9 Amazing Facts You Don’t Know About Your Cat

Anyone who is a fan of felines know that cats come with many quirky traits. Our fur friends are mysterious creatures, and there’s no shortage of new and fun cat facts to learn. Would you like to discover some fascinating facts about your kitty? Below, Cat in a Flat shares 9 amazing facts about cats! 

1. Cats are incredibly fast

It’s always fun to see how quickly your cat can move during playtime. When they really want to get their paws on that laser pointer or feather toy, your kitty can transform into a furry blur. But did you know that cats can reach a sprint speed of 50km/h? Even the fastest human on earth, Usain Bolt, has a mere record of 37.58 km/h. We humans have nothing when up against our feline friends in a race! 

2. Do cats have unique paw prints? 

This is a cute little cat fact: every kitty has their own individual paw print! Like human fingerprints, each paw print has its own identifiers. But Mr Whiskers’ paw print isn’t the only thing about him that’s unique. It turns out every cat nose has its own pattern of bumps and ridges that serves as an individual fingerprint (or nose print) too. Let’s just say, with so many identifiable markers it’d be pretty difficult for your kitty to go into a life crime. 

3. Male calico cats are very rare

Calico cats are felines with fur spotted in three colours (black, brown, and white). But did you know that calico cats are almost always female? Only one out of every 3,000 calico cats are male, which makes it incredibly rare. The reason for this is that two X chromosomes are needed for a cat to have this tri-colour coat. And a XX pair means the kitty is a female. 

4. Cats can make as many as 100 vocal noises 

It may seem like Mr Whiskers only knows one word, but your cat’s meow means a lot more than…well, just meow. Cats use as many as 100 different vocal pitches to communicate their moods. These vary depending on whether they’re hungry, happy, want to go outside (and right back in, of course) and everything in between. Compared to other domestic pets—dogs boast a mere 10 vocal pitches—cats are certainly complex creatures. And our furry friends don’t just communicate verbally, a cat’s tail and their facial expressions can tell us a lot about what they’re thinking or feeling too.

5. Is there such a thing as a working cat? 

While seeing working dogs is a common occurrence, have you ever met a working feline? One fact about cats is that they love sleeping, however, this doesn’t mean your kitty is lazy. Our furry friends make excellent mousers and can be employed in farms, wineries, warehouses, and breweries to help with pest control.

Some cats have even taken up office jobs! There are companies in Japan which have seen an increase in workplace productivity when employees have kitty colleagues.  

6. Cats can’t taste sweets

Cats can get bored of their food, but you should never try to change up your kitty’s diet with anything sweet. It’s a little-known cat fact that our furry friends can’t taste sugar or sweetness. Even if Mr Whiskers seems keen to try your dessert, avoid feeding him sweet food. This can cause dental issues—even if brushing your fur friend’s teeth is already a part of your daily cat care essentials. 

7. Can cats wake up instantly? 

It’s a well-known fact about cats that they sleep a lot. But did you know that your cat can go from sleep to complete wakefulness almost instantly? Even while asleep, cats can detect 70% of sounds and smells around them. No wonder your cat can appear fast asleep one second and come running the moment you get out the catnip and treats!

Although lighter sleep does make up around 60% of a feline’s down time, cats do go into deep REM sleep too. In the case of REM sleep, it can be very difficult for your kitty to wake up. It’s also not advisable to wake Mr Whiskers when he’s in deep REM sleep because he can become scared, confused, or mistaken you for a predator. 

8. Cats can drink salt water

Staying hydrated is important for cats—especially in hot weather. But you might be surprised to learn that cats aren’t necessarily restricted to fresh water for their hydration needs. It’s a fascinating fact about cats that our furry friends can drink salt water too! Feline kidneys can filter out the salt from the water, which allows your cat to be able to drink and rehydrate with salt water as well.

However, you should still be careful about allowing your cat to drink too much salt water. High salt intake can lead to issues like excessive thirst, urination, and sodium poisoning

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9. How did cats spread around the world? 

These days, you can find house cats on every continent except for Antarctica. But our feline friends weren’t always native to such places. So how did cats spread across the globe? The answer is Vikings! Somewhere around the 10^th century, Vikings began bringing cats—particularly Egyptian cats—on their ships for pest control. Eventually, it became commonplace to have kitties as shipmates, and cats were able to travel to Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. So, while Mr Whiskers does currently spend his days snoozing on the sofa, he actually comes from a long line of furry adventurers! 

More fun facts about cats

Did you enjoy these 9 amazing cat facts? There’s always something new and surprising to learn about our felines. If you’d like to know more about your fur friends, you’ve come to the right place. Our blog is full of exciting posts all about cats. From why cats are afraid of cucumbers to the reasons your cat follows you to the bathroom and more, we’ve got plenty of fun articles for you!