It’s always fun to learn more about one of our favorite domestic animals, the cat. Cats are wonderfully mysterious and lead far more independent lives than dogs. Cats have unique ways of communicating with each other as well as humans and, if allowed outside, they lead a secret life that you, the owner, know nothing about! Have a read of these four facts about domestic cats for some interesting information you probably weren’t aware of!
Cats Only Vocalize with Humans
You might think that cats meow and make noises to one another, but this characteristic is actually solely reserved for humans. Cats recognize that they need to vocalize to get our attention, so have developed many different kinds of meows that mean different things. When communicating with other cats, our favorite furry friends tend to just use visual signals. Cats can also communicate with you by blinking slowly at you – this means they trust you – and with their tail, posture and by rubbing against you. Cats are affectionate animals and will make it quite clear whether or not they trust you and are comfortable in your presence. Make sure you don’t ignore your cat’s meow as they are doing it to get your attention!
Cats Didn’t Evolve from Lions and Tigers
Are Domestic Cats Related to Big Cats?Many people think that cats evolved from big cats such as lions and tigers. This is an easy mistake to make as household cats are very similar to big cats in the way they look, move and interact with other animals. DNA sequencing has proven that although our household cats are closely related to big cats like lions and tigers, they didn’t directly evolve from them. Household cats still share a large proportion of their genome with tigers, particularly the Amur tiger, but this small distinguishing factor is an important one to remember!
Cats Spend 70% of Their Life Sleeping!
This one is easy to believe when you watch your pet cat in action throughout the day – cats love to sunbathe, curl up on the couch and generally sleep through most of the day. Cats spend on average 13-16 hours sleeping a day and this is perfectly healthy for them. Don’t try and wake your cat to play when it’s sleeping as it likely needs the sleep to function.
Isaac Newton Invented the Cat Door
Almost every cat owner has a cat-flap in their house which provides an easy entrance and exit for your cat to come and go as they please, but did you know that Isaac Newton invented this everyday contraption? While Newton was working on his experiments at the University of Cambridge in the UK, he was constantly disturbed by cats clawing at his doors – this led to him asking a carpenter to create a small hole in his door and hence the first cat-flap was created!
These are just some of the many interesting facts about our feline friends. Cats are fascinating creatures, so treat them with respect and love if you are lucky enough to be an owner of such a wonderful pet.
