Some Amazing Facts About Our Feline Friends

Female cats are usually right-pawed.

After testing 42 cats—21 male and 21 female—psychologists D. Wells and S. Millsopp of Queen’s University Belfast determined that cat’s dominant paw is correlated with gender. For the record: Female cats? Right-pawed.

Cats have more than 20 muscles that control their ears.

Cats can hear even the slightest rustle because they have more than 20 muscles that control the exterior part of their ear, according to the book 100 Ways to Understand Your Cat. Also, a cat can figure out the source of the sound more accurately when it’s not moving—which explains why it often stops and listens, utterly frozen.

Cats sleep 70% of their lives

Domestic cats do mostly one of four things: sleep, eat, run, or play. It turns out, sleeping takes up more time than the other three activities combined. With up to 70 percent of their lives dedicated to sleep, cats are among the top-sleeping in the animal world because, in the wild, they must use a lot of energy to hunt.

Isaac Newton invented the cat door

The scientist is most famous for calculated gravity, but it’s also believed that Isaac Newton invented the cat door. How Stuff Works writes that when Newton was working on his experiments at the University of Cambridge he was constantly interrupted by his cats scratching at the door. So he called the Cambridge carpenter to saw two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens! Apparently these holes can still be seen at the university today.

The oldest known pet cat existed 9,500 years ago

This interesting fact about cats is guaranteed to wow at your next dinner party. Did you know that originally it was thought that Egyptians domesticated the cat? But in 2004, French archaeologists discovered a 9,500 year old cat grave in Cyprus. This makes this the oldest known pet cat and it predates Egyptian art about cats by over 4,000 years!

A cat was the Mayor of an Alaskan town for 20 years

An orange tabby cat called Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, a small town in Alaska for 20 years! He had several uncontested elections and although he didn’t hold any legislative power, he was loved by locals and tourists alike.

Ancient Egyptians would shave off their eyebrows when their cats died

According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, Herodotus wrote in 440BC that when a pet cat died in Ancient Egyptian times the family members would shave off their eyebrows in mourning.

If you’ve watched your little kitty charging around the living room when they’re feeling lively you know that cats are pretty quick, but you won’t believe this cat fact.

They can hit speeds of around 30mph which is so fast that they could beat Usain Bolt in a 200-metre dash!

The record for the loudest purr is 67.8db(A)

The record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat is currently held by Merlin, a black and white cat from Torquay, UK. His purr is 67.8db(A) and for context, this is nearly the same volume as a shower! Most cats purr at around 25db.

Each cat’s nose pad is unique, similar to a human’s fingerprint

A nose pad is also known as “nose leather.”

If you have any concerns about your pet, you can contact us today on 020 8459 4729.