Cats live next to people for a long time. Scientists give a figure of 5 thousand years. With these fluffy, tender, but wayward animals associated beliefs, legends and interesting historical facts.
They became the objects of research and the heroes of incredible events.
Interesting facts about cats
These felines have their own unique features and characteristics. They are associated with interesting scientific facts and shrouded in mystery accident. To start we have with biology.
Interesting biology
- Cats spend sleeping about 16 hours out of 24, and then awake only a third of his life.
- Have almost no cravings for sweets unlike many dogs.
- Interestingly, in cats leading left paw, but cats are often “right-handed”.
- Because of the structure of the claws of the cats to descend from the tree need to recede backwards, so they often have to help with this.
- Cats and people have emotions respond the same areas of the brain.
- In the ears there are 32 muscles and can turn almost 180 degrees.
- Cat’s sense of smell is 14 times stronger than human, it helps to track a target at a great distance.
- The fact about cats says that for their life they need a certain area, about 10 times greater than the desired female.
- Domestic cats live 14 to 16 years, eight years of age is 40 years for man.
- In the diet of these Pets must be present meat, otherwise they will not fully develop.
- The number of heart beats per minute in cats is approximately equal to 140, compared to normal human frequency is around 80.
- The imprint of the nose of this animal is unique, like fingerprints in humans.
- Cats can perceive sound with a frequency of 60 kHz, but for people the high range of audible sounds is limited to a maximum mark of 20 kHz. That is why cats can hear very quiet noises and the sounds of the night.
- The eyes of these predators can see fine in the dark, however, clearly seeing objects at a very close distance and do not distinguish colors.
- On either side of the nose, cats have 12 whiskers that are like a compass to help navigate the world. From a scientific point of view, they should be called vibrissae. Such name has hair with supersensitive nerve endings. If the whiskers are cut, then the behavior of a pet will change a lot.
- Surprisingly, vibrissae can almost completely replace the animal’s eyes and ears, they also help to move in total darkness, like night vision devices.
- Interesting facts about cats, which in natural conditions can fish. After all, many people think that they are afraid of water. Apparently, aggression in the bath caused by incorrect behavior of the person and not the fears of the animal.
- Cats lick quite frequently, but recent studies have shown that it is not in cleanliness. Thus, cats consume a substance secreted by them for the normalization of mental activity. Here is self.
- Kittens milk teeth fall out as children.
- These cats make sounds of more than 100 varieties, while in dogs in the range of not more than 10 species.
- It is noticed that cats only meow in the presence of people and only hiss, grunt or purr. Perhaps they believe their meow is quite understandable for people.
- According to researchers, there are about 500 000 cats.
- These amazing animals can jump to the level five times greater than their own height, and move at speeds up to 50 km/h, but only over short distances.
The most famous cats
Some members of the cat family famous in history. There are numerous data about the amazing facts and incredible events associated with cats.
In England there is a long tradition of keeping cats in the residence of the Prime Minister. In 1924 the government approved an official position and its responsibilities, is to catch mice. The most famous cat named Humphrey, lived and worked in residence from 1989 to 1997.
The amazing story happened in new York in 1996. In an abandoned house was set on fire. Arriving firefighters were able to put it out and when inspecting the scene saw a cat who is very badly burned and several kittens. It turned out that the cat named Scarlett again and again into the burning house to get their babies and were able to save everyone. She was barely alive, but after a long course of treatment, recovered. And the story of the Savior spread around the world and in her honor was approved by the special award for heroism among the animals that went on the deed for the sake of people or other animals.
The crisis in Japan has affected the railroad business. The reduction of staff has led to the fact that the duties of employees transferred to local private businesses. At the Kishi station of the city Kinokawa head was the grocer from a local shop. In 2007, he handed over his duties to one of the local cats that lived at the station and received his care. The Department of communications did not object, and the cat Tama formally became head of the station, although in fact, has long performed the relevant function, meeting arriving passengers. Four-legged clerk even issued a special form and appointed a small salary.
An amazing fact about cat Hole, which is world famous for his playing the piano. Musical ability she’s demonstrated at one year of age at the animal shelter small town in new Jersey. One night the cat walked on the keyboard and since then has performed. Not only critics and musicians closely follow the work tailed musician, scientists found out that she loves Bach and often plays music alone.
A unique story of a cat Nikki, born in 2004. This is the first cat cloned from the DNA of the seventeen-year-old cat, which the owner decided to clone him after his death. The operation had cost quite a large sum of money – 50 thousand dollars. But the woman is very happy with the result. Small similar to its predecessor everything, even an unusual love of water. Of course, this case became a sensation and took place in a number of stories about cats.
