15 Facts About Cats You Didn’t Know!

Cats are unique in every way. Here are 15 Extraordinary Facts About Cats You Didn’t Know.

Cats are always good for surprises. An example of this is Cat Cream Puff: Cats normally have a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. But she is a proud 38 years and three days old and thus the oldest known cat in the world! But the world of cats has even more to offer. Every cat lover should therefore know the following 15 facts about cats:

Facts About the Origin of Cats

• It is not yet clear who the first ancestor of today’s cats is. However, researchers found that the Dormaalocyon latouri, which lived around 56 million years ago, is a common ancestor of all modern-day predators: cats, dogs, bears, and even seals. Although he is not their oldest ancestor, he comes close. Domestic cats are also descended from the African wild cat.
• The oldest evidence of cats and humans living together is 9,500 years old and comes from Cyprus.

Facts About Cat Nutrition

• Aspirin can be fatal to cats. What helps people against headaches is very dangerous for cats.
• A feral cat must hunt at least 10 mice a day to meet its daily calorie needs.
• Cats can’t taste anything sweet. A genetic defect is responsible for this. Food with added sugar, therefore, tastes no different to cats than sugar-free food. The following applies: Unhealthy sugar additives have no place in cat food!

Facts about the relationship between cats and humans

• Cats are the most popular pets in Germany: in 2019, around 14.7 million cats lived in Germany. Dogs came in second with 10.1 million.
• A 16-year-old cat has cost its owner at least 11,000 euros for its entire life if it is well cared for.
• Cats communicate with each other primarily through their body language. Meowing, on the other hand, is used almost exclusively in humans, since they often do not perceive the cat’s body signals.

Facts About Cat Behavior

• Cats sleep up to 16 hours a day, which is about 70% of their life.
• On average, a cat purrs for 10,950 hours in its lifetime.
• Cats cannot climb upside down. This is due to the alignment of their claws.

Facts About Cat Anatomy and Body

• The shoulders of cats are only connected to the spine by ligaments and muscles, the collarbone is only rudimentarily present in cats. This makes the cat’s skeleton flexible and allows the animals to cushion jumps and squeeze through small holes.
• A fit cat can jump up to two meters from a standing position.
• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear, while humans only have six. That’s why cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees, prick them up and fold them down. This enables three-dimensional hearing performance. Cats can therefore hear how far away prey is.
• A cat’s nose pattern is as unique as a human’s fingerprint! This makes every cat unmistakable and unique.