Random Cat Facts

Some random, frequently updated cat facts: When well treated, a cat can live twenty or more years but the average life span of a domestic cat is 14 years. Jaguars are the only big cats that don't roar. The ancestor of all domestic cats is the African Wild Cat which still exists today. Abraham Lincoln loved cats. He had four of them while he lived in the White House. The first cat show was in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London. Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours per day. When cats are asleep, they are still alert to incoming stimuli. If you poke the tail of a sleeping cat, it will respond accordingly. Cats, especially older cats, do get cancer. Many times this disease can be treated successfully. Retractable claws are a physical phenomenon that sets cats apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. In the cat family, only cheetahs cannot retract their claws. All cats have three sets of long hairs that are sensitive to pressure - whiskers, eyebrows,and the hairs between their paw pads. Many people fear catching a protozoan disease, Toxoplasmosis, from cats. This disease can cause illness in the human, but more seriously, can cause birth defects in the unborn. Toxoplasmosis is a common disease, sometimes spread through the feces of cats. It is caused most often from eating raw or rare beef. Pregnant women and people with a depressed immune system should not touch the cat litter box. Other than that, there is no reason that these people have to avoid cats. ugly, small