International Cat Day is a special day held every year on August 8, where people wear shirts with pictures of cats on them. In 2002, the International Fund for Animal Welfare created this day to help raise awareness and educate people about cats and ways to protect them in order to save them from extinction.
Here is our list of 10 facts you should know about your cat.
Netwon and Cat Flap
When Newton was working on his scientific theories, he constantly had kitten interruptions at his door. So he called the university carpenter and had him construct a special hole in the door so that the kittens could come in and out as they pleased. Long story short, this lead to the invention of the cat door or cat flap for doors. It’s still being used to this day, although now cats are an accepted part of most households!
Tribute To Cat
In ancient Egypt, Egyptians believed cats brought good luck and prosperity to the people that housed them, and treated them like a member of royalty.However, if a pet cat were to die, its owner would shave off their eyebrows as a sign of respect and mourning. They would mourn untill eyesbrow grew back.
Cat can detect Earth Quakes
According to Japan’s Intellectual Daily Shukan Post, cats react several minutes before a disaster occurs. This is believed to be because they have super sensitive hearing and can sense low-frequency sounds and electricity.
Have you heard about Richest Cat?
The world’s richest cat lives in a home that happens to be valued at $13 million. The furball Blackie inherited an estate of this value when his owner Ben Rea passed away back in 1988. At the time of Ben’s death, he had refused to recognize his family in his will and named everything after the pet cat. According to The Telegraph , Ben himself wasn’t even rich – but true-to-style inherited a small sum which he invested well, along with his gardening skills, and ended up becoming a legendary farmer who never left home without his trusty cat! Unfortunately, Blackie passed away on August 22nd, 2020 leaving behind an $13 Million fortune.
Cat Was Elected Mayor
Stubbs, an orange tabby who once served as the honorary mayor of the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska for more than 20 years, died at age 20 in 2016. The cat was a permanent fixture in local government after being elected by residents those many years ago and won her first mayoral election in 1997. Stubbs’ political reign continued without any challenge until his death made a contest inevitable among the animal’s fans since he had no legislative power during his time leading town hall meetings.
AstroCat In Space
Cat in space? In the 1960s, a French cat went to space. On October 18th of 1963, the feline was named Felicette (also known as Astrocat) after she flew nearly 100 miles above earth inside an airtight Veronique AG1 capsule – and returned alive about 15 minutes later with no breathing problems or any other ill effects of the trip! On the day of her epic journey into outer-space, Felicette became a media sensation and even had her own exhibit at the Paris Air Show where one could stare at her through plexiglass.
Cats Can Be Called Sweetblind
Cats have one of the lowest metabolisms of all animals. They are believed to be the only mammals so far who lack the ability to taste sweetness, and this implies they do not have any kind of receptor for it as well.
Extra Organ in Cat
In the wild, animals rely on their sense of smell to survive. This is one of the major reasons why dogs and cats have an extra organ in their bodies called a vomeronasal organ (VNO). The VNO allows pets to taste scents like pheromones in the air. This is why you might find cats staring with their mouths open from time to time.
Cat Vocabulary
Cats have over 100 different sounds/vocalisations depending on who’s counting. Some experts say that they can have up to a dozen different sounds for when they’re happy, sad or mad! And if you own a cat, you might know that their ‘meow’ has many short variations based on whether the cat is hungry, wants attention, needs to go out of the house or doesn’t like how you’re petting them. They are known to make an average of 100 vocal sounds, while dogs with their limited range of skills are only able to utter 10 or fewer different types of vocalisations.
Cat Purr Heals
Cats have one of the most unique abilities among other animals. Cats have the capacity to purr at a frequency that’s similar to our own fetal heartbeat, which is a range from about 25-150 Hz (25-50 Hz is normal for adult humans). Not only does this frequency have amazing healing properties such as bone growth and muscle repair, it also has a great calming effect when we hear it or feel it being transmitted into our bodies. Purring releases endorphins, lowers blood pressure, increases circulation to heal cells and tissues, and positively affects the immune system as well as the heart and brain. As a result, contented purring has been shown to alleviate anxiety in cats (and their people), so they can fall asleep faster or enhance relaxation in stressful environments!