Cats are an enigma that have captured the hearts of people for thousands of years. Their mysterious personalities and adorable looks have made them an incredibly popular pet. With so many cats around us, surely that would mean that everyone knows everything possible about them, right? Wrong! There are so many interesting facts about cats that you probably haven’t heard of, from the world’s largest cat, to the surprising way they walk.
Keep reading to find out more. We bet you haven’t heard some of these fun cat facts!
Fun facts about cats:
1. The oldest known pet cat existed 9,500 years ago
This interesting fact about cats is guaranteed to wow at your next dinner party. Did you know that originally it was thought that Egyptians domesticated the cat? But in 2004, French archaeologists discovered a 9,500-year-old cat grave in Cyprus. This makes this the oldest known pet cat and it predates Egyptian art about cats by over 4,000 years!
2. Cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping
If you thought cats spent a lot of their lives sleeping, you’d be right. According to Veterinary Hub, Cats actually spend 70% of their lives sleeping, which works out to around 13-16 hours a day. It’s a cat’s life!
3. A cat was the Mayor of an Alaskan town for 20 years
An orange tabby cat called Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, a small town in Alaska for 20 years! He had several uncontested elections and although he didn’t hold any legislative power, he was loved by locals and tourists alike.
4. The richest cat in the world had £7 million
The richest cat in the world according to Guinness World Records is Blackie. When his millionaire owner passed away, he refused to recognize his family in his will and instead gave his 7-million-pound fortune to Blackie! We can’t believe that interesting cat fact!
5. Isaac Newton invented the cat door
How Stuff Works writes that Isaac Newton, the scientist famous for calculating gravity, was working at the University of Cambridge, and he was constantly interrupted by his cats scratching at the door. So he called the Cambridge carpenter to saw two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens.
6. In 1963 a cat went to space
You’ve heard of monkeys and dogs in space, but did you know that a cat braved the great unknown too? On October 18th, 1963, Félicette, also known as ‘Astrocat’ was the first and only cat to go to space.
7. Ancient Egyptians would shave off their eyebrows when their cats died
According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, Herodotus wrote in 440BC that when a pet cat died in Ancient Egyptian times the family members would shave off their eyebrows in mourning. Now that’s an interesting cat fact!
8. House cats share 95.6% of their genetic makeup with tigers
This cat fact will really blow your mind. A study discovered that our little house cats share 95.6% of their genetic makeup with tigers! They also share a lot of the same behaviors such as scent and urine marking, prey stalking and pouncing.
9. A house cat can reach speeds of up to 30mph
If you’ve watched your little kitty charging around the living room when they’re feeling lively you know that cats are pretty quick, but you won’t believe this cat fact. They can hit speeds of around 30mph which is so fast that they could beat Usain Bolt in a 200-metre dash!
10. The oldest cat in the world was 38 years old!
The oldest cat to have ever lived was 38 years and 3 days old when he died. Crème Puff, born on 3rd August 1967 lived until 6th August 2005, and his owner Jake Perry also owned the previous oldest cat record holder, Grandpa Rex Allen, who died at the grand age of 34! Whatever Jake Perry’s doing, he’s doing it right!
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