Oscar the cat is famous because it is the world’s first bionic cat. In his hind legs, which are cut with a harvester, implanted implants. Thanks to not indifferent people and the ability of physicians, the operation was successful, and the cat became famous and got the opportunity to move.
In the rehabilitation center Roy island, in the US there is a cat, nicknamed deadly Oscar. In 2005, he was brought up with other kittens from a shelter to add warmth terminally ill in their last days. And after a while he noticed that the cat predicts death for patients. He sniffs and lies down on the bed of the patient, and after a few hours the person dies. If the cat was taken out of the chamber, where he chose of the patient, he had a long and plaintively mewed. Perhaps the cat feels the smell of dying cells. Doctors and scientists have continued to monitor them to check their hypotheses about this strange feeling of the animal.
Books about cats
About cats, many books, here are two of them:
- The story of a cat from the library brought its author more than a million dollars. It all started with the fact that in the cart with returned books found ginger kitten. Ministers of the library gave him the long name, which was translated as “read more books”, and abbreviated Dewey. Cute baby has become the symbol of the library, as well as the favorite in the city. One of the librarians Vicki Myron published a book “Dewey the small town library and most favorite cat in the world” after the death of the cat than keeping his name in the history.
- Another interesting book is “Kitten Coco,” written by Francis Patterson talks about the kitten and the gorilla. This incredible story written by the researcher, a ward which the gorilla Koko is so well mastered the language of gestures that not only explained their emotions to scientists involved with her, but and joked. One day she asked the kitten, but a soft toy rejected, insisting on a living pet. Her request fulfilled. The child was named All ball and gorilla cared for him like their own baby. Their relationship formed the basis of the book.
Legends of different peoples
Interesting facts about cats survived in the legends and legends of many peoples of the world.
- There is an interesting version of the origin of cats, consisting in the fact that they are aliens from another planet.
- Arab myth the cat of Prophet Muhammad talks about the origins of the cat’s talent to land on their feet. The prophet was very fond of his pet, and did not disturb her sleep, but once she fell asleep on the robe, which had been prepared for the morning prayers, which are located right on the sleeve. Careful owner cut sleeve dress, do not disturb, darling, and left. When he returned, the cat awoke and bowed in gratitude, and the Prophet thrice patted her on the back. Since the animals on the back is almost fall.
- Arabian legend describes the origin of these animals: the ship of Noah was a mouse, which greatly multiplied and Noah appealed to the king of beasts on the resolution of this problem. The lion sneezed and two small lion jumped out of the nostrils rushed and destroyed the pests.
- Bible scholars say that this is a pet only once mentioned in the Holy book. Perhaps this was not the only reason for the destruction of cats in the middle ages in Europe. Charged in connection with witches and other evil spirits, defenseless animal was burned together with sentenced women. Payback was the epidemic of plague, which proliferated without cats rodents spread very quickly.
- In India the goddess of motherhood Caste, which is represented in the form of a woman with a baby in her arms, according to legend, can turn a black cat.
- In the Slavic mythology the cat is an animal highly revered. Acts as the hero of numerous fairy tales. In ancient times, was expensive and desired gift to the house because the saved the harvest from rodents. People believed that cats live in two worlds simultaneously – in our and in the spirit world. Therefore, it cajoled, to guard the house from evil spirits.
- Special privileges were at this animal in ancient Egypt. The goddess of fertility and motherhood Bastet, depicted a woman with a cat’s head.
- One ancient French legend has it that the only creature who has the right to remember the way back from the garden of Eden after the expulsion of Adam and eve was just a cat. Later she led Jacob to the heavenly gates, remembering this valuable information.
- In the early days of Christianity, these animals are respected, if their color on my forehead adorned with a strip, formed into the letter “M”. It went from the legend about the virgin Mary and a newborn Jesus. That particular night was cold, and the baby is crying and shaking. Suddenly came a cat that warmed the Divine Child, soothed purr and lay there while the baby was sleeping. The virgin Mary in gratitude placed on the forehead of the animal, mark the first letters of his name.
Cats – heroes of fairy tales
Interesting fact that in ancient Russian fairy tales cats is a big place. in some tales they are positive characters, and others not at all.
For example, the cat Bayun was a storyteller passed on knowledge, the cat scientists that goes on a chain around the work of A. S. Pushkin has similar features. Because sitting on the Tree of Life – the oak and the ways, that is the Golden chain goes so sentences.
There are stories and images of cats serving dark forces. Baba Yaga was always a black cat
To our days have preserved the tradition to let the first house cat, where she will lie there and sleep well. in the old days believed that the animal is able to recognize the place favorable for people and bad.