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