cat facts

Thought you might enjoy this one. It's from my friend Sahar. Jo Our feline friends are unique and wonderful companions. Below is a collection of interesting and fun facts about cats. Cats are members of the Felidea family. A litter of kittens is called a kindle, and a group of cats is called a clowder. A cat's IQ is only surpassed by that of monkeys and chimps in the world of animals. Cats are the only animals that purr. They can purr at around 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine. Purring doesn't necessarily mean a cat is happy. Sometimes cats will purr when they are scared or hurt. A cat's nose pad is as unique as a human fingerprint. No two nose prints are identical. Petting or stroking a cat has actually been proven to help in lowering one's blood pressure. One way a cat shows s/he trusts you is by rolling over on his/her back. A cat's hearing is much stronger and more sensitive than a dog's or a human's. Our hearing stops at 20 khz; cat's at 65 khz. Cats have 32 muscles in each ear and can turn their ear very quickly to catch noise. Much faster than a very alert watchdog. A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than ours. Cats have five toes on their front paws and four on their back paws. If a cat is polydactyl, s/he has extra toes. Cats have over 100 vocals sounds, while dogs have only 10. Normal body temperature for a cat is between 100.5 F and 102.5 F. Cats drink liquid from the underside of their tongue, not from the top. Cats use their whiskers to determine if the space they are entering is big enough for them. To calm a frightened cat put your hand over his/her eyes and forehead or let him/her bury his/her head in your armpit. Only about 80% of cats have the gene that allows them to respond to the effects of catnip. The other 20% are not affected by it. Domestic cats are the only cats that can hold their tails vertically while they walk. Wild cats hold theirs horizontally or between their legs. The only "natural" breed of domestic cat in America is the Main Coon. Cats get an average of 16 hours of sleep per day. A cat lover is called an ailurophile. ---Jo