Valentine’s Day may be over, but it’s never too late to enjoy cute kitties with your valentine. (And for some of you, the adorable cats might become your valentine instead.) One can never have too many cat facts! Enjoy these fun facts about our beloved witty animals to share with your loved ones at your next get-together.
Did you know that cats can jump up to six times their length? They also have over 230 bones, while humans have about 200.
2. Cats Don’t Meow in the Wild
They learned how to meow to communicate with humans! A single cat can have over 100 communication behaviors with its owners, while a dog only has 10.
Most of the world’s languages use similar-sounding words to describe a cat meowing. In France it’s “miaou,” in Greece it’s “niaou” and in Japan, it’s “nyan.”
4. Cats also Talk with their Tails
You can learn a lot about a cat with its tail. If Fluffy trots toward you with her tail straight up, she is very happy to see you. If Simba drapes his tail over yourself, another cat, or even a dog, it’s a sign of friendship. But cats wag their tails for a very different reason than dogs do. It’s a sign they are quite agitated!
5. Cats Yawn for Different Reasons
If a couple of kitties get into a squabble, you might catch one yawning at the other by the end. That’s their way of saying, “talk to the hand, chump!”
About forty percent of cats are left or right-pawed, but other kitties are ambidextrous. Some cats are even born with more than 18 toes! These special felines are “polydactyl.”
7. President Abraham Lincoln was a Big Cat Fan
He had four cats who lived in the White House with him at the same time. In August 1861, two of them were gifts from his Secretary of State William H. Seward. Others described President Lincoln to be very fond of them, and he often brought stray kittens home.
8. The First Cat Video is More than a Century Old
Long before the internet, the first known cat video in the world was recorded in 1894 by the Thomas Edison Manufacturing Company. Yes, it’s the same company that belonged to the famous light bulb inventor!
9. Disneyland has “Hired” Feral Cats
About two hundred feral cat residents “work” important jobs at Disneyland. What do they do? Control pest populations - and look very cute while doing it!
10. Cats are the Most Popular Pet in America
For decades millions of stray cats have roamed the streets to survive. But, that is slowly changing. About 1.6 million cats get adopted each year! Cats are now the most popular pet in the United States, ahead of dogs.
Still looking to fix the cute critter itch? Head over to Seaside Art Gallery’s Animals in Art Show for even more adorable art. A portion of the proceeds of art sales featuring animals helps pets in need during the show, so you can be their forever ‘valentine’ too!
Chelsea Reed is a copywriter who writes winning content, articles, blogs, and websites from her base in North Carolina. She might not be building sandcastles or swashbuckling with pirates these days, but the Outer Banks beaches continue to keep her young at heart.
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