20+ Facts About Cats That Show These Fluffies From an Unexpected Side

Ancient Egyptians worshipped the cat-looking Goddess Bastet and seem to have passed the baton for adoring these purring 4-legged creatures to us. The entire internet continues to watch every move cats make and every funny thing they do. But what do we really know about cats? Are they as simple as they seem?

We at Bright Side are in love with kitties that’s why we’ve decided to do a little investigation.

• Most cats are lactose intolerant, so drinking any milk rather than their mother’s milk, is likely to cause digestive problems and diarrhea.

• Here’s what a cat’s paw looks like under an X-Ray:

• Cats can jump 7 times their own height.

• Dusty is the most prolific cat. She gave birth to 420 kittens during her breeding life.

• The Maine Coon is a highly intellectual cat breed that can be easily trained.

• The UK government’s cats, like Humphrey (1988-2006) and Larry (2007- present), have the official title: “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.”

• Siamese cats change the color of their fur in relation to heat. The colder parts of their body produce more pigment, that’s why their paws, muzzles, and tails are darker.

• Domestic cats are born with the ability to swim — it’s part of their natural instincts.

• Sphynx cats should take a bath at least 2 times a month due to the structural features of their skin.

• The receptors for sweetness are much weaker in cats.

• Most cat owners have university degrees as compared to dog owners.

• Cats rub against people to mark them as their territory.

• Cats don’t meow for each other. They use their meowing to manipulate us: for example, they imitate a baby’s voice when they are hungry.

• Currently there are more than 500 million domestic cats.

• One of the first videos with cats was made in 1894.

• There can be several fathers in one litter of kittens.

• Cats who poop outside their litter box might cause their owners to think they are trying to show dominance, but experts say this is not true. Usually, they either have medical problems that prevent them from controlling these accidents or they have an aversion to the litter box. That said, urine spraying can be tied to behavior, like marking their territories or showing they are ready to mate (and both males and females do it).

• Cats are not able to climb down trees by going head first. The structure of their claws prevents them from doing this.

• Cats can survive a 19-story fall.

• In Ancient Egypt, families would shave off their brows as a sign of mourning when a cat died in their home.

• Cats were the reason for the conquest of Egypt by the Persian commander Cambyses II. Being well-aware of how Egyptians treated these fluffy creatures, he ordered his warriors to draw a picture of Bastet on their shields and commanded them to put cats in front of the army, along with other animals. The Egyptians surrendered.

• Merlin the Cat, from the United Kingdom, got into the Guinness Book of World Records for the loudest purring. His purr reached 67.8 db(A).

• The French cat Félicette (a French, feminine form of “Felix,” like the cartoon cat) was the first cat that was launched into space. The kitty survived the flight safely.

• Ailurophilia (translated from Greek as "cat"+"love") refers to an extremely strong attachment to cats.

• Felix the Cat, mentioned above, became the first cartoon cat. He appeared onscreen in 1919.

• Cat kidneys are adapted to filter seawater. This means cats could drink seawater, but they just don’t want to do it.

• Cats stare spellbound at empty corners of the room not because there is a ghost, but because they can see in ultraviolet. It’s most likely that your wallpaper has absorbed light in this spectrum, which makes your animal see them completely differently than you do.

We collected these curious facts to remind you, once again, how unique your purring pets are. Please do share the photos of your kitties in the comments.