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

Persians and other longhairs are called "cobby" because they have stocky, rounded bodies with short, sturdy legs and round faces. Other features of this body type include a broad head and big, round eyes.

Cats have lived with humans for about 4,000 years.

In the USA there are 64 million cats which live in 32 per cent of American homes. The cat is now the number one pet in America.

When a domestic cat goes after mice, about one pounce in three results in a catch.

The cat lover is an ailurophile, while a cat hater is an ailurophobe.

In 1950, The London Times recorded that a young cat, the pet of the cook of the nearby Hotel Belvedere, climbed the Matterhorn in the Alps behind a group of mountaineers. The climbers brought the cat down and gave it a good supper. It was then named Cervinis, the Italian word for Matterhorn.

A cat named Towser eliminated 28,899 mice while he was employed by the Glenturret Distillery near Crieff, Tayside, England, a cat world record. He retired at the ripe old age of 24.

The first cat museum open to the public was Katzenmuseum in Riehen, Switzerland, on June 12, 1982. There are now two more: the Musee du Chat in Ainvell, France, and the Kattenkabinet in Amsterdam, Holland.

The Kaffir or Cape cat, Felis libica, is believed to be the wild ancestor of the domestic cat.

One summer night in 1955 in Keston, England, Winifred Mansell's pet cat, Ginny, came limping home. Mrs. Mansell removed what she thought to be glass from Ginny's left front foot. The glass proved to be two diamonds worth around $600 apiece.

Most cats are willing to sit for a photographic portrait. Position yourself about four or five feet away, or even closer if your camera permits. Wait for the right moment, then take several shots in quick succession.

The soft, thick fur beneath a cat's cover coat is called the undercoat. In the Russian Blue and Chartreux breeds, the hairs of this coat grow as long as the cover hairs, giving the cats of those breeds a luxurious "double" coat.

A cat's sense of taste is unique, to say the least. It lacks the ability to detect sweetness, but it can differentiate the slightest variations in the taste of water.

Although strikingly similar in appearance to the sacred cats of the Egyptian Pharoahs, it is considered unlikely that the Abyssinian is a direct descendant.

The American Wirehair looks like any other shorthaired cat. But on closer inspection, the hair has an unusual appearance, as if crimped with tongs; it feels wiry and coarse to the touch, and springs back when stroked.

When a cat is brought up with other animals - even rabbits, mice, squirrels, etc., which are normally considered "fair game" - the hunting instinct seems not to come to the fore.

The predator instict exists to some extent in all cats, including those that lead well-fed, cossetted lives in a comfortable family home.

All cats hunt. Hunting mothers generally pass all their hunting abilities, including the ultimate killing of their prey, onto their kittens. Nonhunting mothers, by contrast, often pass along the hunting skills except the ability to kill. A cat's tendency to hunt or not to hunt will have been determined by its ancestors of several generations ago.

According to Roger Caras, president of the ASPCA, there are many more cats born every day than there are good homes available for them. Neutering programs help to ensure that all cats will have a chance to find safe, happy homes.

The domestic cat's original coat color was most likely grayish-brown with dark tabby stripes. Other coat colors and patterns have resulted from genetic mutations; for example, solid colors are the result of a gene that acts to suppress tabby stripes.

Often called the "dogs" of the cat world, Abyssinians like to retrieve and are good at learning tricks. They also like to play with water (a deep drinking bowl is usually required). In addition, they readily walk on a lead and make friends with any dogs they meet along the way.

The cat's sharp, hooked claws, sheathed in soft, leathery pockets at the end of each toe, are perfectly designed for catching and holding prey when extended. They're useful in climbing, digging, and anchoring the cat's body during stretches.

First accepted in championship competition in the USA in 1967, the Birman is thought to be the ancient breed that originated in the Far East. The white gloves on all four paws and the white faces that extend partially up the back legs are the breed's most distinctive characteristics.

Cats wrinkle their nose the same way humans do when they're puzzled or insulted. Look closely and you'll see two or three wrinkles down the length of your cat's nose whenever your behavior is beyond his comprehension or offends his sensibilities.

