There are two types of people in this world: dog people and cat people.
Sure, sure, you can love both kinds of furry friends, but I bet deep down you connect with one more than the other. They are both wonderful and amazing in their own way, but they are fundamentally different creatures.
Cats tend to be labeled as as bit more mysterious than dogs. Cats also tend to get the reputation for being a bit cold and distant. But is it really true?
As a cat lady myself, and a proud one at that, I know that cats are certainly capable of love. You just have to get them to trust you, and you have to understand that this love will be on their terms — not yours!
But even as a cat lady, I did not know all of the 11 facts listed below. These creatures are just so incredibly fascinating — there's more and more to learn about them each and every day.
Did you know all of these weird cat facts? Which is the most shocking to you?
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1. They Have Been Used For Mail Delivery
In the 1870s, a town in Belgium tried to use cats to deliver the mail by attaching it to waterproof bags around their necks. If you know cats at all, you know that this failed miserably. It was swiftly cancelled.
Some cats took full days to deliver mail to their homes, but most probably just took a nap on top of it.
2. They Have A Ton Of Muscles In Their Ears
Over 20 muscles help control the cat's outer ear. The ear isn't only used to very accurately pinpoint where sound is coming from, but also to send signals to other cats and animals via gestures.
3. They Can Make 100 Different Sounds
Compared to dogs, who can make about 10 sounds in total, cats' vocabularies are pretty impressive! Each sound they make has a special purpose — like chirping when they are hunting, or when kittens meow to get the attention of their mother. Cats can also manipulate their voices to imitate a human baby when they're hungry. So sneaky!
4. They Have Been Involved In Politics
Stubbs, a 20-year-old cat born in 1997, is the mayor of a town in Alaska. Talkeetna, Alaska, adores its symbolic mayor, and the cat lives an easy life. He's a tourist attraction and pretty much a living legend. Who knew cats could get into politics?
5. Their Clavicles Are Not Attached To Anything
Cats have a floating clavicle that allows them to squeeze through tight spaces and generally be more flexible and graceful.
6. There Is One Breed That Loves The Water
Most cats have an aversion to water because their coats do not insulate them well enough. However, the Turkish Van has a cashmere-like texture to their coat that wicks away water, and they absolutely love to swim.
7. They Try To Teach Their People To Hunt
If you've ever had a cat bring you a "gift," as in, a dead animal, they may very well be trying to teach you to hunt. Quite frankly, they don't think you're doing a very good job and they'd like to impart that knowledge unto you. Either that, or they may actually be trying to deliver a present.
8. They Sleep More Than You Ever Thought
Domesticated cats sleep for about 16 hours a day. That isn't entirely necessary, now that they don't need to hunt for food, but it's built into their DNA.
Cats also don't sleep in the same way that we do; they are able to become fully aware an instant after a noise wakes them up, which is important for survival when out in the wild. Domestic cats? They just need to be aware of the can of wet food getting opened.
9. They Reduce The Risk Of Stroke
Scientists have found that owning a cat can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack by a third. The explanation?
Having a cat to keep you company and to snuggle lowers stress and anxiety, which subsequently lowers blood pressure. We all know that lower, healthy blood pressure is good news for your brain and your heart.
10. They Only Sweat Through Their Paw Pads
Cats were originally desert creatures, so they are built to withstand high heat. They do that very differently from us, though, as they only sweat from their paw pads.
Cats cool down by staying in shade and by grooming and releasing saliva on their fur. The sweat from their paw pads is often stress-related but can also occur when overheated.
11. Their Brains Are 90% Similar To Ours
Cats brains are much smaller than ours, but they are also built very similarly – 90 percent similarly. The size of a brain doesn't really say much about intelligence; it's more about how the brain folds and how it is structured.
Cats are incredibly smart. And they think for themselves, which, to some humans reads as being duller than dogs. To the contrary, cats simply do not engage in tasks that they don't see as rewarding to them, and they will choose to spend their time (the remaining eight hours of the day in which they aren't asleep) on something better.
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