toulziz
10 things you don’t know about cats
Cats have been part of people’s daily lives for centuries. They were idolized by the Egyptians during antiquity thanks to their qualities as hunters, then disowned in the Middle Ages because of superstitions, and finally back in the homes of the contemporary era.
Today the cat has an important place in France, with 28% of French households owning one. Cute, cuddly, and funny, cats also dominate the Internet with more than 2 million cat videos available on Youtube in 2015 and more than 6.5 billion photos of cats on the web, as well as the word “chat,” which is one of the most frequent searches on the Internet.
In 2002, the IFAW (International Fund for the Protection of Animals) decided to make August 8th the International Cat Day! And on this occasion, we offer you to discover ten things you do not know about our friends, the felines!
A cat spends 70% of its life sleeping.
It is not uncommon to see your cat dive into Morpheus’s arms on a sofa, chair, or bed when he is not asking for food. And for a good reason! A cat spends 2/3 of its life sleeping or 16 hours a day on average over a year. Kittens can even sleep up to 22 hours a day.
If cats sleep so much, they reserve their energy for hunting. A domesticated or undressed cat will always keep its feline instinct. Even if he comes to ask you to eat, he will necessarily want to play to keep his hunting skills intact and stimulate his muscles.
Cat purring has therapeutic effects.
The “purr” of cats has a therapeutic virtue!
When the cat purrs, we perceive its vibrations at a low frequency (between 20 and 50 hertz) through nerve endings located at the skin’s edge. These sound vibrations are a boon for the body because they cause serotonin production (the wellness hormone).
But that’s not all; cats purr when they are injured to recover faster thanks to the vibrations they emit!
Cats meow only to communicate with humans.
It is more accurate to say that domesticated adult cats meow only to communicate with their owners.
Have you ever wondered why your cat often meows with you? Wild cats don’t meow among themselves; they keep this language for humans. And if we say the language, it is indeed an attempt to communicate between you and your cat.
If your cat meows, it’s because he has something to tell you! Whether it’s to eat, to welcome you, to ask for hugs, or to “talk” with you.
So if you talk to your cat and think he doesn’t understand anything anyway. That’s not true; he’ll try to answer you, he doesn’t know-how.
Cats use their heads to fold on their paws.
The famous theory of propagation, “What if I put a spread on the back of my cat and let it go, what would happen?” Don’t worry; nothing happens, no supernatural phenomena or other fantasies!
But how do you explain that a cat always falls back on its paws?
The cat has “sensors” in its whiskers (more commonly known as vibrissae) that allow it first to obtain the necessary information about the distance between it and the fall. In a second step, he uses his inner ear to tell the difference between the top and bottom.
Thus, thanks to its flexible anatomy, the cat first turns its head, then its body, and finally its paws.
There is music for cats.
Music is known to stir emotions in us—anger, motivation, sadness, joy, happiness, nostalgia. The same goes for cats! Researchers have realized that the sounds that soothe our hairballs are related to their first weeks of life, such as purring, sucking, or “patronage.”
Thus, CDs have been developed especially for our feline and work perfectly for stressed cats!
Cats were obligatory on board ships for several centuries.
Sailors hate rodents, and cats hunt rodents.
To protect their food reserves, ropes, and other items that our rodent friends love to nibble on, the sailors welcomed several cats in their crew for their crossings.
So they could count on our hairballs to fulfill their role as guardians of the seas.
We can quote a famous phrase of Charles Colbert of the Terron Minister of the Navy during the 17th century “This ship is fit to sail; there are two cats on board.”
The Mayor of an Alaskan city Town Was a Cat for 19 Years.
In 1998 Stubbs, a cat was elected as mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska. Not appreciating the candidates who ran for office, the villagers decided to make Stubbs a representative. A surprise was when Stubbs was elected mayor a few days later.
This red kitten held his position for the rest of his life and was an icon for this small village. But the story didn’t end here, as the Stubbs owners decided to introduce Denali, their second cat, as their successor!
There are cat bars in France.
In 2004, the first cat bar (Neko café) opened in Japan.
The principle is simple, around a cupcake, a tea, or a smoothie, you can pamper, pamper, feed, or play with the different cats present.
Much appreciated, the concept eventually spread to France, where currently many cities have their cat bars! Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse or Reims for example.
But don’t worry, bars have their law. It is forbidden to disturb the cats sleeping and take them in your arms, and it is obligatory to wash your hands before settling down.
The happiness of these cats from shelters is the priority for cat bar owners. It is even possible, if you like one of these hairballs, to be able to adopt it!
The world’s most giant cat currently measures 1.20 meters.
The world’s most giant cat is Omar and is a Maine Coon measuring 1.20 meters. He currently weighs 14 kilos and lives in Melbourne city, Australia! He succeeds Stewie, who was 1.23 meters tall, but sadly passed away a few years ago.
Omar will soon join Guinness World Records.
Read also about 12 very important facts about kittens after birth
