Feline Facts: Cat Trivia ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Feline Facts: Cat Trivia

"If there is one spot of sun spilling onto the floor, a cat will find it and soak it up." ~ Joan Asper McIntosh ~

Cats are the least domesticated of house pets.

The cat family apparently evolved from the same ancestors as contemporary mongooses and civets. Fossils of the cat family date back about 40 million years.

Domestic cats comprise just one of almost forty different species of cats. To zoologists, cats fall into one of three genera:

   Felis the smaller, purring cats, ranging from the mountain lion to the domestic cat;
   Panthera the larger, roaring cats, including the lion, tiger, leopard, and jaguar; and
   Acinonyx, the speedy cheetah, the only cat whose claws do not retract.

Of these, only the felidaes (felis catus - or "felix the cat") have been domesticated - or rather, have consented to domestication.

The cat allowed itself to become domesticated, not in a desire to befriend man, but because of man's communities with the hordes of rats and mice attracted by their stores of food.

Among the seven continents, only icy Antarcticia remains catless today.

The ancient Egyptians, first domesticated cats 4,000 years ago. Not only did they welcome the cat for protecting their grain, they actually revered the cat. They developed cat cults and temple worship of the cat.

The Egyptian sun-god, Ra, changed himself into a cat in order to battle evil. Bast, the goddess of fertility and love, always took the form of a cat (body of a woman, head of a cat). The ancient city of Bubastis was her chief seat of worship.

Egyptians imposed the death penalty for any killing of a cat, even accidentally. By law, families who mourned the loss of their cat had to shave their eyebrows as a sign of their grief. Dead cats were often embalmed and mummified, even with mummified mice for their dining pleasure in the after life.

The Middle Ages were truly the Dark Ages for cats. Condemned as symbols of paganism, witches' familiars, and agents of Satan, cats were persecuted and nearly wiped out by the fifteenth century.

The extermination of cats undoubtedly helped rats spread the murderous Black Death, the plague that killed 25 million Europeans, one-fourth of the population between 1347 and 1351.

Under orders from Pope Innocent VIII, the Spanish Inquisition burned thousands of cats at the stake due to cats' condemnation as evil.

Seventeenth century Europeans gained a renewed appreciation for the cat's skill at destroying disease-infested rats. (For in-depth catlore, see Lore of the Cat.)

Around 1750, cats were introduced to control the rodent population in the American colonies.

The first modern cat show, featuring two dozen show classes, was held in London in 1871.

In 1895, the US had the first American cat show at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Note: The above material was taken from The Cat's Meow by Armand Eisen.

After being handled, cats lick themselves to smooth out their fur and get rid of that "person" smell. Licking is also thought to produce a calming effect.

Not every cat gets "high" from catnip, an herb belonging to the mint family. Whether or not a cat responds to it depends upon a recessive gene: no gene, no joy.

A feline in a hurry can sprint at about thirty-one miles per hour.

Cats are not vegetarians and should never be put on a vegetarian diet. Cats are flesh eaters and need to eat meat.

The most popular feline monikers in the United States:
Males: Smokey, Tiger, Max, Charlie, Rocky, Tigger, Sam/Sammy, Mickey, Toby
Females: Samantha, Misty, Muffin, Fluffy, Patches, Punkin, Missy, Tabitha, Tigger. ~ Cat Fancy Magazine

An adult cat has thirty teeth and about twelve whiskers.

People who suffer from red eyes and sneezing when around cats are allergic to their dander - a combination of the feline's hair, saliva, and skin. Children who are allergic to cats may outgrow the condition.

Precious Mewtals:
Silver Tabby, Shaded Silver, Pewter, Golden Persian, Cream Silver Tabby, Silver-Patched Tabby, Blue Silver-Patched Tabby, Platinum, Bronze

The first cat show was held in London's Crystal Palace in 1871. Nowadays, over 75,000 cats (and their owners) claw for top honors at the more than 300 cat shows held in the United States every year.

A group of youngsters [kittens] is called a kindle; those old-timers [adult cats] form a clowder.

Black cat superstitions are as American as apple pie. In Asia and England, black cats are considered lucky.

A cat's tongue consists of small "hooks," which come in handy when tearing up food.

