January 16, 2018- Yay Calgary! This is exciting news! This may just be the purr-fect antidote to stress:) Click on the link below to read the full article from our friends at Global News.
Cat’s out of the bag: Calgary airport adds feline friends to pet therapy program
Hi Folks, Here are some interesting facts about our feline friends that you may or may not already know. I’ll be honest and say that some of these facts surprised me! Let me know what your thoughts are in the comment section below:)
- Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.
- When a cat chases its prey, it keeps its head level. Dogs and humans bob their heads up and down.
- The technical term for a cat’s hairball is a “bezoar.”
- A group of cats is called a “clowder” or a “glaring.”
- A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.
- Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
- There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with approximately 40 recognized breeds.
- While it is commonly thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was recently found in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more.
- Cats are North America’s most popular pets: there are 73 million cats compared to 63 million dogs. Over 30% of households in North America own a cat.
- According to Hebrew legend, Noah prayed to God for help protecting all the food he stored on the ark from being eaten by rats. In reply, God made the lion sneeze, and out popped a cat.
- A cat’s hearing is better than a dog’s. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.
- A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance.
- A cat rubs against people not only to be affectionate but also to mark out its territory with scent glands around its face. The tail area and paws also carry the cat’s scent.
- Researchers are unsure exactly how a cat purrs. Most veterinarians believe that a cat purrs by vibrating vocal folds deep in the throat. To do this, a muscle in the larynx opens and closes the air passage about 25 times per second.
So there you have it! Interesting facts about cats, thanks for reading:)