Amazing Feline Facts

Growing up in our house was easy as long as you were an animal lover. By the age of seven, I had captured more than one robin by running through the yard with boxes hoping to land just right and trap them. I chased squirrels and bunny rabbits too. In fact, at the age of seven I had my own floppy eared bunny named "Bugs". Our parents finally got the hint and bought us a dog that we enjoyed for many years, then while away at college the dog had to be put down. I mourned the death of my best friend, and it wasn't until years later that I had another pet. After a bitter divorce, I moved in with my dad and his girlfriend and they had a cat named "Puffer". It was then that I discovered how fascinating cats could be, and how loving they really are. I had been afraid of them growing up because I was used to having dogs around, and I thought their behavior was a little odd. I got to know some pretty amazing facts by living there with Puffer, and learning how to care for him.

Cats are broken down into breeds just as dogs are, but there aren't nearly as many variations. While they come in many shapes and sizes, they all have one very amazing feature. According to about.com, just as we humans all have a unique thumbprint, the pad of a cat's nose is unique to each cat. No two cats have the same nose pad, and they are rigid in their design somewhat like your thumbprint.

Cats tend to knead a lot, whether it be on a soft blanket or when they are with their owner. It has been said that cats knead because it's a comfort thing, and is similar to how they nurse when they are babies. However, cats actually knead when they are happy. So remember that fact the next time they stop by and knead your belly.

I know I want to have children, but maybe two or three. When it comes to cats, did you know they could have as many as one hundred kittens in their lifetime? I would certainly wonder if that mother gets tired. I don't think any of us could imagine having one hundred children!

In watching cats, they seem to be extremely agile and graceful. In addition while holding my cats in my arms, I have always wondered why I can fold them up so easily. It appears that they would be double or triple jointed. Cats actually have 290 bones, and 517 muscles!

When it comes to the not so domestic cat, such as leopards, they have some interesting features too. As humans, we know we can get ourselves warm if we can get our feet warm. Leopards can keep themselves warm simply by wrapping their three foot long tail around their body to cover up their nose. That is how they keep warm in cold weather. I guess it is true, the nose knows! Simply amazing.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if your pet is having any pain. According to petinsurance-101.com, one way cats can express pain is by purring. Typically, we wouldn't consider this a sign of pain because we associate their purring with contentment. I have often wondered how they feel after being declawed, or after getting spayed or neutered but I can't remember if they were purring during that time other than while sitting on my lap.

For all of you who love dogs, you may feel that your dog's bark is worse than his bite. Dogs like to talk, but they don't have as many vocalizations as cats do. Dogs have ten different vocalizations they can use, while cats have around two hundred.

Is it any wonder that cats are always wanting to sun themselves, and even if your air condition goes out they still want to snuggle? This was the case with my husband's twenty-six pound Maine Coon. Last July the air condition went out in his apartment. While trying to sleep at night with a fan running, his large Maine Coon snuggled up as if nothing was wrong. This is pretty amazing considering that the Maine Coon cat has three coats. They have one surface coat and two winter coats. Cats altogether run a normal temperature of 101.5, which is slightly higher than humans. But, something tells me they like it hot!

I have always thought that a cat's whiskers are pretty cute. Depending on the breed, the whiskers can be pretty long. In fact, our Maine Coon has whiskers twice the length of our domestics. I would say that truly this might have to do with their size. Another amazing fact about cats is that they use their whiskers to judge whether a space is too small to pass through.

Last but not least, did you know that your cat's sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than yours? We learned this while watching Cats 101 on Animal Planet. We have often wondered why our cats approach our dinner table in a ravenous fashion. They get very excited when we bake chicken, while broiling steaks, and of course when we open a can of tuna. We always pictured dogs as the ones that would beg at the dinner table, but we have discovered that our cats are just as bad!

So it seems that cats after all have some pretty amazing features. The next time you hear someone say that cats are boring as pets, tell them to think again!