Interesting facts about cats and cats

Cats are among the most beloved and common pets. It would seem that living side by side with the animal, we have fully studied it and know everything about it. However, this is far from the case, and cats always have something to surprise people with. A lot of interesting facts about cats and cats have been recorded.

Cats, like all other animals, have their own interests and things that bring them pleasure. First of all, pets value comfort, good care and good nutrition. Cats love warmth, so they often lie in places warmed by the sun, or on sofas and armchairs.

Animals will not miss the opportunity to share food with the owner. However, it should be remembered that food from a person's table is not suitable for a cat and can harm his health.

Cats are by nature very clean and love to look after their appearance. They clean their own fur, wash their eyes and ears, and clean their claws. They also like it when their toilet is cleaned, so the pet litter box should always be clean and dry.

Almost every cat loves to conquer the peaks. Therefore, they tend to jump on tall cabinets, climb up carpets and climb curtains. Another favorite pastime of cats is claw sharpening. Pets are happy to do it about furniture or interior decoration items. This problem can be solved by timely training to a scratching post.

Houseplants are often interesting for pets. Animals can touch them with their paws, sniff and even eat. To preserve potted flowers and protect your pet from poisoning from the poisons found in some plants, it is best to plant special grass for cats at home. Pets love affection, attention and care, even if they sometimes try to show otherwise. In any case, do not forget that each cat is individual and may have its own specific preferences.

Since ancient times, people have been interested in the unusual feature of cats when falling. The amazing thing about this process is that animals always land on all 4 legs. To understand the essence of such a mysterious phenomenon, serious research was carried out.

It was found that the ability to land on paws when falling appears in kittens at the age of 3-4 weeks. The final skill is formed at 6-7 weeks from the moment of birth.

For the animal to be able to make a complete 180 ° turn in the air, the height of the fall must be at least 30 cm. The developed vestibular apparatus, which is located in the inner ear, is mainly responsible for the amazing landing abilities. In addition, cats have a reflex to spread their limbs to the sides during a fall.

However, reflex extension of the paws may not work if the fall is too high, as the animal may experience shock. If the cat falls from an insignificant height, then he may be injured, since he will not have time to group. As for the falling speed, regardless of the altitude, it will not be more than 100 km / h.

It was found that when falling, the regrouping technique is almost identical for all cats. Animals pull their front limbs closer to themselves, and straighten the hind limbs. Then the cat quickly changes its body position, with its front and back parts deviating in different directions. After which the front limbs are extended, and the hind limbs are drawn closer to the body.

The back and front of the body rotate and take the desired position for landing. It is believed that the tail helps cats to feel balance and position. However, representatives of tailless breeds also land on their paws as well as their counterparts with a tail.

Whiskers not only decorate a cat's face, but also perform a number of important functions. If we talk about the scientific name of the mustache, then it sounds like vibrissae. They are solid long hairs that are a special sense organ.

Vibrissae are not only found near the cat's nose, but are scattered around certain areas on the body, such as the chin, the area above the eyes, and on the hind and front legs. Each such hair is equipped with a hair bag, near which nerve endings are located.

Vibrissae are capable of capturing air currents that emanate from nearby objects, and with their help cats receive information about nearby objects and sense obstacles. It is vibrissae that help animals navigate well in the dark. The mustache also helps to sense objects that are in the so-called blind spot. The fact is that cats see poorly at short distances. Thus, whiskers and sense of smell help cats to find a treat or find small prey in the immediate vicinity.

Animals should not be deprived of vibrissae. If you cut off the mustache, it will not be fatal for the pet, but it will negatively affect its mental state and ability to navigate well in space. Do not be alarmed if several loose vibrissae are found on the floor or furniture in the house.Cats periodically lose whiskers throughout their lives, but new ones grow in their place. The exceptions are cases when they start to appear in large numbers. This may indicate a lack of vitamins or a disease.

It is believed that with the help of whiskers, cats can express their emotions. If the vibrissae are directed to the sides and are not tense, then the pet is in a calm mood. When an animal puts its whiskers forward and holds them in such a tense position, this indicates feelings of anxiety. If the mustache is pressed to the muzzle, then at the moment the pet is angry or fearful. To get complete information about the condition of the cat, it is important to analyze the totality of its gestures and sounds, and not just take into account the position of the whiskers.

There are many different myths about cats. False beliefs have also affected the eyesight of animals. Some believe that cats by their nature cannot distinguish colors, but see the world around them in black and white. In fact, they know how to capture and identify shades.

Animals are worse at distinguishing between green, yellow and red tones. But they have a subtle perception of gray and dark colors. This can be explained by the pet's lifestyle. The main prey for domesticated predators are rodents, which have a gray coat. Green, on the other hand, is primarily vegetation, which is not the main component in the diet of cats.

Almost all people are aware of the strong love of cats for sleep. However, not every person can tell exactly how long animals sleep. According to statistics, animals spend about 70% of their entire life on sleep. They can sleep 18 hours a day.

This duration of sleep is not due to the laziness of animals, as it might seem at first glance. The point is that cats are predators by nature.

The hunter loop looks like this: the cat tracks down the prey, approaches it and attacks. All this usually happens in a few minutes, during which the animal spends a lot of energy. After which it eats up the prey and should give the body a rest and recover, and therefore goes to sleep.

