Miacis, the primitive ancestor of cats, was a small, tree-living creature of the late Eocene period, some 45 to 50 million years ago. oenician cargo ships are thought to have brought the first domesticated cats to Europe in about 900 BC. The first true cats came into existence about 12 million years ago and were the Proailurus.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to tame the cat (in about 3000 BC), and used them to control pests. Statues of cats were placed outside the house to protect the inhabitants and to ward off evil spirits. This showed scientists that the cat had become an integral part of the ancient Egyptian family life. Also, in ancient Egypt, Cats were not only protected by almost every occupant of Egypt, but also by the law. So extreme infact was the devoutness of the Egyptian culture to the cat, that if a human killed a feline, either intentionally or unintentionally, that human was sentenced to death. Laws were set that also forbid the exportation of cats, though more often than not, many were smuggled to the neighboring Mediterranean countries. Documents state that armies sometimes were set out to recapture these cats from the foreign lands. Cats were also mummified, and embalmed placing mice and a bowl of milk in their tombs. In one ancient city, over 300,000 cat mummies were found. Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when the family cat died.
Herodotus stated a story once about a fire in a house in Egypt. The men from the house stood outside in a line to protect the cats from harm and danger. Another statement from Herodotus explains even greater the significance of the cat to Egypt. Herodotus begins with the Egyptians in war with Persia. The Persian general had decided to collect as many cats that his men could find or steal, knowing the great importance of the cat to Egypt. The soldiers then returned to the town of Pelusium and set the cats free on the battlefield. Horrified, the Egyptians surrendered the city to the Persians rather than harm the cats.
In Siam, the cat was so revered that one rode in a chariot at the head of a parade celebrating the new king. The Pilgrims were the first to introduce cats to North America. The life expectancy of cats has nearly doubled since 1930-from 8 to 16 years.
While most cats hate baths, many find running water fascinating and spend time pawing at dripping faucets or demanding their guardians turn on the water for a fresh, cool drink. Kittens, in particular, find sinks and showers a source of amusement.
Like birds, cats have a homing ability that uses it's biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth's magnetic field. A cat taken far from it's home can return to it. But if a cat's owners move far from it's home, the cat can't find them.
It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.
If your cat snores or rolls over on his back to expose his belly, it means he trusts you. Cats respond better to women than to men, probably due to the fact that women's voices have a higher pitch. Cats respond most readily to names that end in an "ee" sound. When your cats rubs up against you, she is actually marking you as "hers" with her scent. If your cat pushes his face against your head, it is a sign of acceptance and affection.
Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion. A cat's brain is more similar to a man's brain than that of a dog.
When a domestic cat goes after mice, about 1 pounce in 3 results in a catch.
Black cat superstitions are as American as apple pie. In Asia and England, black cats are considered lucky.
Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.
Cats have a third eyelid called a haw and you will probably only see it when kitty isn't feeling well.
Cats are the only animal that walk on their claws, not the pads of their feet.
Mature cats with no health problems are in deep sleep 15 percent of their lives. They are in light sleep 50 percent of the time. That leaves just 35 percent awake time, or roughly 6-8 hours a day. Cats come back to full alertness from the sleep state faster than any other creature. A cat can jump 5 times as high as it is tall.
A cat has more bones than a human; humans have 206, but the cat has 230 (some cites list 245 bones, and state that bones may fuse together as the cat ages. Cats have 30 vertebrae--more than humans have. The cat's clavicle, or collarbone, does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This lack of a functioning collarbone allows them to fit through any opening the size of their head.
A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and can turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog.
Cats' hearing stops at 65 khz kilohertz); humans' hearing stops at 20 khz.
Cats are crepuscular, most active at dusk and dawn when prey abounds and the hunting is best. The construction of their eyes allows them to see well in low light. A cat sees about 6 times better than a human at night, and needs 1/6 the amount of of light that a human does - it has a layer of extra reflecting cells which absorb light, However, they cannot see in absolute darkness.
Cats have a special scent organ located in the roof of their mouth, called the Jacobson's organ. It analyzes smells - and is the reason why you will sometimes see your cat "sneer" (called the flehmen response or flehming) when they encounter a strong odor.
Cats can't taste sweets. A cat's tongue consists of small hooks/barbs which come in handy when tearing up food or scooping the liquid up backwards. Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, about 26 cycles per second. Domestic cats purr both when inhaling and when exhaling. A domestic cat can sprint at about 31 miles per hour.
A cat has a total of 24 whiskers, 4 rows of whiskers on each side. The upper two rows can move independently of the bottom two rows. A cat uses its whiskers for measuring distances.
Contrary to popular belief, people are not allergic to cat fur, dander, saliva, or urine - they are allergic to "sebum," a fatty substance secreted by the cat's sebaceous glands. More interesting, someone who is allergic to one cat may not be allergic to another cat. Though there isn't (yet) a way of predicting which cat is more likely to cause allergic reactions, it has been proven that male cats shed much greater amounts of allergen than females. A neutered male, however, sheds much less than a non-neutered male.
The heaviest cat on record weighed 46 lbs.
Normal body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees F. A cat's normal pulse is 140-240 beats per minute, with an average of 195.
Declawing a cat is the same as cutting a human's fingers off at the knuckle. There are several alternatives to a complete declawing, including trimming or a less radical (though more involved) surgery to remove the claws. Instead, train your cat to use a scratching post. Never give your cat aspirin unless specifically prescribed by your veterinarian; it can be fatal. Never ever give Tylenol and/or chocolate to a cat both are poisionous to cats.
