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15 Things You Didn’t Know About Cats

Do you love trivia?

If you’re like us, nothing beats some good old-fashioned cat trivia which is why we’ve gathered 15 of the coolest cat facts just for you. Read on to learn about the world’s oldest cat, a feline movie star and much, much more!

1. There are over 70 breeds of cats. Check out The Scratchin’ Post’s quick, four-minute video recap of them all:

2. It is estimated that there are 200 – 600 million cats alive on Earth.

3. Cats are the second most popular pet in the U.S., second to only freshwater fish.

4. There may have been instances of domesticated cats as early as 7,500 BC – that’s 9,500 years ago!

Lynx is lounging while he waits for his forever home
Lynx is lounging while he waits for his forever home

5. The heaviest known cat weighed nearly 50 pounds (sounds like they could have used our Feline Fitness Challenge!)

Himmy, the world’s heaviest cat. Source: worldrecordacademy.com

6. Domesticated cats use vocalizations like meowing, purring and hissing – but feral cats are practically silent.

7. Cats can pass their body through any space which they can fit their heads through.

8. With extra thick enamel, less damaging saliva, less food retention between teeth and a mostly sugar-free diet, cats have better chompers than humans (this doesn’t mean they can’t have dental problems, so pay attention to your furry friend’s teeth!)

Source: wikipedia.org

9. Thanks to their powerful livers, cats can survive by drinking seawater if they have to.

10. Cats’ life spans are on the rise – in the early 1980s cats were only expected to live seven years; now they are expected to live 12 – 15!

11. The oldest known cat was Creme Puff, who lived to be 38 years old.

Creme-puff-oldest-cat
Creme Puff, the world’s oldest known cat. Source: wikipedia.org

12. Here’s another reason to spay/neuter: it increases life expectancy! Neutered male cats live twice as long, and spayed females live 62% longer than their intact peers.

13. Studies show that ethologically, pet owners may serve as a sort of surrogate for a cat’s mother – yes, you literally are a cat mom/dad!

14. The first cat video on YouTube was uploaded in 2005 – watch it here:

15. …but cats have starred in films as early as the 1800s! The clip below is from a 1901 film, The Sick Kitten, and features two children pretending to be doctors who are nursing a kitten back to health (the kitten wasn’t actually sick and they were just giving it milk). Check it out!

Know some more fun cat facts? Leave them in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!

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51 Comments

    1. For abnormal behavior, please seek veterinarian advice. Please also make sure your kitten is vaccinated and spayed/neutered. 🙂

    2. Kittens have a lot of energy because they are hunters. They will be “insane” for a little while, then sleep like 20 hours a day. Enjoy your kittie’s crazy!

    3. they are curious and like little kids whey are wild inside but as they get older they start to be lazy. so they won’t play with you anymore. so enjoy the kitten while he is hyper and playful. my cat is so lazy now that he is older. I miss him as a kitten.

        1. I took in one of seven feral cittens that took up residence in our open dirt floor cellar. She could not be sweeter and easy going as any other feral cats we have taken in. No biting or scratching of me or household goods. A real sweetie!

    4. ME TOO MY CAT IS SO CRAZY HE RUNS AROUND AT NIGHT AND MAKES ALL THESE DIFFERENT NOSES KNOCKS EVERYTHING OFF THE SHELFS AND IT IS SO WIERD.

      1. We have 3 cats, 2 are brother and sister, the other is a rescue. Brother and sister play very well together. Rescue plays, but, mot with the others. Rescue hisses at others and is chased by the others. Can someone give me some insight as to what is going on with the situation?

    5. Fun fact: Cats are known as loners, but in the wild, they depend on each other to survive.

      (Hence the reason Warriors live in Clans)

    6. Haha all my cats are crazy it’s what makes him a cat unless he is violent crazy and I mean claws and fangs violent.. if hes acting like that you may want to have him checked cats try to communicate to us in tons of different ways sometimes if s cats hurt or even upset they can lash out on there owners but I only speak from my experiences as a long time cat owner

      1. My oreo seems to be upset with my daughter she bites her n hisses at her. But she doesn’t do that to me. Other than that she eats, plays and sleeps normally. She is my world her big round green eyes are what I look for every day I wake up.

