by Kevin Burton
“How well do you really know your cat?” asks writer Alesandra Dubin in a Good Housekeeping piece, under the headline “20 Surprising Cat facts You’ve Never Heard.”
Good question.
Everyone knows cats are mysterious, hard to define or explain. I could go all Joni Mitchell on you and say “I’ve looked at cats from both sides now…” and rest contentedly there, like a cat on their (and your) favorite blanket.
But I shall not. You know me better than that.
GH is a good place to find cat facts, for at our place, housekeeping begins with cats. The house is arranged, in part, based on their favorite forms of naughtiness.
We have two female, indoor-only cats; Lakin the acrobat and Ronnie the omnivore. I am a “cat whisperer” according to my wife Jeannette, so I took “how well do you know your cat” as a challenge as soon as I saw it.
I found a few of Dubin’s cat facts, interesting, but not important in terms of how well we know our cats. Those we will get into today, saving the others for future posts.
Here is part of what Dubin wrote as preamble to the cat facts:
“Even seasoned pet parents are often surprised by just how complex—and communicative!—their adorable cats really are when they know how to read the signs. From cat body language to their unique abilities, there are plenty of surprising facts about cats for even feline enthusiasts to learn.”
“Veterinarians say there’s a lot we get wrong about how cats think and behave.”
“Cats thrive when given choice and control in their environment,” said Dr. Colleen Guilfoyle, a veterinarian with Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization. “They need opportunities to display natural behaviors like hunting, scratching, and playing.”
French political writer Alexis De Tocqueville said a nation get the government it deserves. I think I’ve gotten the cats I deserved over the years.
When I was young and more tender-hearted I got, as a high school graduation present, Graph, a sweetie.
In middle age I got my favorite cat Mex, a bad-ass part-Siamese swashbuckler to match me at my swashbuckling best.
In recent years I got Gabbie, a curmudgeon filled with fury that was lying just under the surface, and the current two, Lakin the acrobat and Ronnie the omnivore.
OK, now a few interesting facts from GH before we dig deeper into cat behavior (I will leave them with the number GH gave them):
1-Every cat’s nose print is unique.
“Just like a human’s fingerprint, a cat’s nose has a one-of-a-kind pattern of bumps and ridges that is totally unique to it alone. “No two cats have the same design,” said Dr. Ambika Vaid, an integrative veterinarian and advisor to the pet nutrition brand Badlands Ranch.
3–Cats don’t always land on their feet.
“While cats do have an incredible “righting reflex” that helps them twist midair, they’re not immune to injury like the myth says. Falls from moderate heights can cause serious harm, and even agile cats need to be protected from dangerous drops.”
4–Cats can’t taste sweetness
“Cats are carnivores with taste buds that reflect their dietary requirements. Unlike humans (or, say, dogs), they can’t detect sweetness at all. Since they lack sugar receptors, that piece of cake or scoop of ice cream you’re enjoying doesn’t tempt your cat in the slightest. (But the tuna sandwich is another matter!)”
5–Calico and tortoiseshell cats are almost always female.
“It’s all down to the X chromosome, which is where coat color genes are carried. Only female cats (with two X chromosomes) can display both orange and black patches.”
6–Orange tabbies are more likely to be male
“About 80 percent of orange cats are male. That same quirk of the X chromosome is what makes it far less common for female cats to be entirely orange, because both of their X chromosomes need to have the orange coat gene for them to not be calico. (If your orange cat is female, she is a rare queen!)”
9–A cat’s purr may have healing powers.
“A cat’s purr vibrates between 25 and 150 hertz—a frequency range shown to promote tissue and bone healing. Some researchers believe these soothing vibrations may even have calming, restorative effects for humans who spend time around purring cats.”
14–Whiskers are high-tech sensors.
“Whiskers can detect subtle changes in the air, helping cats move confidently and accurately even when they find themselves navigating in darkness or in tight spaces. “They’re like built-in radar,” explains Dr. Vaid.
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