Ten Fascinating Facts About Cats

Got a cat? While you probably know lots about the furry feline, we bet there are some fantastically fun facts you don’t know. 

10. Ambidexer-Cat?
You probably never thought about a cat as being either left- or right-pawed, but over 40 percent are either lefties or righties. That means there’s quite a few out there who are ambidextrous. Luckily for them, they can probably operate the can opener with both paws … 

9. Warm or Cold?
Food that is. Cats don’t like their food too hot or too cold. They like it just right. And for them, just right is room temperature, just like their prey would be in the wild. Cats are indeed the Goldilocks of the animal world

8. In Living Color
Cats see in color, so your new paisley frock in orange, purple, and yellow won’t be lost on them. They also have fantastic night vision, and only need one-sixth of the light humans require to see. So don’t go getting your cat night-vision goggles. 

7. What’s in a Name?
A group of kittens is called a “kindle” (yes, just like that fancy new electronic book device available now), while a group of adult cats is called a “clowder.” 

6. Meow?
We all know the meow sound, whether it’s questioning, scared, happy, or imperiously demanding dinner. Curiously, cats only meow at people, not at other cats. 

5. Four-Legged Mood Rings
Cats are highly intuitive creatures, and they are more than able to pick up your mood, especially from your tone of voice. They know when you’re yelling at them (though they often don’t seem to care). If you need your cat to calm down, try speaking to her in a soothing, loving voice. You’ll be amazed. 

4. Lofty Beginnings
Ever wonder who invented the cat door? It was Sir Isaac Newton. Perhaps he was vexed by his cat wanting in and out all the time and disturbing his work, so he did something about it—much to the relief of cat lovers everywhere. 

3. It’s All in the Fall
Cats really do land on their feet. In fact, they all fall in the same way. First they rotate their head, then twist their spine around, followed by a rear leg alignment and finally they relax into it and arch the back, thus lessening impact. But please, don’t experiment with this at home. Take our word for it. 

38 readers liked this story.
email
Plus_14MORE WAYS TO SHARE
07.01.2011
Kat Shannon
The thing about reproduction doesn't mean that the one girl cat will have all those kittens.. it means that say they mate and she has a litter of 6, and 2 of them are girls. Then those girls have litters, and their girl babies have litters, etc. And since feral female cats can have multiple litters every year, it makes a lot of kittens.
04.27.2011
Kyberia
They definitely meow at each other. Or does the almighty crescendo they emit when the bullying white cat from down the street comes by for a fight not count as a meow?
Umm... you do realize that (420,000 kittens) (divided by) ( 365 days/year * 7 years) is 164 kittens/day...yeah
03.29.2011
mickle
Um... 420,000 kittens in seven years? You do realize that's about 1154 kittens a day, every day. Please tell me that's a typo but looking at Ashley and Jespers comments you may have just taken a few fun facts and ran with it. Good times.
03.16.2011
Jessie Wood
I love reading new info on pets; especially dogs and cats (seems how I have both). Please keep the info coming; it's very good advice. Maybe someone can help me with my only BIG PROBLEM! I have a stray kitten that's been living with me for atleast 10 months now plus my border collie (Ruger) that loves to play with cats is all. However the other 2 cats have gotten used to him now and will come out of the bedroom and freely do as they please where she still is VERY scared of him. I don't know what to do besides give it more time and eventually wait till she gets used to him on her own (just like the other 2 cats had to do) or if there is another way to go about this issue that I am just not thinking about?
It feels good to write.

Your stories, musings, and advice are welcome here. We know you've got something to share, so jump in!

Article_sweeps
most liked
Loader_buff
Sweeps_offers_article_300_top
How Do You Avoid Calorie Overload? Chime in and win $500!
How Do You Avoid Calorie Overload? Chime in and win $500!
Slimming down for a big event? Tell us about it and win $500!
Slimming down for a big event? Tell us about it and win $500!
VIEW ALL
Other topics you might appreciate
Entertainment Money Parenting