Fun Cat Facts

Since October holds our USA National Cat Day on the 29th, I have been going through some of my monthly Tufts Catnip issues. And, I have found some very fun cat facts which I am going to mention in bullet form following. Actually, in honor of Halloween coming shortly, there are thirteen fun facts I have pulled out:

Regarding Movement

• Did you know that the way cats move or walk is “by moving their front and back legs on one side, then movng the front an back legs on the other”? They say that this may be because it lets them go forward more quietly and more easily escape prey or capture their prey.

• Number 2 of fun facts about cats: “Cats fall to the ground like parachutes.” Their spine is more flexible than ours and “..a cat extends all four legs away from its body” as they fall which “causes their fur to fan out like a bat’s wings to give them the parachute effect”. No wonder they can ‘glide’ from great heights without hurting themselves.

• Cats can sprint up to 20 miles per hour, some faster, with that flexible spine helping to lengthen their stride.

• Felines can squeeze through very tight spaces “because their collarbone is free-floating” and “is buried in the shoulder muscles”, so they can sort of ‘fold up’ to ease through that small space.

• Your kitty is able to “jump to five or six times their own height” They have very strong rear legs to help propel them up from a crouching position, kind of like a spring.

• And cat fun fact #6: I have not seen this but they say “a cat’s ears can swivel up to 180 degrees”. Wow! And, that is because of the large number of muscles in each of their ears – 32. Unreal! We only have six. So they can distinguish more easily where a noise may be coming from, like that of a predator.

Regarding Vision

• Our cats have better peripheral vision than us. We can see to the side while they are able to see a little behind. Now you know you can never sneak up on your cat.

• Feline whiskers allow cats to see in the dark. They can actually feel movement through their whiskers to the point of being able to tell size, shape, speed, and approximate location of the object from slight whisker vibrations. No wonder they have that “superior air” about them.

Regarding Smell

• The kitty nose also tells them a ton. They have “as many as 200 million odor sensors while we have only 5 million. What we can smell from 10 feet away, they can smell from a distance of 140 feet.” So you had better be opening something they like to eat so they won ‘t be turning up their nose before you even place it in front of them.

• In addition, cats have an organ on the roof of their mouths called the vomeronasal organ. It lets them smell pheromones and that signals the presence or past presence of another cat in the area or with yourself. And, they report, that is why cats open their mouths when they want to smell something.

Regarding Grooming

• Our feline friends will often groom each other and it is many times referred to as “allogrooming” or “positively affiliating with their social group” and possibly their handler. So appreciate those affectionate licks and paw kneads.

Regarding Anxiety

• Music appears to help relax our kitties. Not heavy metal, of course, but lighter classical or soft pop music perhaps. So you might leave a radio on for your feline fur buddy when you leave them alone for the day.

Regarding Costs

• And number 13 is about statistics of the costs of owning a dog vs. a cat. From figures in an ASPCA report from 2021, the annual cost to have a dog is $1,400 comparied to only $1,150 for a cat. Dog food, vet visits, and toys all add up to costing more. Whereas the only item unnecessary for dogs is litter, and they estimate that to be about $150 annually for your kitty cat. I am sure you are aware of inexpensive toys for cats or homemade toys even. A cat will go for a cardboard box or an old sock filled with some catnip or even some tin foil rolled into a ball.

So I hope you enjoyed our thirteen facts today about our feline babies. If you have any fun facts to offer let me know. You can comment down below the “like” box on the left or on my Contact page.

Another post that fits right in with this one is “Curious Facts about Cats and Dogs”.

And one more is my recent post “Cues about Cats“.

Fun Animal Videos

Now for some fun kitty plus videos:

The first by Big Geek Daddy on cute animals: https://biggeekdad.com/2017/02/funny-animal-videos/.

Next on adorable pet babies: https://biggeekdad.com/2021/04/cute-baby-animals/.

And last from Big Geek Daddy on kitty play: https://biggeekdad.com/2021/04/wild-kitty-cat-playtime/.

Thanks

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