25 Fascinating Facts About Cats

Cats are stranger than you thought.

Cats are exceptionally intriguing creatures. Not only are they totally adorable and fiercely independent, they’re very unique organisms that can do some pretty spectacular things. Plus, they make the internet a much better place. Take a look at 25 of our favorite facts about cats in the gallery below, then let us know your favorite cat fact in the comments section on social media.

-Cats mark their territory by rubbing their faces on humans, other animals and objects.

-Cats cannot taste anything sweet.

-There are 88 million cats in the United States.

-There are more cats in the United States than dogs.

-Cats have 230 bones in their body.

-Cats were brought from Europe to the Americas in 1750 as pest control.

-Cats only meow to communicate with human beings.

-Cats can jump six times their length.

-Cats have five toes on each front paw and four toes on each back paw.

-Cats have whiskers on the backs of their front legs.

-Cats have the largest eyes relative to the size of their head of any other mammal.

-Cats use their rough tongues to clean the meat off bones.

-Cats have thick, soft pads on their feet that allow them to move in nearly complete silence.

-Cats’ tails help them to balance while walking on thin surface areas or jumping.

-Cats can recognize their owner’s voice.

-Male cats are more likely to be left pawed.

-Female cats are more likely to be right pawed.

-Almost all orange cats are male.

-Almost all tortoiseshell and calico cats are female.

-When a cat died in Ancient Egypt, their owners would shave off their eyebrows in mourning.

-The average cat sleeps between 12 and 16 hours per day.

-Cats are most active between dawn and dusk.

-Cats spend about a third of their waking hours grooming themselves.

-Indoor cats tend to live longer than outdoor cats.

-Cats have up to 100 different vocalizations, whereas dogs only have 10.