Fascinating Feline Facts: Unveiling the World of Cats and Kittens
Cats, with their enigmatic personalities and captivating charm, have held a special place in human hearts for millennia. From ancient Egyptian reverence to modern-day companionship, these creatures have woven themselves into the fabric of our lives. While many adore cats, the depth of their unique traits and behaviors often remains unexplored. This article delves into a treasure trove of fascinating facts about cats and kittens, offering insights into their history, biology, behavior, and more.
A Glimpse into Feline History
The domestication of cats dates back thousands of years. Originally, it was thought that Egyptians domesticated the cat, but in 2004, French archaeologists discovered a 9,500-year-old cat grave in Cyprus, predating Egyptian art about cats by over 4,000 years. This discovery revolutionized the understanding of feline domestication, pushing back the timeline significantly.
Cats began their unique relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Over thousands of years, a new species of cat eventually evolved that naturally made its home around people: felis catus. A burial site in Cyprus provides the first archaeological evidence of humans and cats living side-by-side, as far back as 9,500 years ago.
Throughout all this time, cats were allowed to come and go freely from human households-even President Calvin Coolidge’s cat had free rein to wander to and from the White House during the 1920s.
Biological Marvels: Unveiling the Feline Form
Cats possess a remarkable array of physical attributes that contribute to their agility, sensory acuity, and overall survival. Their anatomy is a testament to their evolutionary adaptation as skilled hunters and adaptable companions.
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The Tiger Within: Genetic Similarities
A house cat’s genome is 95.6 percent tiger, and they share many behaviors with their jungle ancestors. This explains why house cats share a lot of the same behaviors such as scent and urine marking, prey stalking and pouncing.
Walking Like a Camel: The Unique Gait
Cats walk like camels and giraffes: They move both of their right feet first, then move both of their left feet. Camels and giraffes are the only other animals to walk this way.
Whiskers: Sensory Superpowers
Cats use their whiskers to “feel” the world around them in an effort to determine which small spaces they can fit into. A cat’s whiskers are generally about the same width as its body. Whiskers are also good indicators of a cat’s mood. When a cat is scared, he put his whiskers back. Typically cats have 24 whiskers - 12 on the right side of their face, 12 on the left.
The Importance of Taurine
Cats require taurine, an essential amino acid, for heart and eye health. The food you choose should be balanced for the life stage of your cat or kitten. Properly balanced foods will contain taurine.
The Absence of Sweetness
Chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs, but your feline friend won’t care about what they’re missing anyway. Cats can’t detect sweetness in food because they don’t have a sweet taste receptor on their tongues.
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The Cat's Paws
Cat paws and their tiny toe beans are not just adorable and photo-worthy, they also serve many functions - one being sweating. When your cat gets hot, they cool down by sweating through their paws.
The Mystery of Nine Lives: Agility and Flexibility
Their reputation for having nine lives stems in part from their ability to navigate difficult environments, for example using their tail to balance and mostly land their lean, muscular bodies on all fours. Cushioning discs between vertebrae also give cat bodies exceptional flexibility and speed.
The Power of Purr
Merlin, a black and white cat from Torquay, UK, currently holds the record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat. His purr is 67.8db(A) and for context, this is nearly the same volume as a shower! Most cats purr at around 25db.
Ear Anatomy
Cats have a total of 32 muscles in each of their ears, alone! This allows them to swivel their ears to hone in on an exact noise. All these muscles help cats rotate their ears 180 degrees!
Decoding Feline Behavior
Understanding cat behavior is key to building a strong bond with your feline companion. From vocalizations to body language, cats communicate in a variety of ways, each carrying a specific meaning.
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The Meow: A Language for Humans
Why do kitties meow? You’re not wrong if you’ve noticed your kitty makes different noises depending on what they want. Cats are said to make close to 100 different sounds. Cats can change their meow to manipulate a human. Cats developed meowing as a way to communicate exclusively with humans.
Kneading: A Sign of Contentment
Kneading - which some people refer to as “making biscuits” - is a sign of contentment and happiness.
The Belly Rub Dilemma
When a cat flops over and exposes his belly, it’s not always an invitation for a belly rub.
Tail Talk: Interpreting Feline Emotions
When dogs wag their tails, they may be expressing happiness. But this isn’t the case for cats! For instance, a quickly swishing tail signals aggression, while a tucked tail means they’re nervous. When relaxed, a cat will move its ears forward and point its tail up in the air or perpendicular to the ground.
