Cats ... in figures

Some interesting facts and figures about cats!

• A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.
• An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year.
• During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.
• A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.
• Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
• The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
• A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees.
• A cat's ear pivots 180 degrees. They have 30 muscles in each ear, and use twelve or more muscles to control their ear movement.
• Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping. With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!
• Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
• An adult cat has 32 teeth.

Do cats always land on their feet?

Whether or not a cat lands on her feet depends on several factors, including the distance she falls and the surface on which she falls.

Cats have exceptional coordination and balance and a flexible musculoskeletal system. A falling cat will instinctively try to right herself from head to tail, first rotating the head into the proper position, and then sequentially spiraling the rest of the body so all the feet are oriented to the ground. As the body gains the right position, the cat will spread her legs and relax her muscles in anticipation of landing. Their feet and legs can cushion the impact.

Cats have the tendency of being better able to survive falls from greater heights than lower ones. The most dangerous falls are from between two and six stories. Even though they can right themselves, their legs and feet can no longer absorb all of the shock. Above this height, there is a theory that the number of injuries decline, because cats reached a terminal velocity, they relax and spread themselves out like flying squirrels, minimizing injuries.

So, your cat may be able to survive a fall – but, then again, she might not. You never know ... and prevention is always better than a visit to the vet's.

Getting a second cat, heaven or hell?

Cats are considered lonely and independent creatures. Sometimes they do enjoy the company of another cat, other times the cats keep fighting and never really accept one another. It may or may not work - depends upon the personality of the cats.
Many people believe they should get a 'companion' for their cat because they feel guilty when they are away all day. The fact is that most adult cats sleep most of the day and could care less about a companion as cats are basically solitary animals. While some cats thrive in the company of another cat, other cats get upset about having an intruder in their domain.
If your cat is comfortable in his home she probably won't appreciate a new cat coming into her territory. It can be hard work introducing a new cat into a home with a cat already there. They will probably fight for dominance and hate each other. However they would eventually get used to each other and probably be civil with the occasional smack every now and again. Some cats don't mind and get on well straight away, but there's normally more fighting than fun!
An important thing is that the new and existing cat are introduced slowly and carefully. The new cat has to be given time to get used to you and the new environment. The existing cat has to get used to the smell of the new cat.

Cat and kitten photos

Tales of the cat tail

A cat's tail can tell about what's going on inside her head. It acts as an extension of her thoughts, an indicator of her mood and a warning of intention. Take a little time to observe your cat's behavior and you’ll start to get a feel of the tales the tail tells ...

• Tail curves gently down and then up again at the tip. Cat is relaxed and at peace with the world.
• Tail slightly raised with a soft curve. Cat is beginning to get interested in something.
• Tail is held erect but the tip is tilted over. Cat is in a friendly mood with slight reservations.
• Tail fully erect with the tip stiffly vertical. This is a wholehearted greeting with no reservations.
• Tail fully lowered and possibly tucked between hind legs. Cat is showing defeat or total submissiveness.
• Tail lowered and fluffed out. Cat is showing active fear.
• Tail swishing violently from side to side. Often means that the cat is about to attack.
• Tail held still, but the tip is twitching. Mild irritation. If the twitching increases a swipe from a paw may be imminent.
• Tail is held erect and the whole length is quivering. Gentle quivering may be seen after a cat has been greeted by its human companion. Same action may be observed when urine spraying is taking place! The gesture appears to have a meaning of personal identification...yes, this is me.
• Tail held to one side. Sexual invitation of a female cat in heat. Signal to the male that he can mount without being attacked.
• Tail held straight and fully bristled. Signal of an aggressive cat.
• Tail arched and bristled. A defensive stance which may indicate cat will attack if provoked further. Bristling fur makes the cat appear bigger and may deter the enemy.

The cuttiest little kitten

A friend just send me this video, and I'd like to share it with you. Can it be any more cute?

Interesting and strange Cat World Records

• Most kittens produced: In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.
• The largest cat litter: On 7th August, 1970, a four year old Burmese called Tarawood Antigone, who was owned by Valerie Gane of Oxfordshire, UK, gave birth to nineteen kittens. The surviving fifteen kittens consisted of 1 female & 14 males.
• The oldest cat mother: Kitty, owned by George Johnstone of Staffordshire, UK, gave birth to two kittens at the ripe old age of 30. During her life, Kitty produced a total of 218 kittens.
• The oldest living cat is Creme Puff of Austin Texas. Born on August 3rd 1967, Creme Puff celebrated her 38th birthday in August 2005.
• According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986. Himmy's waist was 33 inches!
• The tiniest cat on record was Tinker Toy from Illinois. A male Himalayan-Persian, he weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces fully grown and was 7.25" long and 2.75" tall!
• Mr Peebles, a 2 year old domestic cat of Central Illinois holds the Guinness Book of World Records award for the smallest living cat. Weighing in around 3lbs he is 6.1 inches high.
• The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn't come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.
• The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.
• Richest Cat: Ben Rea left his cat Blackie £15 million in his will.
• Eighteen toes is the normal number for cats. A five year old moggy from Ontario, Canada is in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most toes. Jake has a total of 27 toes.
• Most travelled cat: A cat by the name of Hamlet escaped from his carrier while on a flight from Toronto, Canada. Hamlet was discovered 7 weeks later behind a panel. In this time, he had travelled approximately 600,000kms.
• Most expensive cat: An Asian Leopard Cat (ALC)/Domestic Shorthair (DSH) hybrid, bred by Esmond Gay, is the world's most expensive cat. Zeus, who is 90% ALC & 10% DSH has an asking price of £100,000.00.
• Andy, who was owned by a Florida Senator by the name of Ken Myer holds the world record for the longest non fatal fall. Andy fell from the 16th floor (200 feet) of an apartment building.
• Longest Post Earthquake Survival: A cat was discovered alive in a collapsed building 80 days after an earthquake in Taiwan in December 1999.
• Jack & Donna Wright of Kingston, Ontario made their way to the Guinness Book of Records for having the highest number of cats. According to the Guinness Book of Records they have 689 cats.