Cats can be mysterious creatures. They are naturally wary of people and prefer a solitary lifestyle. Unlike dogs who are always happy to see their family and greet you at the door with a wagging tail, cats are a mixed bag. For some reason, a select few have decided living with and getting attention from people is their favorite thing. While others simply prefer to coexist and spend time with their humans from a distance.
It is surprising to find out just how little cat owners truly know and understand about their feline family members. I have to remind myself that the average pet owner doesn’t study the species and read book after book about dogs and cats like I do. They simply provide food, water, shelter, and cuddles for their companions and the rest remains a mystery.
You Probably Didn’t Know…
- Cats are considered nearsighted, however due to their large eyes they have trouble focusing on things within a few inches of their face. Therefore they rely on their whiskers to provide information.
- Cats share 95.6% of their DNA with Tigers. They even share a lot of behaviors.
- If you have a scaredy cat, don’t let them get outside. Cats can run up to 30 mph… you’ll never catch up.
- It’s not uncommon for cats to live 10-20 years, but the oldest pet cat ever recorded was 38 years old.
- A cat’s tail is an important part of their lives. It provides balance and enables them to rotate their bodies to land on their feet, it provides a form of communication to other cats, it also has nerve endings that control muscles that then control urination and defecation. Oftentimes when there is a tail injury, owners will notice a change in litter box habits. Cats can live without a tail and adapt quickly after a tail amputation, but it takes time for their bodies to adjust to the change.
- Cats have a genetic deficiency in their taste buds, so they in fact, do not taste sweet things. Some cats may appear to have a “sweet tooth” (like that time our cat Geo knocked over a box of a dozen donuts and took a bite out of each one), but the thought is that cats can detect fats and proteins within certain foods. So instead of tasting a sweet donut, they may taste the fats and salts within that recipe. This would also explain why some cats love butter and whipped cream, they are smelling and tasting the milk fat and salt content.
- Cats have a vomeronasal organ in the septum which allows them to “smell the air”. You have probably laughed at your cat when they open their mouth, with a seemingly shocked expression, and stare at you like they just smelled something terrible. This is actually your cat using the vomeronasal organ.
- While cats can move their legs independently and often do when running or cantering, they always walk by moving both right limbs, then both left limbs together. If you don’t believe me, just watch your cat the next time he walks into the room. Cats share this odd trait with giraffes and camels.
- Cats have such a fantastic sense of smell, they can actually tell if their food has spoiled. So if your cat that normally has a voracious appetite suddenly refuses his food, they may be trying to tell you the food has spoiled. This is especially important to pay attention too if you feed a dry kibble and purchase large bags instead of smaller bags. Unopened dry kibble has a shelf life of 6-12 months. However, once that bag is opened, the shelf life is 2-6 weeks if properly stored in an air-tight container. Think about your open box of Cheerios, after about a week they start to taste stale, wait longer and they will start to grow bacteria and fungi.
- Kittens within the same litter can have multiple fathers. This is due to the fact that females release eggs over several days during their heat cycle. So if mama went on a date with the handsome orange tabby down the street on the first day, then decided to take the neighbor’s tuxedo cat out for sardines on the second day… the kittens may end up looking nothing alike.
I’m all out of fun facts, but I promise you won’t look at your cat the same way after reading this post. To find out more about your feline family member, I recommend you check out some of the books below.