100+ Most Interesting Cat Facts Most People Don’t Know About

Cats are fascinating creatures that have captured the hearts of humans for thousands of years.

From their adorable whiskers to their quirky personalities, there’s no denying that cats are one of the most beloved pets in the world.

But how much do you really know about cats?

I’ve compiled over 100 interesting and surprising facts about cats that will make you appreciate them even more.

1. Cats can make over 100 different sounds, while dogs can only make about 10.
2. The first cat video was recorded way back in 1894.
3. Cats are the most popular pet in the United States, with about 88 million pet cats.
4. Cats have 473 taste buds on their tongues.
5. A group of cats is called a clowder.
6. The Hungarian word for “quotation marks” literally translates to “cat claws”.
7. Cats can drink seawater because their kidneys can filter out the salt.
8. Most world languages have a similar sounding word for “meow”.
9. Purebred cats are very rarely found as strays or in shelters. Most are spayed/neutered before being sold.
10. White cats with blue eyes are more likely to be deaf.
11. About 200 feral cats prowl Disneyland, helping control the rodent population.
12. Cats can’t climb down trees head-first because their claws point the same direction, so they have to back down.
13. Cats’ collarbones don’t connect to other bones but are buried in their shoulder muscles.
14. Cats have 230 bones in their bodies, while humans only have 206.
15. The oldest recorded cat lived to be 38 years old.
16. Cats only meow to communicate with humans, not with other cats.
17. Cats can jump up to 6 times their length.
18. Isaac Newton invented the cat door.
19. Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of their cats.
20. The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette in 1963.
21. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees.
22. The technical term for a cat‘s hairball is a “bezoar.”
23. Female cats tend to be right-pawed, while male cats are more often left-pawed.
24. Cats can’t taste sweetness.
25. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
26. Cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping.
27. A cat can jump up to 7 times its length.
28. Cats have over 100 vocal sounds, while dogs only have about 10.
29. The oldest cat to give birth was Kitty, who had two kittens at age 30.
30. The richest cat in the world had $13 million.
31. The first cat show was held in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London.
32. One legend claims that cats were created when a lion on Noah’s Ark sneezed and two kittens came out.
33. A cat‘s cerebral cortex contains about twice as many neurons as that of dogs.
34. Cats have 1,000 times more data storage than an iPad.
35. It was illegal to slay cats in ancient Egypt, in large part because they provided the great service of controlling the rat population.
36. In the 15th century, Pope Innocent VIII began ordering the killing of cats, pronouncing them demonic.
37. A cat can jump up to six times its length.
38. A house cat is faster than Usain Bolt.
39. When cats leave their poop uncovered, it is a sign of aggression to let you know they don’t fear you.
40. Cats are nearsighted, but their peripheral vision and night vision are much better than that of humans.
41. Cats are supposed to have 18 toes (five toes on each front paw; four toes on each back paw).
42. Cats can move their ears 180 degrees.
43. Cats can move their ears separately.
44. Grown cats have 30 teeth.
45. A cat has detected his human’s breast cancer.
46. A cat‘s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
47. Cats have scent glands along their tail, their forehead, lips, chin, and the underside of their front paws.
48. A cat rubs against people to mark its territory.
49. Cats lick themselves to get your scent off.
50. When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would shave off their eyebrows as they mourned.
51. They also had elaborate memorials that included mummifying the cat and either burying it in a family tomb or pet cemetery.
52. Cats were mythic symbols of divinity in ancient Egypt.
53. Black cats are bad luck in the United States, but they are good luck in the United Kingdom and Australia.
54. Most cats don’t like water because their coats do not insulate them well enough.
55. However, a cat called the Turkish Van does not have that insulation problem and LOVES it.
56. The Egyptian Mau is the oldest breed of cat.
