1. Cats are North America’s most popular pets: there are 73 million cats compared to 63 million dogs. Over 30% of households in North America own a cat.
  2. Most cats give birth to a litter of between one and nine kittens. The largest known litter ever produced was 19 kittens, of which 15 survived.
  3. In just seven years, a single pair of cats and their offspring could produce a staggering total of 420,000 kittens.
  4. It is estimated that there are up to 60 million feral cats in the United States alone.
  5. According to Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, cats spend 30% to 50% of their time grooming themselves.
  6. On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life.
  7. The group of words associated with cat (catt, cath, chat, katze) stem from the Latincatus, meaning domestic cat, as opposed to feles, or wild cat.
  8. A group of cats is called a “clowder”
  9. A cat lover is called an Ailurophilia (Greek: cat+lover)
  10. Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
  11. Studies show that 100% of pet owners talk to their pets, 97% think their pets understand what they’re saying, 84% display photos of their pets, 79% give holiday and/or birthday presents to their pets, 78% think of their pets as their children and speak for them, imagining what they might say, 76% allow their pets to sleep on their beds, 75% agreed that they are more tolerant of their pet’s shortcomings than they are of their spouse’s or children’s, 62% sign cards and letters from themselves and the pet, and more than 16% have considered buying or have bought a massage for their cat or dog,
  12. It is estimated that there are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with approximately 40 recognized breeds.
  13. While it is commonly thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was recently found in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more.
  14. A cat’s hearing is better than a dog’s. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.
  15. A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.
  16. A cat uses its whiskers as feelers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through.
  17. A cat rubs against people not only to be affectionate but also to mark out its territory with scent glands around its face. The tail area and paws also carry the cat’s scent.
  18. Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (humans have only 6). A cat can independently rotate its ears 180 degrees.
  19. A cat sees about 6 times better than a human at night.
  20. A cat’s tongue is scratchy because it’s lined with papillae – tiny backwards hooks that help to hold prey in place.
  21. The normal body temperature of a cat is between 100.5 ° and 102.5 °F. A cat is sick if its temperature goes below 100 ° or above 103 °F.
  22. A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.
  23. A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute.
  24. Cats are extremely sensitive to vibrations. Cats are said to detect earthquake tremors 10 or 15 minutes before humans can.
  25. Ninety percent of hit by car accidents occur in unneutered male dog and cats.
  26. Tuna fish can cause serious heart disease in cat.
  27. Studies have shown that lean pets live an extra 15% longer and enjoy delayed signs of aging such as graying muzzles, impaired gaits, and reduced activity.
  28. About 65% of American adults are overweight or obese, and more than 40% of dogs and cats are overweight or obese.
  29. Oral disease is the number-one health problem diagnosed in dogs and cats. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, more than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of gum disease before reaching age three.
  30. More than 69 million American households have a pet, so planning for disasters means we must include our cats and dogs.
  31. A recent survey by the American Animal Hospital Association showed that approximately 30% of all pet owners have lost their pet at one time or another.
  32. Tragically, only about 2% of cats and roughly 16% of lost dogs are ever reunited with their owners.
  33. Positive pet identification is the best life-insurance policy you will ever purchase because it is key to reuniting you with your lost pet.
  34. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be fatal to cats, which lack the necessary enzymes to detoxify and break down this drug following ingestion, resulting in dangerous byproducts that damage blood cells and tissue.
  35. Cats and dogs will usually show severe symptoms from lead poisoning much sooner than people because of their small size.
  36. Zinc toxicosis can result when pets ingest zinc nuts from transportation crates or from ingesting pennies minted after 1982, which are 97% zinc.
  37. Animals are at risk of dying when they lose more than 35% of their total blood volume.
  38. The signs and symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, excitability, breathing difficulties, disorientation, incoordination, twitching, convulsions, and collapse.
  39. As little as five teaspoons of antifreeze can kill a 10-pound dog and one and a half teaspoons can kill a 10-pound cat.
  40. Supplemental fatty acids are widely used in pets to relieve itching associated with allergies, and also to add luster to and improve the health of hair coat and skin.
  41. The average life span of a dog or cat is relatively short compared to ours—about ¼ to 1/6 that of a human.
  42. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, aging pets make up about 45% of the nation’s pet population.
  43. Since the 1930s, the average canine and feline life span has nearly doubled from seven years to 13 years in dogs, and 14 years in cats.
  44. Cats can hear up to three times the range of sounds that people can, and dogs hear twice the range.
  45. Humans have 9,000 taste buds compared to dogs with 1,706, and cats with 473.
  46. A dog’s sense of smell is about 1,000 times stronger than ours, and a cat’s is about 14 times stronger.
  47. Approximately 25% to 30% of family pets suffer from arthritis, which is the most common source of chronic pain treated by veterinarians and the most common musculoskeletal disorder in older dogs and cats.
  48. According to the Veterinary Cancer Society, cancer accounts for nearly half of all deaths in cats and dogs over 10 years of age.
  49. Dogs that are overweight develop arthritis three years earlier than dogs that are lean
  50. Obese cats and dogs are at risk for developing diabetes, which occurs in cats and dogs at a rate of about one in every 400 to 500.
  51. Kidney disease is very common in older cats and about 25% of cats with chronic kidney disease will develop high blood pressure.
  52. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is similar to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in humans and is estimated to affect 10 to 15 million pets in the U.S. alone.
  53. Radiographs or x-rays are part of your pet’s history and are part of your pet’s medical file, and must remain in the hospital where they were taken.
  54. Not only do pet owners have lower blood pressure and lower levels of triglycerides than non- pet owners but also studies have shown that just 10 minutes in the company of an animal significantly reduced blood pressure rate.
  55. Patients who suffer from heart attacks that own pets are likely to have 5 times the survival rate of patients who do not own pets.
  56. Acupuncture has been used successfully for nearly 3500 years on animals as well as humans. Dogs and cats have over 150 points on their body.
  57. Most people who are allergic to cats are reacting to a protein in the cat’s saliva. This protein builds up on the cats skin after they groom themselves.
  58. Cats tend to be much more sensitive than dogs and should never be given supplements without the advice of a vet.
  59. A recent study found that raisins and grapes can lead to kidney failure in pets.

Sources:

Bidner, Jenni. 2006. Is My Cat a Tiger?

Clutton-Brock, Juliet. 2004. Cat

Piven, Hanoch. 2009. What Cats Are Made Of

Halligan, Karen, DVM 2007 What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs by

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