Bunting: Marking Territory and Showing Affection
When cats rub their faces on the furniture, other cats, or a person, it may be a behavior called bunting. Cats have scent glands in their face, and bunting allows them to mark their territory, bond with other cats, or show affection.
The Slow Blink: A Feline Gesture of Trust
Speaking of, if you want to make your cat feel comfortable, look them in the eye and blink your eyes very slowly.
Yawning
Cats may yawn as a way to end a confrontation with another animal.
Hissing
Hissing is defensive, not aggressive.
Kitten Development: A Journey of Growth and Learning
The first few weeks and months of a kitten's life are crucial for their physical and social development. Early experiences shape their personality and influence their interactions with humans and other animals.
The Importance of Early Handling
Kittens who are handled 15 to 40 minutes a day during the first seven weeks are more likely to develop larger brains. They’re more exploratory, more playful and are better learners. Skills not acquired during the first eight weeks may be lost forever. While these stages are important and fairly consistent, a cat’s mind remains receptive to new experiences and lessons well beyond kitten-hood.
Socialization: Learning Essential Skills
Well-socialized cats are more likely to have well-socialized kittens. Kittens respond to their mothers’ calm or fearful attitude toward people. Kittens learn how to inhibit their bite from their littermates and their mother. A kitten who is separated from her family too early may play more roughly than a kitten who has had more valuable family time.
Kittens orphaned or separated from their mother and/or littermates too early often fail to develop appropriate social skills, such as learning how to send and receive signals, what an inhibited bite means, how far to go in play-wrestling and so forth.
Play is important for kittens because it increases their physical coordination, social skills and learning limits.
Weaning and Suckling Behaviors
Kittens are usually weaned at six or seven weeks, but may continue to suckle for comfort as their mother gradually leaves them more and more. Orphaned kittens, or those weaned too soon, are more likely to exhibit inappropriate suckling behaviors later in life.
Play-Motivated Aggression
Play-motivated aggressive behaviors are common in young, active cats less than two years of age, and in cats that live in one-cat households. When cats play, they incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play, such as exploratory, investigative and predatory behaviors. Play provides young cats with opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival.
Redirecting Aggressive Behavior
Redirect your kitten’s aggressive behavior onto acceptable objects like toys. Drag a toy along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or throw a toy away from your kitten to give her even more exercise chasing the toy down. Another good toy is one that your kitten can wrestle with, like a soft stuffed toy that’s about the size of your kitten, so she can grab it with both front feet, bite it, and kick it with her back feet. This is one of the ways kittens play with each other, especially when they’re young. It’s also one of the ways they try to play with human feet and hands, so it’s important to provide this type of alternative play target.
Establishing Playtime Routines
Since kittens need a lot of playtime, try to set up three or four consistent times during the day to initiate play with your kitten. You need to set the rules for your kitten’s behavior, and every person your cat comes in contact with should reinforce these rules.
Using Aversives
Use aversives to discourage your kitten from nipping. You can either use a squirt bottle filled with water and a small amount of vinegar or a can of pressurized air to squirt your kitten with when she becomes too rough. To use this technique effectively, you’ll always need to have the spray bottle or can handy. You can either place one in each room, or carry one with you as you move around the house. In some cases, you may want to apply taste aversives to your hands. If you have sensitive skin you may want to wear gloves and put the aversive on the gloves. The possible disadvantage to this method is that your kitten may learn that “hands with gloves taste bad and those without gloves don’t.”
Withdrawing Attention
If the distraction and redirection techniques don’t seem to be working, the most drastic thing you can do to discourage your cat from her rough play is to withdraw all attention when she starts playing too roughly. The best way to withdraw your attention is to walk away to another room, and close the door long enough for her to calm down. If you pick her up to put her in another room, then you’re rewarding her by touching her. Attempts to tap, flick or hit your kitten for rough play are almost guaranteed to backfire. Picking up your kitten to put her into a “timeout” could reinforce her behavior because she probably enjoys the physical contact of being picked up.
Beyond the Ordinary: Unusual Cat Facts
The world of cats is full of surprises. Here are some extraordinary facts that highlight the unique and often quirky nature of these animals:
- A Political Feline: An orange tabby cat called Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, a small town in Alaska for 20 years!
- Space Explorer: On October 18th, 1963 Felicette, also known as "Astrocat" was the first and only cat to go to space.
- Mourning Rituals: According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, Herodotus wrote in 440BC that when a pet cat died in Ancient Egyptian times the family members would shave off their eyebrows in mourning.
