Everyone knows by now we love cats – we love when they curl up, stretch out & chase a laser. We love it when they are walking, talking, and running around distracted chasing only things they can see. We just love all things cats! Have you ever just watched your cat and wondered why they do some of the stuff they do? Well, for us, this is an almost daily question. Thus, research and today’s topic: 10 fun facts about cats.

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Some of the FACTS mentioned below may be known by devoted cat lovers but overall we tried to choose the information that is not considered common knowledge. So, without any more delay, here is Kittystead’s 10 fun facts about cats.

1 Cats do not meow to each other.

We are not a fan of this fact. We like to think our cats are communicating by “talking/meowing” to each other and us humans. Cats mostly talk to each other through scent, body language, and facial expression. The main purpose of the meow to humans is it’s their way to ask for things, tell you something is wrong, or even too just tell you hello. It is important to understand your cat’s behavior. If you have a talkative cat, then you can learn the different sounds your cat makes and learn a little of his/her communication skills. But if you have a quiet cat it might take some time to distinguish which meow is for what. At Psychology Today they posted a break down of what some of the meows might mean.

⦁ Short Meow or a quick Mew. This is a Hello greeting to you.
⦁ Multiple Meows at you. When you come home from a long day’s work or your cat has not seen you for a while then you’ll notice your cat may meow multiple times. This is a very excited greeting from your cat, something like “I’m very excited to see you!”
⦁ Mid-pitch Meow. This is like a plea. For example, they may want food or attention.
⦁ Drawn out Meow. Your cat is demanding something, such as “let me go out now!”
⦁ Low Pitch Meow. This is your cat complaining to you about something you have done wrong.
⦁ High Pitch Meow. Your cat is angry or in pain. For example, if you have ever accidentally stepped on your cat’s tail, you may have heard her let out a big high-pitched meow. (Make sure you don’t ever step on your cat’s tail!)

Study your cat and take note of the meows when you enter the room – is your cat saying hello? When they wake you up in the middle of the night – is this their hungry meow? and general playing – are they having fun with you or just annoyed?

2 Cats age differently than dogs age.

Dogs are estimated to age 7 human years per each dog year. Do cats age the same? The answer is no. Cats age differently. In terms of development, the first year of the cat’s life is approximately 15 years in human years. Second-year, the cat will be equal to about age 24 in human years. After that, your cat will age 4 human years every year.

Breaking a cat’s age down:

Kitten ~ birth until typically 6-7 months of age
Junior ~ reproductively mature but still growing, typically until 1-2 years old
Adult or Prime Years ~ 3-6 years old
Mature ~ 7-10 years old
Senior ~ 11-14 years old
Geriatric or to some places Super Senior ~ 15+ years

3 Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees.

Cats can rotate their ears a full 180 degrees each like little satellites. This gives cats 360-degree surround sound of their environment. How cool is that? Each cat has 32 muscles in their ear that they use to rotate it around in the direction of interesting noises. They can rotate their ears independently of each other and even when it seems they are ignoring you they are probably keeping an ear on you.

4 Cats sleep way too much.

On average domestic cats sleep 70 percent of their day and spend another 15 percent grooming themselves. Domestic cats are most active at dusk and dawn. That explains why our beloved 9 gets the zoomies early in the morning. Cats have evolved to sleep for long periods throughout the day. Wild cats need to sleep to conserve their energy to hunt, chase, and kill their next meal. Although our house cats may not need to hunt, the instinct to sleep and prepare for the hunt carries on. How much they sleep also depends on their age.

5 Some food could hurt your cat.

Not a fun fact, but a very important fact. Onions, garlic, green tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, and raisins are all bad for cats. Milk is not toxic but can cause an upset stomach and gas. Tylenol and aspirin are extremely toxic to cats, as are most houseplants. A small reminder to watch what they eat especially if you feed them any table food.

6 Cats’ noses are not identical.

A cat’s nose is unique like a fingerprint and is different on every cat. Did you just chase down your cats to look at their noses? Yeah, we did this also – well the ones in the room with us anyway.

7 Cats are high jumpers.

Cats can jump up to six times their length. As we know cats love to jump around. It is fun to watch them calculate their jump, especially when they miscalculate. You know you watch to see IF it will happen.

8 Cats have more bones than humans.

A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone so it can fit through any opening the size of its head. Such a small creature to fit all those bones in.

9 Most cats hate water.

Now we tend to know that cats hate water. But why is this? Cats hate the water because their fur does not insulate well when it’s wet. The Turkish Van, however, is one cat that likes swimming. Bred in Central Asia, its coat has a unique texture that makes it water-resistant. Now with that being said, we have a few cats that love the water but they are not related to the Turkish Van.

10 Cats make different sounds.

We know the first thing you are thinking is duh! Yes, they make different sounds. We all know that – they are cats. The fact here is that cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10. So good luck at learning all the different sounds of what your cat is trying to communicate.

RECAP 10 Fun Facts About Cats.

1. Cats do not meow to each other.
2. Cats age differently than dogs age.
3. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees.
4. Cats sleep way too much.
5. Some food could hurt your cat.
6. Cats’ noses are not identical.
7. Cats are high jumpers.
8. Cats have more bones than humans.
9. Most cats hate water.
10. Cats have different sounds.

There are so many great, fun facts about cats floating around that we think we will have to write a part 2 to this article. Any FUN FACT you would like to see listed? Tell us! Which one is your favorite fact about cats? Let us know in the comment section below.
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