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There are millions of odd facts about cats, here are just a few to amuse your mind and your friends!

  • There are about 100 different cat breeds.
  • Cats respond better to women than men.
  • The lifespan of the domesticated indoor housecat is 16 years or longer. An outdoor cat’s lifespan is 3 years.
  • Cats have 30 teeth.
  • Humans and cats have the same regions in the brain responsible for emotion.
  • Cats have a third eyelid.
  • Cats rub against you to show affection and mark you with their scent.
  • The domestic cat can sprint at 30 miles per hour.
  • Cat urine glows under a black light.
  • Cats reached sexual maturity at four to six months of age.
  • Cats can have up to 5 litters of kittens per year.
  • The heaviest cat on record weighed 46 pounds.
  • Cats take 20 to 40 breaths per minute.
  • The front paw of the cat has 5 toes, while the back paw has 4. Polydactl cats are those born with extra digits.
  • The cat’s tail is used for balance and is comprised of 10% of the one in the entire body.
  • Domestic cats purr when inhaling and exhaling.
  • Cats purr at the same rate as an idling diesel engine, 26 cycles per second.
  • Cats scoop water up backwards with their tongue when they drink.
  • Cats have the largest eyes of any mammal in relation to their body size.
  • Kittens cannot see until their eyes open at 7 to 10 days. They cannot hear for 2 weeks.
  • Cats that have all white hair and blue eyes are usually deaf.
  • A calico patterned hair coat is usually only found on female cats. A calico is white with black, red, and orange. A tortoiseshell is black with red or orange markings, and is also usually female.
  • Cats have 24 whiskers, which are used to measure distance.
  • Cats cannot move their jaws from side to side, only up and down.
  • An Argentinean cat in the 1940’s lived atop a 40 foot tree for 6 years, where she had 3 litters of kittens. Locals fed her with food placed on long poles.
  • A group of cats is called a clowder; a group of kittens is called a kindle.
  • Cats have a special scent organ on the roof of their mouth, which is why you see them with their mouths open when they encounter a strong odor.
  • Cats step with both left legs at once, followed by both right legs – they pace.
  • Most cats do not have eyelashes.
  • Cats walk on their toes.
  • Cats see 6 times better than a human at night.
  • Cats have no collarbone, so they can fit through any opening the size of their head.
  • Cats have 30 vertebrae, which is 15 more than humans.
  • The oldest known fossil that represents today’s cat is about 12 million years old.

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