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Cat Facts and Statistics
Fun and Fascinating Cat Facts and Statistics
|  | - The title of Most Popular goes to the mixed-breed or domestic shorthair. If you're talking specific breeds the Persian's number one.
- Do re me...ow! When purring adult cats can reach up to three different notes.
- "Ears" looking at you! Cats have excellent hearing and can discern noises several octaves above the range of humans. That includes high-pitched sounds in particular like the eek-eek squeak of a mouse.
- If you think that all cats do is sleep you'd be right—most of the time! The average cat can sleep 13-18 hours a day.
- Move over Morris! The three most popular names for cats in the United States are Kitty Smokey and Tigger.
- The majority of cats don't like water but some kitties love to make a splash. Turkish Van cats originally found near Turkey's Lake Van have been known to swim in the harbor.
- The average lifespan of a cat is 15 years—but we've heard of many who've made it to the ripe old age of 20.
- The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth... Kittens begin to lose their baby teeth at about 3 1/2 to 4 months of age.
- Cats are no night owls. They're actually crepuscular by nature which means they're most active at dawn and dusk.
- How old is your cat in people years? It's easy to figure out: By the end of his first year a cat is equivalent to a 21-year-old person. After that every cat year is 4 people years.
- What's up with whiskers? These facial appendages do more than just add character to a cat's face. They guide him in low light help him sense the presence of prey and serve as tools of communication with other cats.
- The outgoing Havana Brown boasts a glossy chestnut coat and a snazzy personality. (And p.s. he's got brown whiskers too!)
- Cats are obligate carnivores which means they have to eat meat to stay healthy.
- Make no bones about it—cats can choke on cooked bones from chicken and fish. Bones in raw meats are usually not a problem.
- Ever see little specks of black in your cat's fur? Uh oh—sounds like you and she have fleas. Consult with your veterinarian for an appropriate flea control program.
- Cat anatomy 101: Your kitty's comprised of 517 muscles 290 bones and a small amount of fat.
- Cool cats: Felines have sweat glands only in their paw pads. They can also beat the heat by licking their fur.
- Cats are fastidious groomers—but the only place they can't reach is directly behind the head between the shoulder blades.
- Tabby cats are said to take their name from the black-and-white striped silk sold at the Attabiah district of old Baghdad.
- Fur-ever friends: Cats were first domesticated sometime between 4.000 and 8 000 years ago in Africa and the Middle East.
- The most common kitties are black-and-white with all-black cats in second place and tabbies in third.
- Keep your feline friend away from poisonous plants including aloe lilies English ivy rhododendron and foxglove.
- How do you say "cat" in Egypt? It's "kut" in the land of Tut!
- Ever seen a statue of a cat with a raised paw in a Japanese restaurant? That's known as a maneki neko and is thought to attract customers—and prosperity.
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