- Cats have the same 5 senses we do — but most of them are better: Cats have a more expansive hearing range than humans, according to the Merck Manual Veterinary Manual. Their eyesight is also superior to that of dogs, and they can see six times better than we can in dim environments. Another fun fact: cats have three eyelids.
- Oil secretions are responsible for your cat’s glossy fur: The dermis skin layer contains oil glands that produce an oily substance known as sebum. Not only do these oils protect your cat’s coat, but they also give their fur a sleek and shiny appearance.
• Kittens grow as they snooze: According to the nonprofit educational resource organization Cat International, our fur babies experience the majority of their growth while sleeping.
• Cats are fast runners, but only in short spurts: Healthy domestic cats can run up to a whopping 31 miles per hour, but only for about a minute until their speed starts to decrease.
- Newborn kittens have a faster heart rate than adult cats: As outlined in the Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, Third Edition, a normal heart rate for an adult cat falls between 140 and 240 beats per minute, with the average being 195 beats. In comparison, a kitten experiences between 200 and 300 heart beats per minute as they’re born.
• Cats take more breaths per minute than we do: 12 to 18 breaths per minute is considered a healthy human respiratory rate, according to the Cleveland Clinic. But adult cats take approximately 20 to 24 breaths per minute.
- Cats don’t know what sweetness tastes like: Our furry friends don’t have sugar cravings the same way we do (lucky ducks…). According to experts at Scientific American, this is because they’re missing a portion of DNA in one of two genes needed to detect sweet flavors.
• That little flap of skin on your cat’s ear has a name: True to name, that small pocket that sits at the base of each of your cat’s outer ears is called Henry’s pocket. While it’s not entirely understood why these pockets exist, Lilydale Vet Centre explains that these flaps are thought to potentially enhance cats’ hearing.
• Cats have a dominant hand… or paw: Researchers from a 2018 study published in Animal Behavior found that male domestic cats were fans of using their left paw for natural behaviors, such as stepping over things or grabbing at food. On the other hand, female cats preferred using their right paw.
• The world record for cat tail length is over 16 inches: Honored in 2021, a strikingly silver pet cat named Altair Cygnus Powers hailing from Farmington Hills, Michigan holds the Guinness World Record for longest cat tail at a staggering 16.07 inches. Clearly gold medals run in the family, as Altair’s late brother Cygnus previously wore the title.
Contributed to Town Cats by Erin McCluskey