This fascinating video by BBC Earth Unplugged reveals some interesting cat facts relating to our domesticated feline friends and their larger cousins in the wild.
Cats don't have sweat glands? Discover other remarkable facts in the video below:
Source: "Awesome! 10 Cat Facts You Need to Know - Earth Unplugged." YouTube. YouTube, 25 June 2014. Web. 14 Jan. 2016
Did you find these cat facts interesting? Please share your thoughts and comment below.
Photo Credit: Pixabay (CC0 Public Domain)
ASTROCAT: A female street cat from France named Félicette is the only cat ever to have gone into space. Her 1963 space mission lasted 15 minutes, reaching a height of 97 miles. Félicette returned to earth safely after her capsule parachuted to Earth. [1]
RHYMES WITH CHOWDER: A group of cats is called a clowder. [2]
POPULARITY CONTEST: John Bradshaw, author of Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet, writes: "The domestic cat is the most popular pet in the world today. Across the globe, domestic cats outnumber 'man’s best friend,' the dog, by as many as three to one." [3]
THE NOSE KNOWS: A cat’s sense of smell is 14 times stronger than a human’s. [4]
WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM—EXCEPT CATS: Cats cannot taste sweets because they lack a sweet taste receptor. If your cat likes ice cream or other sweet desserts, it is because they are attracted to some other appealing content like: the fat content, salts, amino acids, the smell, etc. [5]
References
[1] "Félicette." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.
[2] "Clowder." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.
[3] Bradshaw, John. Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. New York, NY: Basic, 2013. Print.
[4] "Cats' Superior Sense of Smell." About.com Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.
[5] Biello, David. "Strange but True: Cats Cannot Taste Sweets." Scientific American. Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2007. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.
How old is your cat in human years? The chart below, from the International Cat Care organization, shows a feline’s life stage and equivalent human age:
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest documented feline was a mixed tabby cat named Creme Puff (1967-2005). Remarkably, Creme Puff lived until the ripe old age of 38 years and 3 days (that’s about 168 human years!). The previous record-holder was Granpa Rexs Allen (1964-1998), a mixed Sphynx and Devon Rex cat. Granpa died at the age of 34 years and 2 months.
Creme Puff and Granpa lived with Jake Perry of Austin, Texas. Perry is 85 years old, which amazingly makes him a member of the geriatric club (like his cats!). During his lifetime, Perry adopted hundreds of cats. Christina Couch, who interviewed Perry for Atlas Obscura, writes: “About a third of his [Perry’s] cats, he says, lived to be at least 30 years old—about twice the average feline life span.”
In the video below, Perry hints that a special breakfast blend, which he cooks for his cats every morning, is the key to his pets’ longevity:
“Every morning—bacon, eggs, broccoli, and coffee—Granpa had to have that every morning.”
It is difficult to substantiate if this unconventional feline diet is a contributing factor for Perry’s off-the-charts geriatric cats—especially since eggs and coffee are specifically listed on the petMD website as Human Foods That Are Dangerous To Cats.
Numerous human and animal studies point to happiness as a compelling factor for a longer lifespan. There is no question Perry’s happiness comes from the human-animal bond with his cats. Naturally, he loves to provide his beloved felines with a safe, happy, and loving environment—his devotion is truly remarkable.
One way Perry keeps his cats happy is by stimulating them with old movies, cartoons, and nature documentaries. He and his cats watch the films in his home theater using an old reel-to-reel projector.
The one thing we can all agree with (as fans of TV BINI) is that video stimulation makes for a happy cat.
South Paws - A short documentary (filmed early 2000) about Jake Perry and his record-breaking cats. (Source: https://youtu.be/MomPIBPD7ig)
A happy cat named Corduroy (born August 1, 1989) is the current oldest cat alive (26 years old at the time of writing). He lives in Sisters, Oregon with pet parent Ashley Reed Okura.
How old is your cat—how do you keep them happy? Please share your thoughts and comment below.
