10 interesting facts about cats

 

I suppose you recognize this cat as a fluffy, cute ball of fur. (It's also fat, but that's because I'm feeding it too much.) Could you imagine that there are many things you didn't know about your lovely pet?

1. Cats can't drink milk. Okay, if you never watched a video or read an article about cats, you probably just jumped from your chair. Strange, right? Well, the gene that makes humans support lactose even after the milking stage has been obtained in thousands of years and it still isn't met in some people. Human is the only species to tolerate lactose from other animals too. If a cat drinks milk, it will be like in lactose intolerant people: stomachaches, diarrhea...

2. Cats and humans are 90.2% genetically similar, more than the similarity between dogs and cats (84%)! Does that mean you're right when you're saying 'I'm a cat person'? It also turns out you shouldn't treat your cat like you do with your dog.

3. Adult cats only meow at humans. While you may have seen several videos with adult cats meowing at each other, the sounds are probably for the guy who films. As kittens, cats meow, hiss and yowl naturally (without cause), but during adulthood they'd stop meowing. In hundreds of years, cats have 'learned' that humans are more reactive when they 'say' something, compared to their body language. As a result, you must feel honored because Fluffy meows only for you.

4. Cats are nearsighted. Humans can see clearly even at 30-60 meters (100-200 ft), while cats are able to distinguish object just until 6 meters away (20 ft). But there's another thing: cats can only focus on an object 1 feet away! To verify this, try to put a treat about 2 ft away from your cat and you'll see that they'll be a bit confused.

5. Kittens' brains aren't stimulated by catnip. Whatever you call it, catnip, catswort, catwort or catnip, the plant is the same. You've probably heard about cats acting strangely after playing with catnip or even saw one with your own eyes, but never a kitten. Why? Scientists think that is because kittens don't have their brain fully developed and the 'happy' part of the brain isn't either fully developed.

6. Cats have whiskers on their front 'legs'. You probably know that cats have whiskers near their mouth, but they have some even on their legs! While the ones on the head are for sensing if the space is too narrow, the ones on their front legs are to see if it's too tall.

7. Cats dream. Have you ever seen your ball of fluff moving while sleeping? You may have wondered if it's dreaming. Well, the answer is yes. On dogs it is much more obvious, because they sometimes run in place, the classic dream about chasing a squirrel.

8. Cats can produce up to 100 vocalizations, compared to dogs' 10! Cats have one sound for each feeling or requirement, like a 'hiss' for hate, a 'purr' for love or a loud 'meow' for food. Have you ever noticed anything like this at your cat? Let me know in the comments below!

9. Cats can't taste sweetness. If you're a teenager/kid, this may sound pretty awful. 'No sugar? No life.' But cats never knew that taste, so, basically they can't miss it either. It would be as unbelievable as you, a citizen from Australia, to miss me, who you never met. As a curiosity, are there any Australians reading this? I don't think so.

10. Cats sweat through their paws. It's summer and there are 95 degrees even in the house. Your cat wakes up and starts walking across the table. After it's gone into the living room, you notice a reflection right where your cat's feet walked. It's water! More, it's its sweat! Strange, isn't it?

 This was the first of two articles in this week. Have a great day!