The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a family that had a common ancestor about 10–15 million years ago
The origin of the English word cat, Old English catt, is thought to be the Late Latin word cattus, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century.
The cat has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey. Its night vision and sense of smell are well developed.
Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cat-specific body language.
A predator that is most active at dawn and dusk , the cat is a solitary hunter but a social species. It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals
Facts
Cats use their tails for balance
In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
The domestic cat can run at a speed of 31mph.
A cluster of cats is called a clowder.
A group of kittens is a kindle
Cats can hear ultrasonic sounds. Most cats are lactose intolerant.
Cats can only sweat through their paw pads.
A feline pregnancy lasts about two months.
Tortoiseshell cats are almost always female.
Ginger cats are almost always male.
Almost all white cats with blue eyes are completely deaf.
Around 10 percent of the population are allergic to cats.
The average lifespan for a feral cat is 3 – 5 years.
A domestic cat can live to age 16 or even older.
Adult cats have 30 teeth.
Kittens have 26 teeth.
The official name for a cat lover is an ailurophile.
The official name for a cat hater is called an ailurophobe.
The first cat in space was called Felicette.
A cat can jump up to five times its own height.
A male cat is called a Tom.
A female cat is known as a Queen or a Molly.
There are some 500 million domestic cats worldwide.
The cat family is called the Felidae.
7 per cent of cats snore.
Cats are naturally nocturnal animals.
A cat has 24 whiskers on her face.
A typical cat blinks twice a minute.
Around 51 per cent of cats are lady cats.
The average number of cats that cat owners have is 2.1.
Every cat’s purr is unique.
Cats cannot taste sweet things.
Lower upper lip whiskers are called mystacials,
The shorter whiskers on the chin are called mandibulars.
The latin name for the domestic cat is Felis catus.
Cats can have food allergies.
A cat can kill its own prey from two months old.
Cats noses can be pink, orange or black.
Cats have existed longer on this planet than humans.
Cats can get acne.
The Romans brought cats to Britain.
Cats cannot chew their food.
A cat’s tail is around 10-15 inches long.
Female cats weigh between 6-10 pounds.
Male cats weigh between 10-15 pounds.
A twitching tail means a cat is excited.
Cats need 10 times more protein than dogs. More than a third of cats are believed to be obese.
The average cat needs to eat 200 calories a day.
The average litter is two to six kittens.
A female cat can have three to five litters a year.