At home, kittens and adults, instead of hunting, are forced to simply run and play with various objects. The prey is replaced by the food that a person gives to pets. At the same time, the peculiarity of the organism does not change, and the domestic predator, just like wild relatives, after the "hunt" is forced to recuperate, and therefore he goes to bed.

When it comes to sleeping places, animals prefer to choose a warm and safe shelter for themselves. Instinctively, they tend to climb as high as possible, be it a tree or a closet. Cats believe that no one will be able to detect and disturb them there, and they, in turn, will be able to see what is happening below.

It has long been known that cats can communicate not only with their fellows, but also with other animals and humans. They do this with the help of movements, facial expressions, sounds and chemical signals. A person can not perceive all the signals with the help of which cats transmit information.

Animals most often communicate with each other using the sounds they make. Cats have quite developed vocal cords. Therefore, they can emit a wide variety of signals in terms of tone, volume and intonation.

By analyzing the vocal signals of cats, you can understand what emotions they are experiencing at the moment and what they want to communicate. For example, pets most often express dissatisfaction using a low timbre, and demonstrate a good mood using a high timbre. Cats prefer to communicate with kittens using special sounds that humans cannot pick up.

In addition to voice, animals use body language, facial expressions and smells for communication. Chemical cues most often mean that cats are marking their territory. For humans, such labels mean little, but other animals can read quite a lot of information. For example, they recognize the age of a cat and its behavioral characteristics by smell. For a person, the movements and facial expressions of the pet are more understandable.

By observing at least one gaze of a cat, you can get information about its mood and emotions. Half-closed eyelids most often indicate a relaxed state, especially if it is accompanied by a purr. Large bulging eyes signal that the pet is interested in the object of observation or that something is bothering him.

It is best to pay attention to all the signals that the cat gives at once. Communication can involve not only the eyes and vocal cords, but also the tail, ears, vibrissae, limbs, and the entire body as a whole. Each pet can have its own set of signs to convey certain emotions. With frequent regular communication with the animal, over time, they become understandable to the loving owner.

Cat paws are by far one of the most interesting parts of a pet's body that evoke positive emotions in many people. The paws also serve many useful functions for the pet. As for their structure, the forelimbs should normally have 5 toes, and the hind ones - 4. However, genetic mutations are possible, when there can be 6 or more toes on the paws.

It is believed that representatives of the feline family, like humans, can be right-handed and left-handed. The dominant limb of the cat is usually used to perform complex activities.

Cats are used to walking on tiptoe, that is, on their toes. This allows them to sneak up silently, and also provides the ability to maneuver a quick start if necessary. And also the paws of animals are distinguished by good sensitivity and flexibility.

It may seem a little unusual that the cat's paws also serve as a kind of temperature regulator for cats. The thing is that sweat is released through the pads. Do not forget that claws are part of the paws, which are very important in the life of every cat.

Among the representatives of the feline family throughout history, there have been many unusual and world-famous individuals. An American cat named Stubbs is known for being the mayor of Talkeetna in Alaska. The reign began in 1997 and ended in 2017 when the animal died.

The largest cat in the world is a Maine Coon from Australia named Oscar. In 2017, he got into the Guinness Book of Records. In length, he reached a mark of 1 m 20 cm, and his body weight was at that time 14 kg. However, in history there was another Maine Coon, the length of which was 1 m 23 cm. The cat's name was Stu, and he was from the American city of Reno. The animal was inferior to Oscar only in body weight.

Therefore, ship cats were not very rare. They were needed on ships to cheer up all crew members, and also acted as a kind of mascot. Simon became world famous among all ship cats.

It was discovered by an English sailor in 1947 in Hong Kong at a place intended for ship repairs. The animal was sick and weak.Unbeknownst to the captain, the kitten was carried to the ship, where he quickly recovered. Soon the pet began to hunt rats and even "shared" its prey, dragging it into the bunks of the sailors.

The new captain, who came to the ship a year after Simon's appearance, quickly found a common language with him. The cat settled down in his cabin and loved to sleep in the captain's cap.

The Chinese began firing at the ship, and one of the shells caused the death of the ship's captain. The cat was nearby at that time and was also injured. The team members rushed to help Simon, and they managed to save his life. After rehabilitation, the cat returned to the ship again and continued to carry out his duties of catching rodents, as well as to raise the team spirit of the sailors.

Although it seems as if domestic cats have been studied for a long time, and everything about them is known, they never cease to amaze. Over time, more and more funny and interesting facts about animals appear, and scientists continue to study felines. Not so long ago, it was discovered that cats, unlike humans, can drink salt water from the seas. This is due to the special structure of the kidneys, thanks to which they can filter fluid.

The cat's ear can pick up ultrasonic signals. Thus, it can be assumed that they can hear the sounds made by rodents and dolphins. Domestic cats can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h while running. However, most often the speed does not exceed 14 km / h.

Cats do not have receptors that allow them to taste sweetness. The pet will not feel sugar or any of its substitutes. The physiological feature is due to the feline lifestyle. In their natural habitat, predators do not feed on fruits and berries, so the ability to recognize sweet tastes is absent as unnecessary.

A cat's body is only able to digest milk at an early age. It is not recommended to give this product to adults, as serious health problems can arise. Domestic cats are also sensitive to food temperatures. Food should be at room temperature, but not cold or hot. A person and a cat have much more in common than it might seem at first glance.

For more 10 interesting facts about cats and cats, see the video below.