Cat Facts Part 1

Miscellaneous Cat Facts

Ailurophilia is the “love of cats.”

The average lifespan for a cat is 14-16 years.

Cats are now Britain’s favourite pet: there are 7.7 million cats as opposed to 6.6 million dogs.

From a crouched position, cats can jump 4 to 5 times their own height.

Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an additional organ called the Jacobson’s organ, located in the upper surface of the mouth .

The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.

A sexually-active feral tom-cat “owns” an area of about three square miles and “sprays” to mark his territory with strong smelling urine.

One un-neutered female cat can, in five years, be responsible for over 20,000 descendants. Female cats can have their first litter as young as six months and can have up to three litters each year—with five or six kittens in each litter.

Ninety-two per cent of cats are “Moggies”, or, non-pedigrees. How did the name “Moggie” come about? One theory holds that it comes from old English dialect, where “Moggie” was used to designate a loose woman or prostitute. It is thought that this name was given to cats because they mate repeatedly with different males when they are in season.

Ever wondered why kittens can all be different colours and look so different from their mums? The fact is that one in four pregnant cats carries kittens fathered by more than one mate. A fertile female may mate with several tom-cats, which fertilise different eggs each time.

Cats’ eyes shine in the dark because of the tapetum, a reflective layer in the eye, which acts like a mirror. They also need 1/6th less light to see than humans which is why they can play and hunt in the dark.