    7. My oreo and nugget kittens females are my world. They’re both 16weeks I got them at 4weeks and they’re fully vaccinated and going for spay surgery on 7/16. I love them with all my heart. I don’t mind alil crazy.

        1. me too luv cats btw one of my cats lived to 19 yrs old, and he died.
          the heaviest cat i have is 30lbs. hes still alive and healthy…
          and cats are more intelligent that dogs…. my cats are living proof………..

      1. this girl gave me 3 cats there name is cowgirl star and boots but boots and cowgirl
        keep going in the wall I caught boots and star but my sister let them go but I caught
        star again how do I get the other 2 out???

  1. Sometimes you’ll put out food, but your cat just looks at it. Just rub her tummy or her flanks, and when you remove your hands, the cat PROBABLY will eat. If your cat is ailing and needs food, this could be valuable information. This may be a good tip, also, for getting the cat to drink water, but I haven’t checked it.

  2. This has worked for me with every cat I’ve tried it on. Scritch or just pet the cat’s spine near the tail, and if she doesn’t swipe at you, she probably will start grooming herself. Stop the attention, and she’ll stop licking herself. Start up again, and so will she.

  3. My cat is an inside/outside cat & whenever I let him back I side he immediately lays on the ground & expects to be petted, most times even exposing his belly. Why would he do that at that particular time? Did it just become a ritual?

    1. yes. i have a cat just like that he/she just wants you to know hes okay. but maybe yours is not so much as a prankster as mine… hes loves climbing the tree hopping on the roof, then when you walk by he’ll jump off the roof onto my back. he loves piggyback rides. and if i don’t let him in at exactlly 7:00 pm he’ll jump on the screen door and swing his body so he’ll open it enough to slam it closed again!!!!!!!!
      oh, and never cut his/her nails since he/she is an outside/inside cat that is a cats main way for defense. (even if they have a claw problem but you can fix that!!!!!!!!!!)

      hope this advice helped… if not i’ll gladly take any questions

      ps. i might just be a cat expert

      1. My cat wont even chase a lazer light he plays with sparkley balls my dautgher has in her craft kit he dosent like cat nip. I’m not sure how old he is or when his birthday is a lady was looking for a new home for him because her daughter became allergic so i took him in what i do know is he is neutered well its easier to say he is everything but chipped and declawed and he is indoor only but he is a good boy his name is boo boo hes a tuxedo. He likes to be on my shoulders hes a really chill cat he dont get up on tables or anything needless to say i think i got lucky with such a good boy I love my cat. I was never a cat lover til i met boo boo?

  4. Female cat we have is meaner than the male cat female cat has not been spayed it male cat has been spayed it microchip and shots female cat no shots never been spayed it no microchip but she likes to fight and bite real bad and he likes to play with her what can we do

  5. How can I get my to come inside when its cold she has access to go in and out of the house when ever she wants but she doesn’t

  6. I love cats my daughter has 2. Although they are not nearly as big as the one that ways 50 lbs. That is crazy I haven’t ever seen one this bid before. I was happy to see that there is one cat that is 38 years old. These sweet things are our children and would love to have them around as long as possible. Great post thank you.

  7. I wish more people were aware of the dangers in letting your cats run free,it makes me sick when people whine there cat was run over or maimed by a dog..they are like children,they need protection..

  8. I had my wonderful boy for 23 yrs he passed a last month miss him like crazy I bottle raised him so I was cat mom

  9. Cats are so cute i have a had a ton i think of all the breeds… i have a about 20 kittens. 18 died…2 lived there named Houdini, one named speedy. we had 3 she cats one named Buffy one named Jessica, one name Anne. we had a few toms,one was named Ziggy, one was named Willow, one was named Mike(my-key) mike was ran over because he was out of the house… but he lived…i think… Ziggy died 1 year ago at 25 years old. Houdini and Speedy are Buffy’s babies that survived. Rosemary died at a day old…

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