The cat is the most recently domesticated animal. Did you know that there are more than 3,000 types of domestic cats? They are found all over the world…in abundance! Here are some fun tips about our feline friends:
– Whether your cat meows or roars, it is a descendant of the Felis silvestris species.
– The male Siberian Tiger is the largest cat, with a total body length in excess of 10 ft and a weight up to 660 lb.
– The lion is the only feline that lives in organized social groups; all other cats are loners by nature.
– The cheetah is the fastest cat, reaching up to 60 mph over short distances.
– A domestic cat’s senses are much better than those of humans:
– Cats hear frequencies up to about 65 kHz, whereas humans only hear up to 20 kHz.
– A cat’s sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than that of humans.
– A reflecting layer in a cat’s eye absorbs light six times more effectively than human eyes do, allowing a cat to see better than humans at night.
– Domestic cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
– In the U.S., there are more cats than dogs. In fact, people spend more each year on cat food than on baby food!
– Cats don’t actually have nine lives.
– Cats also don’t always land on their feet. It is said that if a cat falls out of a 20-story building, it has a better chance of surviving than if it fell out of a seven-story building because it takes a cat at least seven stories to coordinate itself to land on its feet.
– Cats step with both left legs then both right legs when they walk or run. The only other animals to do this are the giraffe, camel and the maned wolf.
– Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible, lions 89 times, but domestic cats – nada.
For other interesting animal facts, visit http://www.didyouknow.org
