True Cat Facts

Rumours abound where our feline friends are concerned: cats have nine lives, purr only when happy, and always land on their feet? All distinctly false. The following cat facts, however, are all entirely true but no less remarkable for it!

• A cat can reach up to five times its own height per jump.

• Just like people, cats dream. They start dreaming at about one week of age.

• In relation to body size, cats have the largest eyes of any mammal.
• Cats are not native to North America. They were imported to the Americas from Europe as pest controllers in the 1750s.

• A cat’s heart beats at almost double the rate of a human’s.
• A cat’s nose print is like a human’s fingerprint—entirely unique to the individual.
• Cats are unable to taste sweetness.
• Cats have five toes on each front paw and four on each back paw.
• The Ragdoll cat is well named. They will literally go limp, relaxing their muscles, when picked up by a person.

• Cats can hear much higher pitched sounds than humans and can even hear sounds up to one octave higher than dogs can detect.
• The Peterbald cat has webbed feet, making it extra easy for this breed to grip things.
• Cats have over 100 sounds in their vocal repertoire. Dogs only have 10.
• Cats are cognitively able to sense a human’s feelings and overall mood.