Did you know cats can survive falling off of a skyscraper? How do cats see the world? Why do cats get stuck in trees? Here are some things you may not know about cats. Learn 10 cool facts about cats.
10 COOL FACTS ABOUT CATS
Do you have a cat? Has it ever fallen or gotten stuck somewhere?
10. Cats can survive falling off a skyscraper
Because cats are small and fluffy, they catch a lot of wind resistance when falling. A falling cat’s terminal velocity is only about 100KMH. A cat one time fell 46 stories without injury.
A study of 132 cats dropped from an average of 5.5 floors showed that 90% survived, while many required medical attention. It is even better to fall from higher up because the cat has more time to get orientated for impact.
But don’t drop your cat out the window, please.
9. Evolution and Egpytian domestication
25 million years ago, all the members of the Feline Family evolved from a common ancestor, Proailurus, which means “before the cats”.
All house cats, lions, tigers, and leopards evolved from Proailurus. Modern cats were likely domesticated by ancient Egyptians because they could control pests like mice. They even mummified cats and treated them like gods!
8. Vocal communicators
Cats mainly use body language and facial expressions to communicate, but did you know they also make 100 unique sounds? Dogs only make 10 sounds. Everybody knows cats purr, hiss, and meow, but did you know they also chirp, cry, scream, yowl, squeak, and chatter their teeth?
Chirping is what mothers do to get their young to pay attention to or follow them. Chattering teeth are thought to be an expression of frustration and stress by not being able to chase a prey animal when the cat is stuck behind a window, for example.
7. False Affection
Cats may not be as loving as they appear. Cats produce pheromones in glands on their faces, and When you see them rub their heads against furniture or your legs, they are actually just trying to mark their territory. See if you notice your cat rubbing against you more when you switch to a clean pair of pants.
Cats also have a lower social IQ than dogs. Cats are intelligent and know their names but don’t really understand obedience.
Cats didn’t need to be bred to accomplish their primary objective, which was to catch rodents.
On the other hand, dogs came from wolves. Humans selectively bred the more tame, friendly, and obedient ones for hundreds of generations. This is called artificial selection.
6. Lacking a sweet tooth
Cats only have 473 taste buds, while humans have 10,000. This means cats only taste things with about 5% of the intensity that humans do. Cats can’t sense the taste of sugar and instead have evolved to crave the taste of protein and fat.
This is because cats are obligate carnivores. All of their dietary needs can be found in live animals. Adult cats are mostly lactose intolerant, and only kittens should drink milk.5.
5. Supersenses: Hearing and Smell
Cats have a good spatial memory, meaning they are excellent at remembering where things are.
Because cats remember their surroundings, they can pinpoint the exact location of the sound source 4x farther away in their environment than humans can.
Cats’ smell is also 14x better than humans. This sense is important for hunting. When cats hunt, they always stay upwind so they can smell their prey, and the prey can’t detect them. Cats are excellent hunters, so they clean themselves frequently and always bury their poop to hide their scent.
4. Night vision
Cats can see 6 times better at night than humans. This is because they have a high rod count in their retinas.
This night vision comes at a cost though. Cats don’t have red-light sensing cones, so they likely see the world in shades of green and blue.
Cats’ eyes are specialized for night hunting, and their pupils are actually round in the dark. In most photos, you’ll probably see cats with slitted eyes. This design allows for a wide range of pupil sizes and faster dilation.
3. Whiskers are important
Whiskers are attached to sensory organs called proprioceptors. These sensitive organs quickly allow cats to feel prey and react to their environment. Whiskers grow to about the size of the cat’s skull, so it knows which spaces it can fit through.
If you trim a cat’s whiskers, it might get stuck because it underestimated the size of an opening.
2. Cats are lazy, except for when they aren’t
Cats sleep 66% of the time, and 33% of their waking time they spend cleaning themselves.
Cats can even sleep 20 hours a day. This doesn’t mean they are lazy though. Cats are ambush predators, so they want to be well-rested for a huge burst of speed and energy. They also want to be clean of smell in case an opportunity to hunt arises.
Cats want to be ready to give 100% effort hunting or playing. You can see how fast cats are when they play. They are training for hunting.
1. Natural acrobats
The average cat can jump horizontally about 6X its body length, or 2 meters! Vertically, a cat can jump up about 7x its height, or 1.5 meters.
Cats are very athletic and excellent climbers. But why do cats always get stuck in trees? This is because their claws are hooked. They can easily climb up by using gravity to assist in digging their claws into the bark.
If they back down butt first, the claws will still work, but when going headfirst, the claws won’t dig in. Instead, gravity would pull them out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, cats are fascinating companions, cherished for their playful and independent nature. Beyond their role as beloved pets, they serve as natural pest controllers and emotional support animals.
With a history that traces back to ancient Egypt, cats have been intertwined with human civilization for millennia. Their unique behaviors, like purring and kneading, continue to intrigue scientists and pet owners alike, making cats an endlessly captivating part of our lives.
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