57. This breed is also the fastest pedigreed cat.
58. The Egyptian word for cat is, in fact, “mau.”
59. Only 11.5% of people consider themselves “cat people.”
60. Cat people are also 11% more likely to be introverted.
61. Still, cat people are more open to new experiences than typical “dog people.”
62. Cat owners who are male tend to be luckier in love, as they are perceived as more sensitive.
63. Cat owners are 17% more likely to have a graduate degree.
64. Cat people are 25% likely to pick George as their favorite Beatle.
65. A cat‘s carbon footprint is similar to that of a VW Bug, whereas a dog’s is more like a Hummer.
66. When your cat brings home a dead mouse or bird, it may do so to show you that you suck at hunting.
67. Cats have inferior daytime sight, but during the night they need seven times less light than humans to see.
68. The largest litter of kittens produced 19 kittens.
69. Eighty-eight percent of cats in the U.S. are spayed or neutered.
70. Only 24% of cats who enter animal shelters are adopted.
71. Cats are really cool.
72. They are also very soft.
73. If you want to adopt a cat, you can go to your local pet shelter.
74. The oldest cat video on YouTube dates back to 1894 (not a typo, eighteen-ninety-four).
75. In the 1960s, the CIA tried to turn a cat into a bonafide spy by implanting a microphone into her ear and a radio transmitter at the base of her skull. She somehow survived the surgery but got hit by a taxi on her first mission.
76. The technical term for “hairball” is “bezoar.”
77. The first cat in space was French. She was named Felicette, or “Astrocat.” She survived the trip.
78. Cats have 3 eyelids.
79. A cat has 5 toes on his front paws, and 4 on the back, unless he’s a polydactyl.
80. Polydactyl cats are also referred to as “Hemingway cats” because the author was so fond of them.
81. There are 45 Hemingway cats living at the author’s former home in Key West, Fla.
82. Original kitty litter was made out of sand but it was replaced by more absorbent clay in 1948.
83. Abraham Lincoln kept four cats in the White House.
84. When asked if her husband had any hobbies, Mary Todd Lincoln is said to have replied “cats.”
85. Isaac Newton is credited with inventing the cat door.
86. One legend claims that cats were created when a lion on Noah’s Ark sneezed and two kittens came out.
87. A cat can jump 5 times as high as it is tall.
88. A house cat is faster than Usain Bolt.
89. When cats leave their poop uncovered, it is a sign of aggression to let you know they don’t fear you.
90. Cats can change their meow to manipulate a human. They often imitate a human baby when they need food, for example.
91. Cats use their whiskers to detect if they can fit through a space.
92. Cats only sweat through their foot pads.
93. The first cat show was held in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London.
94. The oldest cat on record was Creme Puff from Austin, Texas, who lived to the ripe old age of 38 years and 3 days.
95. The record for the longest cat ever is 48.5 inches.
96. Evidence suggests domesticated cats have been around since 3600 B.C., 2,000 years before Egypt’s pharaohs.
97. A cat‘s purr may be a form of self-healing, as it can be a sign of nervousness as well as contentment.
98. Similarly, the frequency of a domestic cat‘s purr is the same at which muscles and bones repair themselves.
99. Adult cats only meow to communicate with humans.
100. The world’s richest cat is worth $13 million after his human passed away and left her fortune to him.
101. Your cat recognizes your voice but just acts too cool to care (probably because they are).
102. Cats are often lactose intolerant, so stop givin’ them milk!
103. Basically all cartoon cats lied to us: Raw fish is off the table for cats as well.
104. The oldest cat video on YouTube is from 1894.
105. In the 1960s, the CIA tried to turn a cat into a bonafide spy by implanting a microphone into her ear and a radio transmitter at the base of her skull. She somehow survived the surgery but got hit by a taxi on her first mission.

From their incredible hunting skills to their unique communication methods, cats are truly remarkable animals.

Whether you’re a long-time cat owner or just a fan of these furry creatures, we hope that these fascinating facts have given you a deeper appreciation for the amazing abilities and quirks of cats.

So the next time you see your cat lounging in a sunny spot or chasing a toy mouse, remember just how incredible they really are.