Text 27, 109 rader
Skriven 2005-05-10 10:54:00 av George Pope (1:153/307.11)
Ärende: Catty Trivia
====================
There are now more cats than dogs in the United States (78 million cats vs.
65 million cats in 2003, according to American Animal Hospital Association
and the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association) and the cliché "cat
got your tongue," doesn't ring true here, as we can't seem to stop talking
about cats.

Here are 24 amazing feline facts to amaze, delight and inspire anyone from
the ailurophile to the casual cat fancier:

1. Within two to three days of birth, each kitten in a litter chooses his
own teat, and from then on, generally only takes a nip from this nipple.

2. Kittens are born blue-eyed. If their eyes change colors, it generally
occurs at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Kittens open their eyes at 7 to 10 days but
can't hear until they're about 14 days old.

3. The cat is the only animal that purrs. Domestic cats "sing both ways" and
can purr while inhaling or exhaling, while the big cats (lions and tigers)
can only purr while exhaling.

4. Cats lick themselves "clean" right after dinner as instinct has taught
them the sooner they remove food odours, the less likely cat predators will
get a whiff of McCat. Cats bury their waste to hide evidence from predators
and avoid territorial turf battles with other cats.

5. When a domestic cat goes mousing, they get fast food about every third
pounce. Of course, most house cats have evolved from mouser to moocher.

6. Among the world's greatest cat haters were Genghis Khan, Alexander the
Great Julius Caesar, Napoleon and Hitler.

7. Kitty Litter was invented in 1947 when delivery man, Edward Lowe, who was
out of sand, suggested to a cat owner that she use a grease and oil
absorbent (clay called sodium bentonite) instead.

8. In ancient Rome, feline feces were believed to have healing powers.
Beliefs like this could have caused the fall of the Empire.

9. The collective term for a group of adult cats is called a clowder.

10. Forget going to the dogs, in 1993 Canadian residents Jack and Donna
Wight were found to have 640 cats living in the house. I bet the odour in
that house was a cat-astrophe!

11. The term "cat's pyjamas" comes from an English tailor of the late 1700s
and early 1800s who made the finest silk pyjamas for royalty and other rich
patrons. His name was E.B. Katz.

12. More than 300,000 cat mummies were found in one Egyptian temple in 1850
and tons of cat mummies were shipped to England to be used as fertilizer. I
suppose that made the plants leap out of the ground.

13. A cat can turn its outer ear toward a sound about 10 times faster than a
dog. Furthermore, a cat, with more than 40,000 nerve fibres in its ears, can
hear sounds (like the can opener) up to two octaves higher than humans.
NOTE: Silent cat whistles wouldn't be a hot item because even if they heard
it, they probably wouldn't come anyway - unless the whistle made a sound
like a tuna can being opened.

14. At the back of a cat's foot is a single carpal pad that doesn't touch
the ground. It is thought to act as a brake when the cat leaps forward or
stops from speeds that can reach up to 31 mph.

15. Cats are the only species that can hold their tails vertically while
walking, according to Cat Fancy magazine.

16. Cats purr at the same frequency of 25 vibrations per second, their
temperature is about 102 degrees Fahrenheit and their heart beats about 155
times per minute.

17. Cats eyes appear to glow at night because of a layer on the back of the
retina called the tapetum lucidium, which possesses crystal-like reflective
properties. Low light, yes, but cats can't see in total darkness.

18. About 50 percent of cats have the gene that allows for catnip crazies
and get a hallucinatory high from eating, smelling or rubbing catnip.

19. The phrase "a cat has nine lives" may come from early 1400s England when
a popular recipe called for one part cat to nine parts chicken livers
(source "Cats Out of the Bag," Premium Press).

20. The U.S. superstition about having bad luck if a black cat crosses your
path grew from the belief that the cat was on its way to visit the devil. In
Britain, black cats are considered good luck.

21 A cat generally has 24 whiskers (called vibrissae), 12 on each side of
its face. The whiskers are divided into upper and lower rows, which move
independently of each other and are used to detect objects in low light and
their ability to slip through narrow openings, like the opening to the cat
carrier at the vet's office.

22. Talk about a cat nap, 70 percent of each cat's day is spent dozing.
Thirty percent of their awake time is spent grooming.

23. Not to sound sexist, but most orange cats are male whereas a vast
majority of calico cats are female.

24. When cats arch their backs toward human hands, like a hearty, hairy
handshake, they're exhibiting mutual endearment. When cats collapse on their
backs with their feet in their air, beware, they're telling you to give them
space.


Because I care,
<+]::-{)}  (Cyberpope(the Bishop of ROM!))


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