Cat Facts

· Ailurophilia is the "love of cats."

· The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996. American Demographics magazine estimates that's about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!

· A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.

· 25% of cat owners blow dry their cats hair after a bath.

· The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Males weigh twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds. The smallest cat breed is the Singapura. Males weigh about six pounds while females weigh about four pounds.

· If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.

· Don't pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck; only mother cats can do this safely, and only with their kittens.

· Cats knead with their paws when they're happy.

· Your cat loves you and can "read" your moods. If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat's behavior.

· The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.

· During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.

· In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.

· The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian in South Africa named Bluebell. Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!

· A cat will amost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.

· Know how old your cat really is. If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.

· The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.

· The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36th birthday. (We wish we could have them all that long!)

· The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn't come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads

· People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.

· A cat will kill it's prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognize that prey as food. Realizing that prey is food is a learned behavior.

· The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.

· The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

· "Sociable" cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.

· Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.

· Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! And be mindful of your tone of voice. Cats know when you're yelling at them (though they may not care).

· The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.

· It is believed that a white cat sitting on your doorstep just before your wedding is a sign of lasting happiness. White cats are a symbol of good luck in America, while black cats are a sign of bad luck.

· Cats are partially color blind. They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness. (Reds appear green and greens appear red; or shades thereof.)

· Cats don't see "detail" very well. To them, their person may appear hazy when standing in front of them.

· Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see. Their night vision is amazing!

· Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.

· The color of a kitten's eyes will change as it grows older.

· A group of kittens is called a "kindle."

· A group of grown cats is called a "clowder."

· Many experts report that cats will purr when feeling any intense emotion (pleasure or pain).

· Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping. With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!

· Cats are more active during the evening hours.
Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
Backward-pointing spikes on a cat's tongue aid in their grooming.

· The average cat weighs 12 pounds.

· If you can't feel your cat's ribs, she's too heavy.

· According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986. Himmy's waist was 33 inches! The previous record-holder had been Spice, a ginger-and-white tom cat from Connecticut, who weighed 43 pounds when he died in 1977.

· The tiniest cat on record was Tinker Toy from Illinois. A male Himalayan-Persian, he weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces fully grown and was 7.25" long and 2.75" tall!

· The tiniest cat on record was Tinker Toy from Illinois. A male Himalayan-Persian, he weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces fully grown and was 7.25" long and 2.75" tall!

· Each year Americans spend four billion dollars on cat food. That's one billion dollars more than they spend on baby food!

· A flashlight makes a great cat toy! Turn the flashlight on in a dark room, and watch your feline "chase" the beam of light!

· Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat.

· Cat's urine glows under a black light.

· Cats respond most readily to names that end in an "ee" sound.

· Many cats love having their forehead gently stroked.

· It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.

· If your cat snores or rolls over on his back to expose his belly, it means he trusts you. Cats respond better to women than to men, probably due to the fact that women's voices have a higher pitch.