• Cats have been domesticated for about 4000 years, and there are now more than 500 million domesticated cats in the world.
• The average period of gestation for a cat is about nine weeks.
• Adult cats have 30 teeth.
• In Australia, there are about 50 recognised breeds and pedigrees of cats.
• When you cat rubs herself on you or scratches against the furniture, she is communicating – she has scent glands on her cheeks and paws and the rubbing transfers the scent onto whatever she has rubbed against.
• Your cat’s long whiskers are attached to nerve cells that give him information about the world around him, such as the size of a hole he’s trying to squeeze through.
• Australia’s largest cat breed is the Maine Coon. These cats can weigh up to a hefty 12 kilos (most other domestic cats weigh about four or five kilos). The heaviest domestic cat ever recorded weighed in at more than 20 kilos.
• Like many dogs, cats sleep a lot. Your cat will sleep about 14 hours a day.
• While humans have 12 muscles in their ears, cats have an incredible 32 muscles. This helps them locate prey, and means they can hear frequencies we can’t. These muscles also help cats with their balance – which is why they always seem to land on their feet.
• If a cat hasn’t interacted with a human by about 16 weeks of age you’ll probably find him incredibly difficult to tame.
• Cats can reach a top speed of about 30 kilometres per hour.
• A group of cats is called a clowder.
• There are more left-pawed cats than right.
• A reflective layer in a cat’s eye magnifies light, allowing that cat to see about six times better than a human in low light.
• Cats live an average of about 12 to 15 years.
