FACTS ABOUT CATS

Cats have 290 bones and 517 muscles. They have five more vertebrae than humans. The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years while the average age for outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years. A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart @ 110 to 140 beats per minute. Their normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. The average cat weighs 12 pounds. Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping. They are more active during the evening hours. Cats are partially color blind equivalent of human red/green color blindness. They can see up to 120 feet away with peripheral vision of about 285 degrees. Cat’s eyes come in three shapes: round, slanted and almond. The color of a kitten’s eyes will change as it grows older. At birth, kittens can’t see or hear. Their eyes open after five days and begin to develop their eyesight & hearing at approximately 2 weeks. They begin to walk @ 20 days. The nose pad of a cat is unique in pattern. No two nose prints are identical just like the fingerprint of a human.

Most cats prefer their food at room temperature. They will boldly refuse any food that is too cold or too hot. They drink liquid from the underside of their tongue, not from the top. They cannot see directly below their heads that’s why they do not see the food when you put it under their nose. Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves. Backward-pointing spikes on a cat’s tongue aid in their grooming. If old folks see this, they immediately say that there will be guests or expected visitors. When grooming, cats lose almost as much fluid through saliva as they do when they urinate. If your cat’s tail is quivering, it’s her expression of love for you. If your cat is fond of scratching on furniture, try to put a lemon or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells. When they’re happy, they knead with their paws.

Cats are one of the only animals that walk by moving both their left feet, then both their right feet when walking. This method of walking ensures speed, agility & silence. Sociable cat will follow you wherever you go inside the house to monitor your activities throughout the day. A litter of kittens is called a kindle and a group of cats is called a clowder. The largest cat breed is Ragdoll and the smallest cat breed is the Singapura. And take note of this, cats do not have nine lives.

In English, cat is “cat”. In French, it is “chat”. In German, it is “katze”, “gato” in Spanish and “gatto” in Italian. Japanese called it “neko” and in Arabic countries, they call it “kitte”. But there are different terms used to call a cat in the Philippines. In tagalog, it is “pusa”. In hiligaynon, it is “kuring” and in kinaray-a it is “kuti”.

A cat lover is called an ailurophile. And people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks. So, if you want to live longer, be an ailurophile. “Meow!”

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