9 Cool Things You May Not Know About Cats
Cats have been written about in history for many thousands of years. Their mysterious and complex personalities have captured humans’ hearts and minds for millenia. The way they can look at you and melt your heart (and get you to pet them or pick them up!). They are undoubtedly one of the most perplexing animals we have as pets.
We here at Almost Home Cat Rescue wanted to share some Things You May Not Know About Cats today, from the obscure to the very familiar. Read on to learn more about our Feline Friends.
CAT POPULARITY
According to Forbes.com, cats are so popular they come in second place as the most popular pet in the United States. Families and individuals in the United States house their cats (notice that we didn't say own, because no one really owns their pet). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. We have 46.5 million cats in our homes as permanent residents! Count yourself proud!
HOW THE STATE OF WISCONSIN STACKS UP WITH HELP FOR COMMUNITY CATS AND KITTENS.
If you are an Almost Home Rescue Blog reader, you can be proud to know that the State of Wisconsin has the 9th largest population of housed and cared-for cats and kittens! Not Kidding! We rock for our cats and kittens. See how the wonderful state of Wisconsin stacks up against the remaining 41 Continental States!
Maine
Vermont
West Virginia
Indiana
New Hampshire
Iowa
Arkansas
Idaho
Number 9 – (as in the number of lives our felines have), AND the loud and proud Home of the Badgers and the Green Bay Packers, the State of WISCONSIN!
Finally, the State of Kansas comes in at Number 10!
Let’s give a Big Meow-Out to these Top Ten States who really care for our Amazing Cats and Kittens!
SO, DOES THIS MEAN FEWER CATS ARE LEFT WITHOUT A HOME?
Unfortunately, it does not. Please keep in mind that, according to The Zebra, there are roughly 70 million cats that are Community Cats or Abandoned in the United States. That is a staggering and very sad number indeed.
With your help, you can count on Almost Home Cat Rescue to do our part to help Cats and Kittens in need of homes, food, medical assistance, and the opportunity to become a member of a hooman family. We do this to help cats and kittens in need of forever homes with THRM (this means Trap-Neuter-Return-Monitor – The “M” in RNRM, means we also monitor Community Cats) so they can have a better quality of life and live longer. We offer dedicated care to ensure they have safe shelter, freedom within, fresh food and water, and health care when required. We are helping the community and these felines with a free-form housing option where cats are not caged but are able to roam and play at will, medication, and food are provided as well as close monitoring. While Almost Home does not have a dedicated TNRM program, we are always here to help. We have compiled a list of Milwaukee area Community Cat resource partners on our website.
DOMESTICATION
This is an interesting topic that goes way back in time and to different locations. Let's talk about some theories and history on how cats came to be domesticated.
The quote below is a brief history of house cats by the Smithsonian Mag
It may be that “nobody owns a cat,” but scientists now say the popular pet has lived with people for 12,000 years!
As their webpage about the history of cats begins:
“On any of the surprising number of Web sites dedicated entirely to wisdom about cats, one will find quotations like these: “As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat” (attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley); “The phrase ‘domestic cat’ is an oxymoron” (attributed to George F. Will); and “A dog is a man’s best friend. A cat is a cat’s best friend” (attributed to Robet J. Vogel). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. But the quips do illuminate a very real ambivalence in the long relationship between cats and humans, as this history of the house cat shows.”
On that same note, it has taken scientists a long time to study and put together the idea of when, where, and how cats were first domesticated. However, in 2004 during the unearthing of an archaeological site in Cyprus (an island in the Mediterranean), they discovered that a cat had deliberately been buried with a human, making it more certain that the island’s cats were domesticated! In 2008, a study published in Science, used genetic analyses and declared that cats descended from a Middle Eastern Wildcat, Felis sylvestris, which means "cat of the woods". So, they (Science) believe that cats were first domesticated from the Cat of the Woods in the Near East, nearly 12,000 years ago!
There is so much more history and speculation on how and where cats were first domesticated, and we have so many other COOL Things to Share Today! We will continue…
WHY IS MY CAT ALWAYS SLEEPING?
As you may know from your own feline furball(s), cats are known to sleep A LOT! In fact, it’s about 70% of their lives!! According to Veterinary Hub Cats, cats can actually spend about 12-15 hours every day, sleeping! That's roughly twice the amount that their human owners require. However, this may be different for every cat depending upon their age and personality. Because kittens are cute and growing, they need sleep to allow their bodies to grow and develop. That’s about 18 hours each day! As your cat grows older, it will probably sleep even more than 12-15 hours. Even a house cat’s body will eventually wear out. You can bet that no matter what age, your cat will certainly spend far more time napping than you probably ever will!
6. WHO INVENTED THE FIRST CAT DOOR AND WHY?
Is your cat an indoor/outdoor cat? Are you always having to let them out or do they have a cat door where they can come and go (hopefully onto the screen porch or Catio) whenever they want? If you have a cat door, thank Sir Isaac Newtown! He is credited for inventing the first Cat Door! Apparently, when Newton was working on his experiments at the University of Cambridge, he was constantly interrupted by his cats scratching at the door. So, Sir Newton called the Cambridge University carpenter to saw two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens! And, supposedly, these holes can still be seen at the university today. The Smithsonian, however, reports that the first cat door came a wee bit earlier in 1598, in the Exeter Cathedral in Devon County, England. The door is found where the church’s astronomical clock was housed, with some saying it was the inspiration for the children’s nursery rhyme, “Hickory, Dickory, Dock”! How about that? Some knowledge you can share with your friends and family!
