To say that the elegant, discreet and cunning four-pawed aristocrats have conquered the Internet is a bit of an understatement! They’ve subtly managed to conquer the lives of many of their owners and before that, there was a time when they (almost) ruled the world. That’s right, today we talk about the amazing… cats!
The small felines lead a discrete, detached and comfortable life alongside their human companions. But everybody who’s been around them longer than an instant will know that they, the cats, are undoubtedly the stars of the show. Here are some amazing facts about… cats!
1. The average life expectancy of a cat is around 10-15 years. However, domestic cats are likely to outlive these odds. Like Creme Puff, who in 2010 beat the world record for the oldest cat, dying at 38.
2. Tinker Toy, a Himalayan cat, is the world’s smallest cat, measuring just 7 centimetres and weighing 510 grams. A tiny toy indeed.
3. What do cats want to “say” when they meow? That’s still an enigma. But what scientists have figured out is that this form of communication is dedicated to humans exclusively. Apparently, cats only meow to humans (never to other cats or animals); they do so to manipulate “their humans” into giving them what they want.
4. Cats sleep 2 thirds of their lives (between 15 and 18 hours a day). One third if the remaining… third of their lives (the one they stay awake) is spent grooming their hair.
5. Cats have had a tumultuous history. In Ancient Egypt, they were revered as gods and the punishment for killing a cat was death! Unfortunately, during the Middle Ages, they were hunted down and persecuted, killed and burned as witches, since in 1200, Pope Gregory IX declared black cats to be embodiment of the devil. This seems to have triggered the Plague, as rats took over the European cities.
Today , cats are back in style, ruling the Internet and not only. And guess what? Although there’s the myth about the old spinster with cats, it seems that men love cats just as much as women do!
