11 Interesting Things You Didn’t Know About Cats

Mr. Snuggles sits there all day on your couch, eating your food and staring out of the window. But did you know that there is more to your cat than meets the eye? There are many things you may not be aware of about your companion waiting for you at home! Here are 11 things you probably didn’t know about cats!

1. Cleo-Cat-Tra

Did you also know that ancient Egyptians used cats to protect their crops from rodents and other vermins? Some Egyptians would even mummify their beloved cats and would sometimes mummify some mice for snacks as they traveled to the afterlife.

2. No Cat Sweets

Another interesting thing you may not know about Mr. Fluffy is that he cannot taste sweets because their taste buds don’t detect sugar. So you can stop trying to get him to enjoy a nice late night sweet snack with you. Many cats are also lactose intolerant and cannot drink milk, contrary to popular belief! If your cat cannot digest lactose, he can wind up with an upset stomach or worse, diarrhea.

3. Clay Litter

Kitty litter wasn’t always made of the same stuff we use today. Originally, cat lovers used sand, ashes, dirt or just kept their cats outside, until a man named Edward ‘Ed’ Lowe discovered that clay was more absorbent back in 1948. He set out to sell it for about 69 cents a bag!

4. Respect Your Elders!

Cats can live about 15 – 20 years. When they reach one years old (in human years) they are already 20 years old! That is much quicker than a dog, who will be about 7 in dog years. By 13 years of age, cats will be about 80 years old.

5. Pull One of My Fingers

For one, did you know they have five toes on their front paws and only four on their back ones? I sure didn’t.

6. Iss-a-cat Newton

This little bit of info surprised me a lot, “The” Isaac Newton was the one who came up with the idea of putting a small flap on the house door, giving even more freedom to those extra curious creatures.

7. Purrfect

Cats can purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine! Regular cats can purr as much as 20 to 30 vibrations per second. They can purr while inhaling and exhaling and it is said that this can help the cat heal and improve bone density.

8. Cat Naps

The average cat spends roughly 2/3 of its life sleeping. That’s a lot of naps. They can sleep about 16 hours a day! One reason they sleep so much is because a growth hormone is only released during sleep.

9. Kitty Yoga

Cats collarbones aren’t attached to any other bones, they are only connected to muscles. This allows them the flexibility to fit through openings that are about the size of their heads. They also use their whiskers to sense whether they will fit.

10. Power to Change

Kittens are all born with blue eyes! As they grow their colors can change, within about 3-7 weeks. Why this happens is still a mystery.

11. Cats Will Save Us All

Cats can hear ultrasonic sounds. This means that when rodents gather and start planning on how to take over the world, your cat will be the only one with that important intel and can save us all.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this article, and learned maybe a few new interesting things about your furry companion.