Cat Facts

Do you enjoy reading cat facts? Well, this page brings you a small collection of interesting facts about cats.



From health and behavior to legends and pop culture, you will find a cat fact that will add to your general understanding of cats.


"With their qualities of cleanliness, discretion, affection, patience, dignity, and courage, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of becoming cats?"

- Fernand Mery, Her Majesty the Cat


Anatomy, health and behavior

Have you ever wondered why cats are so flexible? Well, cats have free-floating clavicle bones. These "flexible bones" allow them to go through very tight spaces, as long as their heads can pass through.

The majority of cats have five claws on their front paws and four or five claws on their rear paws.

Chocolate can be toxic to cats.

Because of genetics, all felines, big and small, are unable to taste sweetness.

Cats usually wag their tail when they are upset.

Cats have 150 less skeletal muscles than humans. Cats have 500 and humans have 650.

Cats are fastidiously clean. Indeed, cats can spend almost 25% of their life grooming themselves.

Cats have 30 teeth, of which 12 are incisors, 10 are premolars, 4 are canines, and 4 are molars.

Cats usually weigh between 5 and 16 pounds.

You think your cat is fat? The heaviest cat on record weighed 46 pounds.

Cats, just like their closest wild ancestors, have 38 chromosomes.

On average, a cat can take between 20 to 40 breaths per minute.

When a cat is frightened, his hair stands up evenly all over his body.

The average litter of kittens is between 2 to 6 kittens.

When a cat is ready to fight her fur stands up only along her spine and tail.

Cats use several means of communication, including meowing, hissing, and purring.

Cats have more bones than humans. While humans have 206 bones, cats have 230.

More cat facts – myths, pop culture and more

The Cat Fancier’s Association Inc. recognizes 40 cat breeds, of which 39 are pedigreed breeds for showing in the Championship class and 1 is recognized as miscellaneous.

In Japan, Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat) is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity.

The word cat comes from the Old English term catt.

How do you say cat in other languages?

  • Catus – Latin
  • Chat – French
  • Chasul – Hebrew
  • Gat – Catalan
  • Gato – Spanish
  • Gatto – Italian
  • Gatta - Greek
  • Kat – Dutch
  • Katt –Swedish
  • Katze – German
  • Kot – Portuguese
  • Kotchca – Russian
  • Mau - Egyptian
  • Neko – Japanese
  • Quttah - Arabic

Famous cat lovers include: Florence Nightingale, Ernest Hemingway, Janet Leigh, and Queen Victoria.

Beatrix Porter’s cats include: Ginger, Moppet, Tom Kitten, and Simpkin.

Cats were the only animals permitted to enter and dwell in Roman temples.

According to several Chinese legends, cats can see ghosts.

Cat fancy is the term used to refer to the breeding, showcasing, appreciation, and promotion of purebred cats.

Famous Cats

Curious about the lives of famous felines? There are indeed many famous kitties, including Socks - the former First Cat, Dewey - the famous library cat, and Scarlett - the courageous mother cat who saved all her kittens from a fire. other Here's an article about other famous kitties.

Books with lots of cat facts

These tomes are filled with cat facts...

meowWOW!: Curiously Compelling Facts, True Tales, and Trivia Even Your Cat Won't Know by Marty Becker, Gina Spadafori, Molly Pearce (Illustrator)

Why Cats Do That: A Collection of Curious Kitty Quirks by Karen Anderson, Wendy Christensen (Illustrator)

100 Things You Should Know About Cats and Kittens (Barnes & Noble Edition) by Barnes & Noble Books

Cats Don't Always Land on Their Feet: Hundreds of Fascinating Facts from the Cat World by Erin Barrett, Jack Mingo

Cat Biz: A Compendium of Amazing Facts and Anecdotes from the Cat World by Amanda O'Neill, Seymour (Editor)

Cats Facts, Figures & Fun by Eve Devereux

Why Do Cats Bury Their Poop?: More Than 200 Feline Facts, Fallacies, and Foibles Revealed by Margaret H. Bonham, D. Caroline Coile

Cat Book of Lists: Facts, Furballs and Foibles from Our Favorite Felines by Stephen J. Spignesi



More facts about cats

Have you ever wondered why cats purr? There are many reasons behind this very feline sound. Here's more about cat purring.

Facts about other pets

If you love dogs, you'll find interesting information here:

Types of Dogs - Learn all about the different types of dogs and dog breeds.



Related Links

Facts about cats

More interesting facts about cats

Famous cats

Why do cats purr?

Cat myths and legends

Moggy cats - facts and quotes

Cat superstitions - beliefs surrounding cats

Cat sayings and proverbs


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Our Cats

Mia (1998-2010)

Mia the CatMia was lovely, courageous, and one of the wisest cats I've ever met. This site is dedicated to her memory.

Max

Max the CatMax is our very own magical cat. He loves big mouse toys and is an avid bird watcher.



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