THE RICHEST CATS IN THE WORLD
Is there such a thing as the richest cat? Why yes, there is. And in fact, there is more than just one that we have discovered. Sometimes having a pet can actually pay off! In this day of online influencers, anyone can become famous. Your cat can become famous just by doing something cute or funny and you have captured it with video! Many of these famous cats and dogs have their own Facebook pages or websites!
People worldwide especially in the U.S., love cute animals. As these popular cat influencers became known, they began to make money. In addition to having sponsored ads by showcasing their inherent knowledge of cats and cat behavior, many of these cats also have their own brand.
Check out these five money-making felines that are famous online.
Followers: More than four million followers on Instagram, Nala holds the Guinness World Record for the most followed cat on the platform. Nala’s official website:
NalaCat.com/
2. Olivia Benson
- $97 Million
Breed: Scottish Fold
Human: Taylor Swift
Located: United States
Followers: This 2020 photo of Olivia attracted more than 2 million followers. Outside of the world of social media influencing, Olivia Benson makes money starring alongside Taylor Swift in several music videos. In addition, she has her own brand and has made appearances in many big-budget ads. Ovivia’s official website: TaylorSwift.fandom.com
3. Choupette - $33 Million Human: Late Karl Lagerfeld Located: Paris, France About: Choupette is the third richest cat in the world. However, before being left with a vast inheritance from Karl Lager in 2019, Choupette reportedly earned virtually US$4.5 million in her own right from collaborations and endorsements as of 2023. She is alive and lives with Lager’s late housekeeper, Francoise Cacote. Choupette has her own Instagram Page.
4. Smoothie the Cat - $7,423 per post Breed: British Longhair Human: Arvid van Boekel Located: Netherlands About: Deemed "The Queen of Fluff", Smoothie the world’s most photogenic cat is the fourth highest-earning cat in the world, earning around $7,423 per Instagram post. This fabulous feline is one of the most followed cats on Instagram with more than two million followers on the platform as of the time of this writing. In addition, Smoothie has an impressive 150k subscribers on YouTube where she's been gathering millions of views with her videos.
5. Coffee the Cat - $6,786 per post Breed: British Shorthair Human: Shannon Ellis and Pookie Methachittiphan Located: United States About: Coffee the cat also known as Mr. White is the fifth richest cat on the ultimate pet rich list, raking in around $6,786 per post on Instagram. Coffee is one of the seven Instagram-Famous pets owned by California couple Varisiri “Pookie” Methachittiphan and Shannon Ellis. (parents of Nala). Coffee’s Instagram page.
8. WHAT MOVEMENTS DOES A CAT MAKE WHEN WALKING?
Have you ever watched your cat saunter across the room? Do you ever think, “Wow, they are so elegant when they walk”?
Did you know that cats actually walk like some of the gangliest animals in the world? According to MSN, cats actually walk like camels and giraffes! Yep! That’s what they say. They actually have a video that talks about it and shows the comparison. Cats are digitigrade; meaning that they walk on their toes. Their bodies have great elasticity that allows them to walk this way.
Watch the gait of your kitty cat as they are walking. Look for the steps:
Right rear, right front, left rear, left front. Right rear, right front, left rear, left front.
Description automatically generated. This is known as “direct registering”. Their legs move diagonally, starting with one of the front legs and the opposite hind leg moving in unison. Energy conscious, cats place their hind foot almost in the front paw print. Depending on the speed of their walk, run or saunter, either two or three feet touch the ground.
In addition to the explanation of How a Cat Walks, I wanted to share with you a link to a very funny video of a cat walking on the sand. He is actually stepping into his own footprints. First the front, then the back leg comes forward into the footprint on both sides. Kinda crazy! I saw this on Youtube and thought it was funny to see. Click below to activate YouTube video.
FINALLY, ONE MORE COOL THING ABOUT CATS
Did you know that a litter of kittens can have more than one Father!?? It’s true! When a female cat goes into heat, she can mate with many different males. She will not leave heat until her body sends her the "successful mating" signal, which can take some time. This is why when a female has a litter of kittens, some of them might look completely different than we might have expected. I’m sure you have seen something like this before and have wondered how they can look so different when some look like their mother and the others may be more of a hodge podge of colors and patterns. It may be because the mother has had two relationships with two different male cats. Hmmm. This peculiar information comes from peer reviewed scientific research. See the photo below for some potential – albeit adorable - evidence 😊
IN SUMMARY
If you thought any of this information was fun, useful or something you would like to learn more about, check out our other blog posts.
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Have Questions, Ideas, Requests or Want to Volunteer? Click Here to Let Us Know! We are always eager to help people who are interested in our organization and teach them more about our Feline Friends!
We are always eager to help people who are interested in our organization and teach them more about our Fabulous Feline Friends.
ADOPTIOIN AND FOSTERING ARE ALWAYS SOMETHING WE LOVE
This is Domino and his sweet “brother from another Mother”, Glover. They were recently adopted!
Domino and his cute brother Glover.
Our cats and kittens interact with their caretakers and volunteers every day, so they really get to know their personalities and can help you find the right match.
Kathy Goldman
Cat Rescue Blogger and Cat Lover
Almost Home Cat Rescue
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