Kitty Kat Trivia

Didja know...

  • All kittens have blue eyes until they are 3 weeks old.

  • Cats' eyes glow because a membrane, the tapetum lucidum, coats the eyes of cats and acts as a reflector of light.

  • A steady diet of dog food can cause your cat to go blind because of the lack of taurine, which cats need for good eyesight.

  • A cat can hear and recognize the footsteps of its owner hundreds of feet away.

  • Cats don't walk on their whole foot, only on their toes. This helps them to remain silent so they can sneak up on their prey.

  • When a cat brings you a dead mouse, it's not a present, but a teaching tool. Your cat thinks you are its child and need to be taught to hunt. The first time you'll get a dead mouse. The second time it will be partly alive so it can show you how to kill it. The third time you'll get a live mouse and your cat will watch and wait for you to hunt it.

  • The average cat will eat 20 times its own weight in food each year. (Can this be true? If you have a 7 pound cat he'll eat 140 lbs. of food a year??? Somehow the math doesn't quite add up, but hey...I'm a cat so I'm not all that good at math!)

  • When cats drink, their tongues scoop the liquid up backwards.

  • Cats can jump as high as 7 times their own height.

  • The aincient Egyptians were the first to tame the cat. The Pilgrims were the first to introduce cats to North America.

  • Cats readily respond to names that end in an "ee" sound. (Willoughby, for instance!...not that I particularly like coming when I'm called. I only do so if it suits me at the moment.)

  • In an average year, cat owners in the U.S. spend $2.15 billion on cat food and $295 million on cat litter. (Think of how many dollars go towards wonderful little mousie toys for us too!)

  • Cats have more bones (236) than humans, who only have 206. (Heh, more proof that we're superior critters.)

  • If you're having a problem with hairballs, using a lint roller (like the ones you use to get all that pesky pet hair off your favorite sweater) on your cat's fur can help considerably.

  • In July, 1996, Tipper the cat saved his own life by dialing 911. He was choking on his flea collar when he knocked the phone off the table in his struggle. He then accidentally (accidentally? I think not. Tipper knew what was going on.) hit the speed dial button for emergency services, and when rescue workers heard the frantic cries and meows, they traced the call and saved good 'ol Tipper!

  • Feeding your cat tuna could be bad for his health. It's too low in calcium and too high in phosphorus. It may also cause yellow-fat disease, and may increase susceptability to rubber jaw, a form of osteoporosis.

  • Onion powder is also bad to feed cats because it contains an oxidizing agent that can damage feline blood cells and cause anemia.

  • Many cats lack the ability to digest lactose in milk, so it can cause digestive problems. Think of all those lactose-intolerant people and imagine what it'd be like to live with one, or better yet, sleep with one on your head. Toot, tooot!!

  • Cats should never eat raw eggs. They contain a protein that blocks the use of one of the B vitamins. They may also contain harmful bacteria.

  • And many of you know, but it's worth repeating...don't feed your cat (or d*g for that matter) chocolate! It contains theobromine, which is toxic to us critters. It causes increased heart and respiration rates, vomiting, diarrhea, and depression (and no one wants a sad kitty).



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