Facts About Cats that You Probably Did Not Know

There are many interesting facts about cats that many of us do not know, and this ignorance may often keep us from adopting or purchasing such a pet. What is there to know when you have a new feline member in the family? For instance, when we purchase a new car, we are interested in both its exterior and interior, and more importantly, its capacity and speed. Very often we gather information about it and know precisely what we like and what we are looking for.

But, without trying to relate a lifeless object to an actual being, we intend to bring to surface some facts about cats that in some cases are essential, or some that you simply want to find out, out of curiosity.

Miscellaneous facts about cats:
- Starting from the exterior, we find that a cat’s front paws have five toes, while the back paws only have four. Many will be intrigued to discover the case of the Boston Thumb cats, which are eight-toed cats, and are classified as polydactyl.
- Also on a ‘paw’-related subject, we learn that, even though a cat may be permanently kept indoors, it still is possible that it contacts parasites, since it is us who bring them inside on our shoe soles. It is therefore indicated to perform internal disinfestations every six months, only if analyses prove positive; disinfecting drugs are very toxic for the liver if taken for no reason.
- Cats can see in the dark at one sixth of the level required for human vision, and can perceive ultrasonic sounds.
- A cat purrs 26 times per second, constantly, by letting air flow past its voice box, both during inhalation and exhalation.
- The cat’s litter box should not be placed next to the food tray, because the cats will not use it. Usually, each cat (if there are several), should have its own litter box.
- It is recommended that female cats be sterilized, because after repeated births or heat periods, the uterus walls thicken, causing an infection called ‘piometer’ (puss is gathered inside) and that may lead to septicemia and, eventually, to the cat’s death.
- Taurine is an amino acid that cats need in order not to go blind – most animals produce it on their own but the cat gets it from food.

Historic facts about cats:
- Ancient Egyptians came to worship cats and went so far as to mummify them after death.
- It was Isaac Newton that invented the cat flap door.
- There are many historical figures that were huge cat lovers; for instance Abraham Lincoln kept four cats at the White House.

Cats have been part of human society for millennia, and there even were cats that made it to the front line of the newspapers. For instance, the "weirdest" one on record was a female cat called Mincho, in Argentina, that went up a tree and stayed there for six years, until it died. Even so, it managed to bring forth three litters with dads that were as ''ambitious''.

Probably one of the most interesting facts about cats is that they have managed to keep us intrigued for thousands of years just by being mysterious and independent (and also very cute).

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