Saturday 21 March 2020

Four legged friends

So we're all looking for something to distract us from the never-ending coronavirus coverage. Something amusing, something quirky, something intriguing. And something to break the monotony of self-isolation. I have the answer - all those things you never knew about cats.
  • Cats spend 70 per cent of their lives sleeping, around 13-16 hours a day.
  • Stubbs the cat was mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, from July 1997 till his death in July 2017. Stubbs was flooded with cards and letters, and drew 30 to 40 tourists a day hoping to meet the mayor.
  • The world's longest cat was a Maine coon called Stewie, measuring 48.5 inches. The tallest cat is Arcturus, a Savannah cat from Southfield, Michigan, measuring 19.05 inches.
  • A house cat can reach speeds of up to 30 mph.
  • The oldest ever cat was Creme Puff, who was 38 years and 3 days when he died in August 2005 in Austin, Texas.
  • The record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat is held by Merlin, a black and white cat from Torquay, Devon. His purr is 67.8 decibels, nearly the same volume as a shower! Most cats purr at around 25 decibels.
  • Unlike humans, cats can't detect sweetness.
  • Cats only use their meows to talk to humans, not each other.
  • The average cat can jump eight feet in a single bound, nearly six times its body length.
  • A cat's sense of smell is 14 times better than a human's.
  • Cats only sweat through their paws and nowhere else on their body.
  • A group of cats is called a clowder.
  • A cat can rotate its ears 180 degrees - with the help of 32 ear muscles.
  • A cat's nose is as unique as a human's fingerprint.
  • A cat's heart beat is almost double that of humans, from 110 to 140 beats a minute.
  • A male cat's left paw is typically its dominant paw, while female cats are usually right-pawed.
  • Cats can spend up to a third of their waking hours grooming.
  • Cats will refuse an unpalatable food to the point of starvation.
  • Female cats can get pregnant when they are only four months old.
  • Grapes, raisins, onions, garlic and chives are extremely harmful to cats.
So you see, for three whole minutes you didn't think of the virus. Don't you feel better for it? Of course you do. Next up: all those things you never knew about toilet rolls.

28 comments:

  1. This is great, Nick! Interesting that grapes and the onion family are the two harmful foods to them. And I had no idea they could run 30 mph, but I suppose that would be difficult inside a house.

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    1. Bijoux: I've seen cats running fast across a busy road, but not at 30 mph! Dogs can run at up to 45 mph.

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  2. you underestimated my reading speed. I stopped my virus obsession for just two minutes :)

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    1. Rats! I'll have to make the next post twice as long....

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  3. Since my home regularly hosts three visiting cats I took a bit longer than three minutes. Now, quite how long it will take to read your take on toilet rolls will depend on how interesting you can make of a rather prosaic subject.

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    1. Ramana: Oh, I'm sure there are lots of things to say about toilet rolls....

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  4. Sorry, Andy and I have been self-isolating (his going up to the land doesn't involve seeing other people), but neither one of us has been bored. I'm reading a lot about the virus, but have no problem balancing it with my other projects. We try to go grocery shopping when the store isn't crowded, and the Y is closed but I stopped going a week or so ago and am exercising here at home. Andy is an introvert, and I'm half introvert, half extrovert, so being alone is no problem and blogging and email keeps me connected socially.

    How has your life changed?

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    1. Jean: I guess you're pretty good at occupying your time, and don't need any outside distractions. As for shopping, the supermarkets are still being raided by stockpilers, although they've been told many times there's no shortage of food.

      Jenny and I are much the same as you, natural introverts, so being stuck at home isn't a big deal.

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    1. Linda: I love cats, they're much more interesting than dogs. I've never had a cat as a pet though, too much responsibility!

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  6. I must keep an eye out for my cat's dominant paw.

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  7. "A house cat can reach speeds of up to 30 mph."
    goodness! that's amazing really.
    I have always loved that quote... 'the house cat exists so that we may pet the tiger.'
    well. or something like that! didn't look it up before I replied here. but it's wonderful. and probably pretty close to the truth!

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    1. Tammy: Most cats run away fast when they see me coming. Not at 30 mph though. I'm still mystified as to why I alarm them so much.

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  8. I learned a lot...well, let's rephrase that. I read a lot I didn't know. I wish I could retain it all!

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    1. Rose: Me too. I'll probably remember about three of them and the rest will fade into the ether.

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  9. You've driven my dog crazy with all this cat talk!!
    Sx

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    1. Ms Scarlet: Oh dear. My sincere apologies to your mutt. I shall send a selection of bones and other doggie treats to remedy this unfortunate situation.

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  10. I've never had a cat as a pet. Maybe one day I will.

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    1. Mary: But would the cat get on with Falcor, do you think?

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  11. A clowder? Never knew that. But are they virus carriers — I keep reading conflicting reports.

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    1. Joared: I'm reading conflicting opinions about that as well. But as we don't have a cat, I don't have that extra anxiety!

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  12. I like cats, but as I'm extremely allergic to them I can't have them as pets. That's ok, because I have my two wonderful dogs! And I consider them just as interesting as cats any day.

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    1. Jennifer: An awful lot of people are allergic to cats. A great shame if they really want to keep one as a pet. But still, you have your two dogs....

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  13. I didn't know that about cats having a dominant paw. I'm going to pay attention to ours now and see if they seem to.

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    1. Danielle: Now I've got everyone looking for their cat's dominant paw!

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  14. If there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as a cat, they are canny and always find a warm place to sleep.

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    1. Polly: I couldn't agree more. They just eat and laze around. They don't have to worry about mortgages, getting a job, violent husbands, or coronavirus.

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