Cat Vs Human

• Like humans fingertips having a unique pattern, a cats’ nose pad is also ridged with a unique pattern.

• A cats’ resting heart rate (between 140 – 220 beats per minute) a little more than twice as fast as a resting human heart rate (60 – 100bpm)

• A cats jaw can only move on the vertical plane (i.e. up and down). Whilst humans can move their jaw vertically (up and down) and horizontally (side to side). This means that cats can only eat smaller chunks of food.

• Cats have short term memory and long term memory function just like humans.

 

Cat Anatomy & Physiology

• The claws on the cats back claws do not retract (like the front claws do, at rest). Consequently the back claws are not as sharp as they are exposed to more wear and tear.

• The domestic cat is the only cat which can walk whilst holding its tail vertical (wild cats walk with their tails tucked between their legs).

• A cats front paws have 5 digits and the back paws have 4 digits.

• Cats have two vocal cords and can make up to 100 different sounds.

• Domestic cats usually weight between 4 – 5kg (Tell that to Joe Daniel who weighs 8kg and Angel Hope who is 6kg. Perfect Marie Henrietta is exactly 4kg (just like Jack Jack!).

• Cats’ ears can rotate 180 degress from facing the front to turning laterally to facing behind them, their outer ears have 32 muscles to achieve this feat!

• It appears that cats blink less than humans with their upper and lower eyelids. However cats also blink with a translucent third eyelid which is difficult to see (it closes horizontally over the eye). This third eyelid is keeps the eye lubricated.

• Whiskers are sensory mechanisms which help cats to determine if there are objects around them and the size of these so they can negotiate their way around obstacles. Cats have whiskers on their cheeks, chin, eyebrows and legs.

• Cats cannot taste sweetness (tell that to Marie Henrietta and Joe Daniel!).

• Not every cat is keen on catnip. To be susceptible to its effects, cats need to have a special gene; those missing this gene do not have any reaction to catnip.

• Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an organ located in their mouth called the Jacobsen Organ which is probably why their sense of smell is much better than Humans.

 

Cat Behaviours

• When your cat rubs up against you, they are marking you with scent from scent glands on their body. Yep, you are their territory!

• Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine (around 26 purrs per second).

 

Terminology

• A female cat is called a ‘queen’ or a ‘molly’

• A male cat who is intact is called a ‘tom’

• A male cat who is desexed is called a ‘gib’

• The father of a kitten is called its sire and the mother is called its dam

• A catlover is called an Ailurophilia

• ‘Clowder’ is a term that describes a group of cats. If you get bored of using this term, you can also use ‘clutter’ or ‘glaring’.

 

Siamese Cats

• Siamese Cats orginate from Thailand (previously known as Siam).