Feline Facts

Feline Facts

  • Ailurophilia is the ‘love of cats’
  • People who are owned by cats live longer, have less stress and fewer heart attacks
  • Cats knead with their paws when they are happy
  • Cats get their sense of security from your voice
  • A cats heart beats twice as fast as a human heart at 110 – 140 beats per minute
  • On average cats live for 12-14 years, but they can live for up to 20 years
  • The lifespan of an outdoor cat averages 7 years
  • House cats may live up to 15 years but few reach 20 years
  • The oldest cat on record was Puss from England who died in 1939 aged 36 !
  • A feline in a hurry can sprint at 30 miles an hour
  • Cats purr when feeling any intense emotion whether it be pleasure or pain
  • Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine
  • Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals, they spend 16 hours of each day sleeping
  • Cats spend 30% of their waking time grooming themselves
  • An adult cat has 30 teeth and 12 whiskers
  • Cats have 290 bones in their bodies and 519 muscles
  • Cats can rotate their ears as they are connected to 30 muscles, humans can’t as they are only connected to 6 muscles
  • Cats have a third eyelid called a ‘haw’ which isn’t normally visible
  • Cats need 1/6 the amount of light that humans do to see, their night vision is amazing
  • Cats can see up to 120 feet away and their peripheral vision is 285 degrees
  • A cat will almost never ‘meow’ at another cat, this sound is reserved for a human
  • The domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking, wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking
  • A falling cat will always right itself; first the head will rotate, the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact
  • A group of kittens is called a kindle, a group of old timers is called a clowder
  • Cats like quiet and privacy when using their bathrooms
  • Cats have lived with humans for approximately 4000 years
  • A cats sense of taste is unique and lacks the ability to detect sweetness
  • Every cats nose has unique characteristics, no feline nose prints are alike
  • There are more than 500 million domestic cats worldwide
  • Sir Isaac Newton invented the cat flap !
  • Eygptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat