Guest Animal Post: The Cat...

Did you ever wonder why cats seek out the one person in the room who dislikes felines? It’s because people who love cats will do everything they can to attract their attention: stare at them, follow them around, kiss them on the nose. And the cat interprets these as either dominant or threatening behaviors. Since the person who either fears or dislikes cats is avoiding eye contact, he’s the only one who is actually showing good cat manners.

There are probably many things you didn’t know about your cat and the feline breed. Here a few fun and interesting, as well as educational facts to appreciate and know about your kitty. Go on, test your knowledge and maybe learn a few things you never knew about your pet.

Which is the most common pet in the U.S.?
Cats! Believe it or not, it’s cats, not dogs, according to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. In 1987, cats overtook dogs as the number one pet in America. The figures from APPMA's 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey (NPOS) show that 63 percent of all U.S. households own a pet (more than 69 million households). Americans own approximately 73 million dogs, 90 million cats, 16 million birds, 18 million small animals, 139 million freshwater fish, 9 million saltwater fish, and 11 million reptiles.

What is the average life expectancy of an outdoor cat vs. and indoor cat?
In 1930, the life expectancy for a cat was 8 years. It has since doubled. Today the average lifespan of an outside cat is only five years, but inside cats can live 18 to 20 years according to Humane Society of the United States.

Do you know what a cat year is equivalent to in human years?
It was once thought that your cat ages seven years for every actual or human year she’s lived. However, that’s not entirely accurate because cats age differently at different stages of their life. Here are the equivalencies in years:

Cat’s Age = Human’s Age

1 = 15
2 = 25
4 = 40
7 = 50
10 = 60
15 = 75
20 = 105
How do you find cat urine in a carpet when you can smell it, but not see it?

If you can smell a cat accident in your carpet, but can’t find it, try looking for it in the dark with an ultraviolet or black light. It will be easy to find because cat urine glows florescent yellow under a UV light.

What are cats called with black and red or black and orange markings?

Tortoiseshells!

Do you know what human foods you should avoid feeding your cat?You should be very careful about feeding human foods to your cat, because many foods and over the counter medicines we safely enjoy can be dangerous for your cat. According to Jill Richardson, DVM, don’t give your cat:

Onions
Grapes and raisins
Chocolate (the darker the chocolate the more dangerous)
Alcohol
How is spaying your cat important to its health?A Winn Feline Foundation study determined spaying your kitten before she starts her first heat will greatly reduce her chance of getting mammary (breast) cancer and eliminates the possibility of pyometra (a serious uterine infection) and uterine cancer. The study also showed that a kitten spayed/neutered between 8 and 12 weeks will be friendlier and have fewer behavior problems than kittens altered at six months of age.

Did you know…?
Both domestic and exotic cats enjoy a little catnip and actually respond to the nepetalactone in it. In addition to your tabby, many wild cats, including cougars, bobcats, lions and lynx, respond to the herb as well.



Not all domestic cats react to catnip. Between 10 and 30% of domestic cats don’t inherit the autosomal dominant gene that lets them react to it. Kittens don’t respond to it until they reach six to eight weeks. Some don’t acquire an affinity until three months.



Calicos are white with patches of red or orange and black. They are almost always female.



Some white cats with blue eyes or odd eyes are deaf. If a white cat has only one blue eye, it will be deaf only in the ear closest to the blue eye.



Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second. Some researchers that that purring is a natural healing mechanism.

Domestic cats aren’t the only species of feline to purr; as a matter of fact, cougars, lions and lynx purr as well.

The tiger is the only large cat that does not purr.



Cats seldom “meow” to other cats. It is a vocalization usually reserved for communications with people. Hisses, purrs and spits, along with scent and body language help cats communicate with each other.



Cats can make over 100 different vocalizations.