One of a cat's most affectionate gestures is the "love bite" - a gentle tooth-hold on his owner's hand or arm. Instead of pulling away, stay still for the few seconds it lasts, then return the affection in your own way.

One of the most subtle movements in a cat's repertoire is the "rocking horse," an invitation to play that involves stiffening all four legs and rocking slightly forward and back in quiet anticipation. It's easy to miss, so watch for it.

Every cat's nose pad, or nose leather, has unique characteristics. Just as no two humans have the same fingerprints, it's a fact that no two feline noseprints are ever alike.

Like the cigars which bear its name, the Havana cat has a rich chestnut-brown color. This British breed has a Siamese-type build, and almond-shaped green eyes. True to its Siamese forebearers, the Havana is very intelligent but demands a great deal of attention.

Some experts think that the cat came from northern Africa or the Near East. One reason: linguistic echoes found in the English word cat, Spanish gato, French chat, German katze, Latin cattus and Arabic quttah - all believed to stem from the Nubian word kadiz.

The Romans were slow to appreciate the utility of cats as mousers. In fact, the Roman world regarded the cat as a symbol of liberty before they perceived its practical value as a mouser.

The cat appears to be the only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible.

Three breeds have coats with a way, "permed" texture: the American Wire-haired, the Cornish and Devon Rex. Even their whiskers are kinky.

Charles Dicken's cat, Williamina, started out life named William. The family renamed the cat when "he" became a mother.

The Egyptians believed that cats, which have exceptionally good visual powers, were also "seers" in the occult sense. Their eyes were also believed to tell time: cat's eyes shone more brightly at full moon and grew dimmer at its wane.

Cat's ears can be rotated because they are connected to thirty (30) muscles. There are only six (6) muscles connecting human ears - we can't rotate ours.

Edward Gorey, an artist/writer known for his macabre sense of humor, named his six cats after characters in The Tale of Genji, the celebrated Japanese work of fiction.

Americans spend more on cat food than baby food - over $3 million (US$) annually.

Many cats are only partially white. This is the result of a white-spotting gene that makes the cat's true color. It usually appears in irregular patches, but generally favoring the lower regions of the body. There are special names given to the different degrees of white masking:

A cat with white paws is said to be mitted.
A cat with a white patch on his chest is said to have a locket.
A cat with several small, white belly patches is said to have buttons.
A cat with roughly half his body surface white is said to be bicolor.
A cat with a predominantly white coat and a few color patches is a harlequin.
A cat with a white coat except for color on the tail and head is a Van.
A black cat with white legs, underside and chest is called a tuxedo cat.
A black and white cat is called a jellicle cat.

The phrase "a cat has nine lives" is well known but few people understand its origin. It is obviously based on the fact the cat is unusually resilient, but that does not explain the nine lives. The answer is to be found in early religious beliefs, where a "trinity of trinities" was thought to be especially lucky, and therefore ideally suited for the "lucky" cat.

The kitten appearing in the logo of the Mary Tyler Moore television production company, is a parody of the famous MGM roaring lion, Leo.

The Bombay Cat, a domestic breed developed in the United States in the late 1950s, is essentially a jet black Burmese. The aim of its creator was to produce a sleek, mini-panther.

The Italian word for purr is fusa. It could also be "firsta" because Italy became the entry point for the spread of shorthaired cats into Europe, starting around 900 BC. Longhaired breeds came to Italy from Turkey during the 16th century.

Sir Isaac Newton is credited with the invention of the cat flap-door.

To the Egyptians and the Scandinavians, both the coiled snake and the curled-up cat symbolized eternity. The Norse sagas tell of a "World Serpent" who sometimes appeared in the guise of a cat.

Unlike many other blue-eyed white cats, the Oriental White Shorthair breed is not prone to deafness. The genetic anomaly that causes this trait is not carried by this breed of white cat.

The life span of an outdoor cat averages about seven years. Healthy house cats may live up to fifteen years, but few achieve the advanced age of 20.

The Abyssinian's tawny coat reflects its origins and its need for camouflage in a semi-desert habitat. A cat's coat often tells a story about its past in a forest, jungle, mountainside or savannah.

Note: Additional information about various cat breeds are located here.