Approximately 55 million cats live with families in the United States as pets.
According to a poll by Tufts University, about half of America's 50-60 million cats are now living exclusively indoors, protected from the risks of disease and accidents inherent in an outdoor lifestyle. These cats live longer, and their owners are helping to control the feline population.
A healthy cat's lifespan is generally 12 to 15 years, but many cats have lived to 18 years of age and beyond. The oldest "reliably recorded" cat, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was 34 years old when it was put to sleep.
You can tell a cat's mood by looking into its eyes. A frightened or excited cat will have large round pupils. An angry cat will have narrow pupils. The pupil size is related as much to the cat's emotions as to the degree of light.
A cat with a mellow personality will usually have no trouble accepting an outgoing cat as an addition to the household. A shy, quiet cat is well-suited as a companion to a cat who demands a lot of attention.
Cat "kneading" behavior is left over from kittenhood when they kneaded their mother's belly for milk. The marching or kneading means that the cat is happy.
The cat is a social animal. A pet cat will respond and answer to speech, and seems to enjoy human companionship.
A cat's skeleton is made up of about 250 bones. The longer a cat's tail is, the more bones it will have.
Cats normally have five toes on each front paw and only four on each paw in the back. The "extra" toe in the front acts like a thumb and aids the cat in getting a hold on its prey.
Every cat's nose pad, or nose leather, has unique characteristics. Just as no two humans have the same fingerprints, it's a fact that no two feline noseprints are ever alike.
Cats have a third eyelid at the inner corner of the eye. It is pale pink in color, and will be prominently visible if she is ill or has something caught in her eye.
Most cats have no eyelashes.
Cats lack a true collarbone. They can generally squeeze their bodies through any space that they can get their heads through.
The cat's sense of touch is the most delicate in the broad class of mammals. In fact, some experts believe it to be the most highly refined tactile sense in the entire animal kingdom.
In general, a cat's skin is insensitive to temperature except in the area of the nose.
Cats have true fur. They have an undercoat and outercoat.
Cats with white fur and skin on their ears are very prone to sunburn. Frequent sunburns can lead to skin cancer.
Many cats cannot properly digest cow's milk. Milk and milk products give them diarrhea.
Cats do get cancer and can have a form of aids.
Cats can have gum disease. The vet should
clean their teeth once a year.
Cats can get tapeworms from eating fleas and mice.
Ferns and many other plants are very poisonous to cats.
It is believed that cats see most colors as variations of gray.
Cats cannot see in total darkness, but their vision in twilight is almost unparalleled.
A cats eye sight is 6 times as strong as that of a person.
A cat cannot see directly under its nose which is why a cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.
White vinegar is good to neutralize cat urine odor.
A cat is pregnant for 58-65 days.
Cats have AB blood groups just like people.
People that are allergic to cats are actually allergic to cat saliva or to cat dander.
Here are a few good cat links
With lots of information.
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