Cool cat facts

How much do you know about our purring pals? Test your kitty IQ

04 May 2017 By Leanne Philpott Comments

The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette (a.k.a. “Astrocat”). She was blasted into outer space in 1963 with electrodes implanted in her brain, which sent neurological signals back to Earth. Thankfully she survived the trip.

Cats and milk go together like Sonni and Cher, right? Well in fact, cats are lactose-intolerant. Think about it—cats are naturally carnivores; milk has no part in their diet. So despite what you thought you knew, a cat and a saucer of milk is not a match made in heaven.

The Godfather’s kitty-stroking scene was purely accidental. Yes, that powerful cinematic moment in The Godfather, where Don Corleone is decked out in a tuxedo at his daughter’s wedding and is tenderly stroking his cat, was never part of the script! Marlon Brandon simply picked up a stray cat that had wandered onto the set.

A cat typically can live up to 20 years, which is equivalent to about 96 human years. The oldest cat on record was Crème Puff from Austin, Texas, who lived from 1967 to August 6, 2005, three days after her 38th birthday. Me-WOW!

Cats love to lounge but did you know that cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life. Lazy cat!

In many countries black cats are considered unlucky but in Japan black-coloured kitties are thought to be good luck. The Japanese honour jet-black cats as symbols of good luck and in 2013, a niche “black cat speciality café” popped up in Himeji. With 10 black cats, it claimed to be the first black cat café of its kind!

Don’t bother wasting that chocolate cupcake on your kitty; cats can’t taste sweet treats. Our feline friends’ taste buds can’t detect sugar.

While a cheetah can run at speeds of 75 mph, a domestic cat can only reach a speed of approximately 30 mph—still that’s faster that Usain Bolt, who can reach a speed of 27 mph. Run kitty, run!

Cats’ kidneys are equipped to allow them to drink seawater to rehydrate, clever eh? While saltwater would dehydrate a human, a cat stuck out at sea could happily drink the ocean as their crazy kidneys have the ability to filter out the salt from the H20.

Since the 1950s Disneyland has employed cats to hunt down mini Mickeys and Minnies, as well as rats (probably called Ben!). The kitties are released into the park every night but it’s strictly work—no free tea cup rides!

 

04 May 2017 By Leanne Philpott Comments

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