10 Interesting Facts About Cats

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1. Cats eyes reveal the hunter inside.

This cat may or may not be trying to hypnotize you. Via Knokton/Flickr

Other than David Bowie, cats might have the most distinctive-looking eyes on the planet.
And those unique vertical pupils can do more than make your cat look extra disappointed
while he sits on the windowsill, judging you. Scientists from the University of California-
Berkeley studied the pupils of 214 different land animals and determined that the shape
determined a lot about their lifestyles, especially when it comes to predatory behavior.
Those with vertical pupils, like domestic cats, tend to ambush their prey. For species that
are active both night and day, like domestic cats, slit pupils provide the dynamic range
needed to help them see in dim light, yet not get blinded by the midday sun, lead author
Martin Banks said in a statement. Maybe, but that still doesnt explain David Bowie.
2. Cats dont only purr when they are happy.
Every cat owner loves to hear their pet purring beside them, like a contented little Roomba.
But the idea that cats purr because theyre happy or satisfied may not be entirely accurate.
Yes, they purr when theyre being petted or nursing their kittens, but they also purr in
stressful situations which has led to an ongoing debate about why they do it and what
purpose it serves. Researchers have determined that cats purr at frequencies between 25
and 150 Hertz, a frequency range that can improve bone density and promote healing.
According to Leslie Lyons, an assistant professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at
the University of California, Davis, cats may purr as a way to stimulate their bones and
muscles without expending any real energy or stressing their bodies. Although it is
tempting to state that cats purr because they are happy, it is more plausible that cat purring
is a means of communication and a potential source of self-healing, Lyons told Scientific
American.
3. The oldest living cat is 26 years old.
Corduroy looks so young, he probably still gets carded. Via WDBJ/Facebook

According to Guinness World Records, a 26-year-old cat named Corduroy is currently the
oldest living domestic cat. Corduroy recently claimed the honor of being old and alive after
the death of Tiffany Two at the age of 27 years, 2 months and 20 days. Corduroy needs to
hang on for another decade-plus if he wants to take the all-time honor, though. The oldest
known domestic cat was named Creme Puff, and he lived to be an astounding 38 years, 3
days old. The average domestic cat lives to be 15.
4. Cats are better hunters than dogs.

I recently saw a kid in an airport who was wearing a T-shirt that said Cats Rule, Dogs
Drool, which is more accurate than you think. Cats do rule, at least from an evolutionary
perspective. A recent study of more than 2,000 fossils showed that members of the cat
family (felids) were better hunters and more capable of survival than their dog (canid)
counterparts. The study, published in the journal PNAS, found that cats out-fought and out-
hunted dogs, making the most of the available resources. That led to a significant decline in
the number of wild dog species that survived. The arrival of cats to North America had a
deadly impact on the diversity of the dog family, the reports lead author, Dr. Daniele
Silvestro, said.
5. Cats really dont care to listen to you.

Yes, I hear you. No, Im not going to do anything about it. Via Merlijn Hoek/Flickr

Mr. Sniffles. Mr. Sniffles? MR. SNIFFLES! You know your cat knows his name, your cat
knows that he knows his name, and you both know that hes ignoring you. Researchers
know it, too, and have tested it by playing cats recordings of their names being spoken
aloud by four strangers and their owners. Although cats displayed behavior indicating that
they knew their names were being called, they still chose not to respond, even to their
owners. The study, which was published in the journal Animal Cognition, suggested that this
was because cats, unlike dogs, were not domesticated to listen to humans, or to try to
please them. Historically speaking, cats, unlike dogs, have not been domesticated to obey
humans orders, the authors wrote. Rather, they seem to take the initiative in human-cat
interaction. LOOK AT ME, MR. SNIFFLES! LOOK AT ME.
6. There is a right way to pet your cat and a very, very wrong way.

According to researchers from the University of Lincoln, cats prefer being touched on their
faces, especially around their lips, chins and cheeks, where they have scent glands. The
worst place to pet a cat is at the base of the tail, which the researchers equated to a cat
erogenous zone (theres a phrase you didnt expect to read today), which can be
overstimulated to the point of being uncomfortable. The scientists came to this conclusion
by attempting to pet 54 different cats on varying parts of their body and, although their
findings are fascinating, its more interesting that petting cats for a living might be a viable
line of work.
7. Not all cats love catnip.

In the movie The Hangover, bearded weirdo Alan confidently says that tigers love pepper,
but hate cinnamon. Another thing that tigers love? Catnip. The leaves and stems of the
catnip plant can make cats any cat from your domesticated pal to lions and tigers go
out of their minds for roughly 10 minutes. But according to Scientific American, a cats
reaction to the herb is determined by its genetics: Between 20 percent and 30 percent of
cats are immune to its effects. Also, catnip has no effect on cats younger than 6 months old,
so there goes our plan to host a Kitten Rave this weekend.
8. Cats cant taste sweetness.
I dont know what that was, but Id like more, please. Via K-nekoTR/Flickr

Cats are quite possibly the only mammal who cant taste sweetness. Cats, including lions,
tigers and the one quietly scratching at your curtains, lack the amino acids that would make
the DNA for the gene allowing them to detect sweet tastes. The deficiency, if thats indeed
what it is, might be related to the fact that cats are primarily carnivores, who are descended
from a long line of meat-eaters. They have no need to detect the sweetness that is found in
carbohydrates or plant-based sources of food. Theyre lucky, biochemist Joe Brand says.
Cats really have bad teeth as it is. So maybe that explains why tigers hate cinnamon.
9. Women dig a man with a cat.
Are you feeling this, ladies? sjallenphotography/iStock/Thinkstock

Gentleman, owning a cat might make you more attractive to the ladies. In
a study conducted by pet researcher Dr. June McNicholas, women reported being more
attracted to men who liked animals, but male cat owners were also perceived as being nicer
and more caring. The studys findings seem to support that, at least when it comes to the
way men display their affections for their feline companions: Single male cat owners were
more likely to make real sacrifices for their cats, including giving up a vacation to avoid
having to board their pets, or even choosing their cats over their romantic partners. OK, so
maybe that last part isnt as sexy as the whole caring thing.
10. Cat owners have a real zest for life.

There are real differences between Cat People and Dog People. A psychologist at the
University of Texas-Austin surveyed more than 4,500 individuals to determine whether they
were dog people, cat people, neither or both. He also gave them a 44-question test to
assess their personalities. He and his team concluded that those who were exclusively cat
people were more introverted, displayed less warmth and were more neurotic than their
dog-owning counterparts. But wait! Cat owners were also determined to be more open, a
trait that was described as involving a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure,
unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity and variety of experience. But you already knew that
you were cultured and had refined tastes, right?