. This is what cats are using when they scrunch up their eyes and open their mouths after sniffing something intently.
Cats aren’t hunters by nature; their mothers teach them to hunt!
When cats have two different eye colors, it is referred to as heterochromia. It’s common in white cats of any breed, but especially in in certain breeds such as the Japanese Bobtail, Turkish Angora, and Turkish Van. There is nothing to worry about if your cat was born with eyes of different colors, but, if your cat’s eyes were the same color, and one of them starts to change, it’s best to consult your veterinarian.
Female cats can reach adulthood in as little as five months, but male cats can take nine months to a year to reach adulthood. Most breeds of cats have reached their full growth by two years!
The first feline racetrack opened in 1936 in Dorset, England. However cats chasing electric mice failed to attract large audiences and the last track closed in 1949. Much more popular are today’s agility contests, better suited to feline skills.
To drink, a cat laps liquid from the underside of its tongue, rather than the top!
Cats are said to see color. Studies have been able to prove that cats can distinguish between red and green; red and blue; red and gray; green and blue; green and gray; blue and gray; yellow and blue, and yellow and gray!
The Maine Coon cat is America’s only “natural” breed of domestic feline. It is FOUR TIMES larger than the Singapura (the smallest breed of cat).
If a cat is frightened, the hair stands up fairly evenly all over the body; when the cat threatens or is ready to attack, the hair stands up only in a narrow band along the spine and tail!
Cat families usually play best in even numbers. Cats and kittens should be acquired in pairs whenever possible!
Cats must have fat in their diet, because they can’t produce it on their own!
Cat’s urine glows under a black light!
If a cat is frightened, put your hand over its eyes and forehead, or let him bury his head in your armpit to help calm him!
Cats with long, lean bodies are more likely to be outgoing, and more protective and vocal than those with a stocky build!
A cat can jump FIVE TIMES as high as it is tall!
Within two to three days of birth, each kitten in a litter chooses his own teat, and from then on, generally only takes a nip from this.
