There is no denying that cats are one of the most popular animals on the planet. There are an estimated 600 million cats, and, in spite of being a very well known species, there are still many enigmas around them.
Through many studies scientists have been able to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding these felines. Keep reading to learn some interesting facts about cats that will surprise you.
They own your house
Being territorial animals, they will select an area that seems safe for them. Your house will be the space where they will find comfort and support, and in their brains they will brand it as their property. They will let other animals and people know this by rubbing their face in certain objects and even use urine just as dogs do.
They react better to female voices
Higher tones are prefered by cats. Research reveals that the female voice resembles a cat’s tone more than a male voice does. When a woman speaks to a cat it’s more comforting because it sounds more familiar, this is why they prefer it.
They have full color sight
Contrary to the popular belief that they see only black and white, cats are able to perceive all colors. Yet, they are not able to see all ranges of color because their perception is less intense than ours. Your cat can only see colder tones.
Cats can’t taste sweeter flavors
Sour, bitter and savoury flavors are undetectable thanks to their taste buds; nonetheless, cats can taste sweet flavors. This happens because their taste sense isn’t quite as developed as ours, they only have 473 taste buds while humans have around 10,000.
Black cats are a sign of good luck
The black cat, bad luck superstition isn’t as popular as you may believe. Black cats are seen as signs of good luck in Japan and most of Asia. According to Feng Shui, if you own a black cat you should put his bed in the northern side of the room to protect you from evil.
They don’t have “7 lives”
The belief that cat’s possess 7 lives is of course a huge lie, but it is fundamented on the fact that they have an astonishing capability to survive big falls by spinning in the air and landing on their paws. Their secret is that their balancing organs are located in their inner ear, having the ability to perceive space distribution better than other animals.
7- 70% of their day is spent sleeping
Evolution has led them to sleep for long periods throughout the day. Wild cats need to sleep often so they have energy to hunt their next meal. Even though our domestic cats don’t need to hunt, they preserve this in their instinct, making them take naps all day long.
Most blue eyed white cats are deaf
This combination is one of the most beautiful in cats, but, these physical characteristics may reveal that they carry the dominant gene W (W stands for White). This is a pleiotropic gene, which means that it causes the physical characteristics but algo provokes the loss of hearing.
They hate citrus
Cat’s are not huge lime, lemon and orange fans because of their strong smell. Orange peelings are very annoying to them and even cat repellents sometimes contain citrus essences.
Most cats with multiple colored fur are females
Fur color is linked to sex chromosomes, which means that if there are three colors on your cat it is almost a fact that it is a female. There can be exceptions, but most male cats with this characteristic are sterile.
Now you know some quirky characteristics that make cats unique. We hope that this will be helpful to get to know your pet better. Share with your friends and comment if there are other curious things about cats that you know.