18 Amazing and Funny Facts About Cats

Think you know everything about your cat? Here are some of the most amazing, surprising and funny facts about cats that might just change the way you look at your furry friend.

Cats can’t taste sweetness. Unlike us, cats lack a working sweet taste receptor, so sugar simply doesn’t taste sweet to them. As obligate carnivores, they don’t need it.
Cats see well in very dim light. Everyone knows cats see well in the dark, but did you know they need only about one-sixth of the light that people need to see? They can’t see in total darkness, though. Read more about how cats see.
Cats aren’t the only purrers. Other animals, including raccoons, mongooses, cheetahs and some other wild cats, make purr-like sounds too. Guinea pigs and rabbits also make sounds that are often called “purring.”
A purr has a frequency of about 25 to 150 vibrations per second. Some researchers believe that vibrations in this range may even help bones and tissues heal, which could be one reason cats purr when they’re injured or unwell.
Whiskers are high-tech sensors. A cat’s whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect tiny changes in air currents. Cats use them to find their way in the dark, to judge whether they’ll fit through a gap and to sense prey up close. Never trim a cat’s whiskers!
Your cat may be faster than an Olympic sprinter. At full speed, a domestic cat can reach about 30 mph (48 km/h) over a short distance. Usain Bolt’s top speed in his world-record 100-meter run was about 27 mph (44 km/h)!
Cats spend most of their lives asleep. Adult cats sleep 12 to 16 hours a day on average, and kittens and senior cats sleep even more.
A cat’s ears are very mobile. Cats have more than 30 muscles in each ear, allowing them to rotate their ears independently, about 180 degrees, to pinpoint sounds.
Cats hear much higher sounds than we do. Cats can hear frequencies up to about 64 kHz, more than three times higher than the human limit of about 20 kHz. That’s how they hear the tiny squeaks of mice.
Every cat’s nose is unique. The pattern of ridges on a cat’s nose is as individual as a human fingerprint.
Most kittens are born with blue eyes. Their true eye color usually develops by about 6 to 8 weeks of age, sometimes later.
Cats walk like camels and giraffes. When walking, cats move both legs on one side of the body, then both legs on the other, a gait called “pacing.” Few other animals walk this way.
Cats are amazing jumpers. A healthy cat can jump up to about five or six times its own height in a single leap.
Cats almost always land on their feet. Thanks to the “righting reflex” and a very flexible spine, a falling cat can twist its body to land feet first. But that doesn’t make falls safe: cats are often badly injured falling from windows and balconies, so make sure yours are secure.
Most adult cats are lactose intolerant. Despite the image of cats lapping up a saucer of milk, many adult cats can’t digest lactose properly, and milk can give them an upset stomach.
Many cats are “left-pawed” or “right-pawed.” Studies have found that male cats are more likely to prefer their left paw, and female cats their right.
A group of cats is called a “clowder,” and a group of kittens is a “kindle.”
The oldest cat on record lived to 38. According to Guinness World Records, Creme Puff from Austin, Texas, lived from 1967 to 2005, reaching the age of 38 years and 3 days.