Cat Info

1. Cats always land on their feet

Do cats always land on their feet? Well...it depends, if the cat falls a very short distance from the ground it doesn't have enough time to right itself. A cat will be seriously injured & quite possibly killed if it falls from a great height. There is a new term coined by American vets called "high rise syndrome". Due to the ever increasing human population, high rise apartments are becoming more the norm & vets are seeing many cats who have been injured falling out of high rise apartments.

2. Declawing won't hurt my cat

Declawing is more than simply removing the cat's claws, the last bone on the cat's claw is amputated. This is an excruciatingly painful procedure & one which not all cats will fully recover from. Many declawed cats are surrendered to shelters because of behavioural problems they developed after being declawed including biting & refusal to use their litter tray.

Cats by nature walk on their toes, so after they've been declawed, walking often becomes extremely painful to them.

If you are worried about your cat scratching the furniture (or your family) you can try trimming your cat's claws or you could put Soft Paws on it.

3. Can I feed my cat dog food?

Feeding your cat dog food is extremely dangerous. Dog food is missing essential the essential nutrients taurine & arachidonic acid. Taurine deficiency can lead to blindness & arachidonic acid can lead to dry, scaly skin. Cats require a higher protein & fat content in their diet.

4. Cat fur causes allergies

The primary cause of allergic reactions to cats is caused by allergens found in the cat sebaceous glands in the cat's skin, such as the allergenic glycoprotein called Fel D1(short for "Felis domesticus"), it is also secreted via saliva in lesser quantities. When cats lick themselves, they spread this protein, which is rather sticky, and glues itself onto dust particles, the home, your clothing and their fur; whether it's long, short, straight, curly, or absent. As all cats have sebaceous glands, all cat breeds can potentially cause allergies. Allergic allergens are also found in the faeces, serum, urine, mucous, dander, and hair roots of the cat.

5. A cat purrs because it's happy

Well yes, cat's do purr when they're happy but they will sometimes purr when they are in pain. Cats have been known to purr when they are giving birth & they will sometimes purr when they are dying. Purring is more an expression of an emotion than an expression of happiness.

6. Cats will not mate with their siblings/parents/offspring

Cats do not share the same taboos about incest as humans do. If left entire, closely related cats including brother & sister, parent to offspring will mate. It is advisable to desex your cats before 6 months to prevent this from happening.

7. All calico (tortoiseshell) cats are female

No, while the vast majority of calico cats are female, there is the occasional male. However, virtually all of these males are sterile. the calico colour is sex linked. For a cat to be calico it must have two X chromosomes ergo the cat is female. In rare instances however a male calico will be produced. This usually happens because the cat has an extra chromosome. So, instead of him being XY, he is XXY. These cats are known as Kleinfelter males.

* Approximately 1-3,000 calico's are male & out of those only 1-10,000 are fertile.

8. Calico males are worth a lot of money

While it is true that calico males are rare, they are not valuable in financial terms.

9. All orange cats are male

No, it is possible to have an orange female. Unlike the orange male, who only needs one copy of the O gene to produce an orange coat, the female requires the O to be on both chromosomes. If she has only one O, the resulting coat colour will be calico.

Random Facts

Cats can't taste sweets.

A cat's tongue consists of small "hooks," which come in handy when tearing up food.

Americans spend more annually on cat food than on baby food.

In 1987 cats overtook dogs as the number one pet in America.

A group of youngsters (kittens) is called a kindle; those old-timers (adult cats) form a clowder.

The catgut formerly used as strings in tennis rackets and musical instruments does not come from cats. Catgut actually comes from sheep, hogs, and horses.

Black cat superstitions are as American as apple pie. In Asia and England, black cats are considered lucky.

Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.

Cats have true fur, in that they have both an undercoat and an outer coat.

When a domestic cat goes after mice, about one pounce in three results in a catch.

The cheetah is the only cat in the world that can't retract it's claws.

Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.

In cats, the calico and tortiseshell coats are sex-linked traits. All cats displaying these coats are female... or occasionally sterile males.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw.

Cats have true fur, in that they have both an undercoat and an outer coat.

Contrary to popular belief, the cat is a social animal. A pet cat will respond and answer to speech , and seems to enjoy human companionship.

If left to her own devices, a female cat may have three to seven kittens every four months. This is why population control using neutering and spaying is so important.

Kittens are born with both eyes and ears closed. When the eyes open, they are always blue at first. They change color over a period of months to the final eye color.

When well treated, a cat can live twenty or more years.

A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.