The following are bits of info and stories I have collated about cats.  You might find them interesting!

 

The body of a domestic cat contains 230 bones. This is 24 more than our humans have!

The first cat show took place in Winchester England, in the year 1598. It took the form of a side-show at the St Giles Fair. Prizes were given for the best ratter and best mouser.

Cats sleep for an average of sixteen hours a day. This means that two thirds of its life are spent in the land of nod.

Scientists say that the frequency a cat purrs at triggers the healing process in feline bones. It is believed to have a similar effect to that of ultrasound on humans.

The word puss originated from the Egyptians, who called the cat pasht, which meant the moon, because cats were nocturnal. Later this became shortened to pas, and over the years has become puss.

The African Wild Cat is accepted by most, to be the true ancestor of the domestic cat. It was domesticated by the Egyptians, and later taken by sea to the rest of the world.

Probably the oldest representation of a pet cat is that of a figurine showing a woman cuddling a cat. This was found at Hacilar, a Neolithic site in Turkey. It is dated from more than 7,000 years ago.

Cats become intensely agitated before major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and severe electrical storms. In many cases cats have been observed desperately trying to escape from inside buildings prior to an earthquake. Upon their escape, some females have been seen rushing back carrying their kittens to safety. Then a short time later the disaster happens and demolishes the buildings.

The largest litter of kittens was produced by Tarawood Antigone, a brown Burmese cat owned by Mrs. Valerie Gane of Church Westcote, Kingham, Oxfordshire, England. It consisted of one female, fourteen males and four stillborn. They were delivered by Caesarean section on 7th August 1970. The mother was four years old, and the father was half-Siamese.

A cat has a poor sense of taste. We have 9,000 taste buds, while a cat has only 473. A cats eating experience relies upon smell just as much, if not more, than taste. Its sense of smell is thirty times better than ours.

Siam, was the first Siamese Cat to reach the United States of America. The cat was a gift from the American Consul in Bangkok to the wife of the American President, Rutherford B. Hayes, in 1878.

In 1995 a tiny green kitten was discovered in a hayloft by Mrs. Pia Bischoff in North-west Denmark. She adopted it asa pet, and tried in-vein to wash out the green colour. The kitten has proved to be in perfect health despite its sickly colour!

Himmy was the world's heaviest domestic cat. He was a tabby belonging to Thomas Vyse of Redlynch, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The Guinness Book of Records documents him as weighing 46lb, 15.25 oz. He died in 1986, aged ten years.

The smallest recorded cat is only 19 cm long. Tinker Toy is a blue point Himalayan-Persian, and is owned by Katrina and Scott Forbes of the USA.

In 1976 a mystery cat in Hong Kong killed more than 20 dogs. According to local people it was about 4 feet long, and black or grey in colour. It was never caught.

Dusty of Bonham in Texas is reputed to be the most prolific female cat in the world, by 1952 Dusty had produced 420 kittens.

The record-holder for the longest fall in feline history is held by, "Andy." Owned by Florida Senator Ken Myer in the 1970's, he fell from the 16th floor of an apartment building and survived.

Nedjem (meaning "Sweet" or "Pleasant") is the first cat to be given a name. It dates from the reign of Thutmose lll (1479 BC - 1425 BC).

The oldest cat lived from 1903 to 1939, a staggering 36 years. He was a tabby cat called, "Puss".

Indoor cats live twice as long as their outdoor counterparts.

Half of all cats die in road accidents.

Cats should not be given milk as it contains fat and can cause gastric upsets, especially in Siamese cats. If milk is given, a dish of water should also accompany it, this will help balance the fat intake.

A cat sees best at a distance of six to twenty feet. Watch out, we know what you're doing in the next room!

The walking pattern of your cat matches that of only two other animals. Can you guess which ones?
If you said giraffe and camel, you are correct!!!

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