- Have you ever tried to feed your cat food that was just taken out of the refrigerator? Most cats prefer their food at room temperature, and will boldly REFUSE any food that is too cold or too hot.
- Many experts report that cats will purr when feeling any intense emotion (pleasure or pain).
- Give your cat fresh water at least once a day. If your cat refuses your tap water, it may be sensing (with it's superior sense of smell) the chlorine or other minerals in your water. Many finicky felines demand bottled water, just like their human counterparts.
- Don't put your cat on an all-vegetarian diet. Cats need protein to survive.
- Never feed your cat dog food. Cats need five times more protein than dogs do.
- If your cat misses one meal, a trip to the vet may be necessary.
- Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping. With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!
- Cats are more active during the evening hours.
- Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
- 95% of all cat owners admit they talk to their cats.
- Backward-pointing spikes on a cat's tongue aid in their grooming.
- The average cat weighs 12 pounds.
- If you can't feel your cat's ribs, she's too heavy.
- If an overweight cat's "sides" stick out further than her whiskers, she will lose her sense of perception and stability. Don't be surprised if she starts to squeeze into an opening that the rest of her can't fit into, only to back herself back out quickly!
- According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986. Himmy's waist was 33 inches! The previous record-holder had been Spice, a ginger-and-white tom cat from Connecticut, who weighed 43 pounds when he died in 1977.
- The tiniest cat on record was Tinker Toy from Illinois. A male Himalayan-Persian, he weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces fully grown and was 7.25" long and 2.75" tall!
- Your cat is probably either a "righty" or a "lefty." Only 40% of cats are ambidextrous while another 60% are either right-pawed or left-pawed.
- Cats love high places. They share this love with leopards and jaguars, who sleep in trees. If a cat begins to fall, his inner ear canal (which controls balance) will help him right himself and land on his feet.
- Domestic cats are essentially loners. When placed in a group, they develop their own hierarchy. As long as there is plenty of food on hand, a cat can learn to share it's domain with other cats.
- Cats are more aggressive when they are not neutered or spayed.
