Though cats are the most popular pets around the world, there are some less known but wonderful facts about cats. It is estimated that humans have been keeping cats as pets for at least 9,500 years now. Being easily adaptable to humans, cats are kept as pets almost everywhere on Earth. In some societies, cats are the most preferred pets and this aspect has resulted in the emergence of ‘Cat Cafes’ in some parts of the world. Cat Cafes are very popular in Japan and other East Asian countries. It is estimated that in the United States alone the domesticated cat population is anywhere around 60 million. Cats are the most intimate of all pets. There are a number of wonderful facts about cats that cat lovers would like to know. Most of these wonderful facts about cats are new to many of us.

(1) A 500 Million Cat Population

One wonderful fact about cats is that ‘ailurophilia’ (love of cats) is so strong among humans that cats have become the most popular pets in the world. It is estimated that there are more than 500 million domesticated cats in the world. These cats belong to 33 different breeds.

(2) Cats with Varying Sizes and Features

It is a wonderful fact about cats that the domesticated cats belong to 33 different breeds. They vary is size and features. In size, the largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. In this breed of cats, male cats grow to a weight of twelve to twenty pounds. Females of the breed grow to a weight of ten to fifteen pounds. Conversely, the cat breed which is smallest in size is the Singapura. In this breed the males grow to a weight of about six pounds. The females of this breed grow to a weight of about four pounds.

(3) A Cat’s Tail a Message Board

You would be amused to know the wonderful fact that the cat’s tail is a message board telling its varying mood. While near you, when it is in the happiest moments, your cat will ‘quiver’ its tail to express its pleasure and enjoyment. But if it starts ‘thrashing’ the tail, it shows its displeasure and you need to keep off.

(4) When Cats in Mental Conflicts

Another wonderful fact about the cat is that if the cat wags its tail, it shows it is in a dilemma or conflict as to which of the two possible decisions to take. For instance, the cat wants to go outside and you open the door but it drizzles outside. The cat will start wagging its tails because of the internal conflict. But when it has decided either to go out in the drizzle or go inside, the wagging will stop instantly.

(5) Cats Can Read Your Mood

The cat is a wonderful pet. It can “read” your mood and can act accordingly. When you are under stress or sad over something you can notice a corresponding change in your cat’s behavior.

(6) Cats the Sleepiest of Mammals

Another wonderful fact about cats is that among the mammals cats are the sleepiest of all. On an average, a cat sleeps around 16 hours a day. Hence, it would be a wonderful fact that a cat of seven years old has already slept 5 years of its life – awake only for two years of its life!

(7) Cats are Highly Reproductive

The reproductive capacity of cats is a wonderful fact. Among mammals cats are a highly reproductive group. It would be a highly wonderful fact about cats that a pair of cats and their kittens can produce a huge population of 420,000 kittens in period of 7 years.

(8) Vertical and Horizontal Tail

It is a wonderful fact about cats that among the umpteen species of cats only the domesticated cat is able to hold its tail vertically while they walk. Unlike the domesticated cats, all wild varieties of cats hold their tails horizontally or sometimes tucked between their legs while they walk.

(9) How to Assess the Age of Your Cat?

How will you realize the age and growth of your cat in comparison with humans? If your cat is 3 years old, it is equal to a 21 year human. If your cat is 8, then it is equal to a 40 year old human. If your cat is 14, it is just in age as a 70 year old human.

(10) Skilful Landing of a Cat

It would be wonderful to know how skillful the cat is to reduce the impact of falling. While falling, a cat will arrange its body in a precise order to reduce the impact of the fall. First the cat will rotate its head and then it will twist the spine and then align the rear legs. After that the cat will arch its back and this will lessen the impact of the falling and it will land without being hurt.

REFERENCES:

1. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press

2. "Housecat" in the American Heritage Dictionary

3. Carlos A. Driscoll, Juliet Clutton-Brock, Andrew C. Kitchener and Stephen J. O'Brien. "The Evolution of House Cats". Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-taming-of-the-cat

4. Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Gramercy Books

5. Irene Rochlitz (2007). The Welfare of Cats (Animal Welfare). Berlin: Springer. ISBN 1-4020-6143-9.

6. Driscoll CA, Macdonald DW, O'Brien SJ, CA (June 2009). "In the Light of Evolution III: Two Centuries of Darwin Sackler Colloquium: From wild animals to domestic pets, an evolutionary view of domestication". Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A.

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