Grocery List of Fur Colors:
Cream, Chocolate Point, Chocolate Tortie, Blue Mackerel Tabby, Brown Mackerel Tabby, Cinnamon, Chestnut, Champagne, Honey Mink, Chocolate Tipped, Light Chocolate Tipped, Caramel, Caramel Silver-Ticked Tabby, Chestnut Spotted

The silks created by weavers in Baghdad, Iraq were inspired by the beautiful and varied colors and markings of cat coats. These fabrics were called "tabby" by European traders.

A cat's whiskers, called vibrissae, grow on the cat's face as well as the backs of its forelegs. The whiskers are thought to be a kind of radar, which helps a cat gauge the space it intends to walk through. By the way, if a cat's whiskers are cut off for any reason, they will grow back.

The Russian Blue is a breed prone to having an extra toe. Six-toed kitties are so common in Boston and surrounding parts of Massachusetts that some experts consider it an established mutation.

Long-Haired World Travelers:
Persian, Himalayan, Turkish Angora, Javanese, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest, Siberian, Balinese

Well-Traveled Short-Haired Cats:
Japanese Bobtail, Scottish Fold, European Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Russian Shorthair, Siamese, Burmese, Asian, Bombay, Singapura, Oriental Shorthair, Egyptain Mau, Abyssinian

You don't need a pet psychiatrist to tell you how your cat is feeling - just watch your feline's tail. A tail held high means happiness; a twitching tail is a warning sign, and a tail tucked in close to the body is a sure sign of insecurity.

Cats take personal hygiene very seriously. Some cats will not urinate if their litter box is in a noisy area. Like humans, felines like privacy and quiet in their bathrooms. But cats never complain about people leaving the seat up.

Cats have a third eyelid, called a haw, which is rarely visible. If it is visible, it could be an indication of ill health.

What did Julius Caesar, Henry II, Charles XI, and Napoleon have in common? Ailurophobia - fear of cats. This fear made these otherwise lionhearted men nearly faint in the presence of a feline.

Note: The above material is taken from Cat Talk by Armand Eisen.

Charles A. Lindbergh left his kitten, Patsy, at home in 1927 when he made his famous transatlantic flight because it was "too dangerous a journey" to risk her life. But a kitten named Jazz crossed the Atlantic on the first dirigible flight from England to America.

When your cat rubs up against you, marking you with scent from the glands near his whiskers, take it as a compliment - he's claiming you as his own.

In 1899, illustrator James Swinnerton introduced the first comic strip cat in Hearst's New York Journal. His name was Mr. Jack, and he was an orange and black bachelor tiger cat with a roving eye.

In the south of France, black cats are referred to as matagots, or "magician cats." According to local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat them with the respect they deserve.

Black cats were once treated like royalty in the homes of English sailors, who believed that keeping them happy would ensure fair weather when they went to sea. They became so high-priced that few sailors could afford to keep them.

People who insist they don't like cats have been known to change their minds after meeting an Abyssinian. Fearless, intelligent, and good with children, Abyssinians brighten any home with their athletic grace and regal charm.

A cat association is a group that registers cats and kittens, chooses cat-show judges, and schedules cat shows. The largest of these groups is the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), which registers more than 80,000 cats and kittens each year.

One of the oldest natural breeds, the affectionate, blue-haired Chartreux is a native of France. An intelligent and effective mouser, the Chartreux gets along well with people and other animals - and has been known to romp with dogs on occasion.

Alley Cat Allies is a group of volunteers devoted to bettering the lives of America's feral cats, who struggle to survive in our streets and abandoned buildings but too often go unfed and untreated. To lend a hand, write to:

Alley Cat Allies (ACA)
1801 Belmont Road NW, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-667-3630
Fax: 202-667-3640
In 1961, a Scottish shepherd named William Ross noticed that one of the farm kittens had folded ears. He named her Susie and in time adopted one of her kittens, a white, droopy-eared female named Snooks, the first registered Scottish fold.

Bouhaki, the earliest cat name on record, dates back to Egyptian writings of 2000 B.C. In the hieroglyphs of that period, bou signifed "house" and hak was the symbol for "divine ruler."

Facts and Trivia continued.

Additional Feline Info:

Bachman Kiddens' Catcyclopedia
Why Do Cats ... ?