- The Richest Cat: The richest cat in the world according to Guinness World Records is Blackie. When his millionaire owner passed away, he refused to recognize his family in his will and instead gave his 12-million-dollar fortune to Blackie!
- Newton's Contribution: The scientist is most famous for calculated gravity, but it’s also believed that Isaac Newton invented the cat door.
- South American Popularity: Cats outnumber dogs as pets in South America with a huge amount of 73 million pet cats as opposed to 63 million dogs! Over 30% of homes in South America own a cat as a pet.
- The Tower of Towser: There is a tower in Scotland which has been built in commemoration of a cat named Towser. The tower is a celebration of all the mice she killed in her lifetime, which is a number over 30,000.
- Musical Felines: Much like birds, cats make many different noises. Cats can make up to 100 sounds, whereas dogs only make 10!
- Dominant Paws: Some cats can have a dominant front paw, there have been a few studies to show that females Favour their right paw, and males tend their left.
Cat Care Basics: Ensuring a Happy and Healthy Life
Providing proper care is essential for ensuring the well-being of your feline companion. From nutrition to grooming to health care, a holistic approach is key to a happy and fulfilling life for your cat.
Nutrition
We recommend purchasing high-quality, brand-name kitten or cat food. Your veterinarian will be able to assess your new cat or kitten and determine the best diet. Factors such as age, activity level and health make a difference in what and how much a cat should eat.
You will need to provide fresh, clean water at all times, and wash and refill your cat’s water bowls daily. Treats should be no more than 5-10% of the diet. Many people feed baby food to a cat or kitten who is refusing food or not feeling well Please read labels carefully: If the baby food contains onion or garlic powder, your pet could be poisoned.
Take your pet to your veterinarian if signs of anorexia, diarrhea, vomiting or lethargy continue for more than two days.
Grooming
Most cats stay relatively clean and rarely need a bath, but you should brush or comb your cat regularly. Frequent brushing helps keep your cat's coat clean, reduces the amount of shedding and cuts down on the incidence of hairballs.
Housing
Your pet should have her own clean, dry place in your home to sleep and rest. Line your cat's bed with a soft, warm blanket or towel. Be sure to wash the bedding often. Please keep your cat indoors. Outdoor cats do not live as long as indoor cats. Outdoor cats are at risk of trauma from cars, or from fights with other cats, raccoons and free-roaming dogs. Coyotes are known to eat cats. Outdoor cats are more likely to become infested with fleas or ticks, as well as contract infectious diseases.
Identification
If allowed outdoors, your cat must wear a safety collar and an ID tag. A safety collar with an elastic panel will allow your cat to break loose if the collar gets caught on something. And for both indoor and outdoor cats, an ID tag or an implanted microchip can help ensure that your cat is returned if he or she becomes lost.
Litter Box
All indoor cats need a litter box, which should be placed in a quiet, accessible location. In a multi-level home, one box per floor is recommended. Avoid moving the box unless absolutely necessary, but if you must do so, move the box just a few inches per day. Keep in mind that cats won't use a messy, smelly litter box, so scoop solid wastes out of the box at least once a day. Dump everything, wash with a mild detergent and refill at least once a week; you can do this less frequently if using clumping litter. Don't use ammonia, deodorants or scents, especially lemon, when cleaning the litter box. If your cat will not use a litterbox, please consult with your veterinarian. Sometimes refusal to use a litter box is based on a medical condition that required treatment.
Scratching
Cats need to scratch! When a cat scratches, the old outer nail sheath is pulled off and the sharp, smooth claws underneath are exposed. Cutting your cat’s nails every two to three weeks will keep them relatively blunt and less likely to harm the arms of both humans and furniture. Provide your cat with a sturdy scratching post, at least three feet high. The post should also be stable enough that it won't wobble during use, and should be covered with rough material such as sisal, burlap or tree bark. Many cats also like scratching pads.
Health
Your cat should see the veterinarian at least once a year for an examination and annual shots, and immediately if she is sick or injured.
Medicines and Poisons
Never give your cat medication that has not been prescribed by a veterinarian. If you suspect that your animal has ingested a poisonous substance, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for 24-hour animal poison information at (888) 426-4435. Grapes and raisins, as well as onions, garlic, and chives, are all extremely harmful foods for cats. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure - although the reasoning behind that isn’t clear.
Spaying and Neutering
Female cats should be spayed and male cats neutered by five months of age. Spaying and neutering can extend a cat’s life. Kittens can be spayed or neutered when they are only eight weeks old.
Vaccinations
Your veterinarian will make recommendations based on your cat's age and health.
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