Thread: 17 Things worth knowing about your cat

I saw this article on 'The Oatmeal' blog and thought I would share it with you all.

1. Your cats front paws have 5 toes. The back has 4. Unless your cat is [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyl_cat"]Polydactyl cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Polydactylcat.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Polydactylcat.jpg/300px-Polydactylcat.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/3/3a/Polydactylcat.jpg/300px-Polydactylcat.jpg[/ame], meaning having extra toes. The high rate of polydactyl cats is in Boston, USA.
2. Had your cat been been born in ancient Egypt, the Egyptians may have used your kitty to protect crops from rats and other vermins.
3. Had your cat stuck around in ancient Egypt for long enough, they Egyptians may have eventually come to worship your cat - even going far as to mummify your cat after death.
4. Your cat cannot taste anything sweet. Their tastebuds cannot detect sugar.
5. Originally cat litter was made from sand. But in 1948 it was discovered that clay was more absorbent.
6. [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton"]Isaac Newton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Sir_Isaac_Newton_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller,_Bt.j pg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Sir_Isaac_Newton_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller%2C_Bt.jpg/180px-Sir_Isaac_Newton_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller%2C_Bt.jpg" @@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/5/50/Sir_Isaac_Newton_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller%2C_Bt.jpg/180px-Sir_Isaac_Newton_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller%2C_Bt.jpg[/ame], invented the cat flap door.
7. Your cat can see well in the dark. They can see at one-sixth the light level required for a human being.
8. Famous cat haters are - Dwight Eisenhower and [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler[/ame]
9. Famous cat lovers - Robert E. Lee & [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln"]Abraham Lincoln - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portr ait.jpg" class="image" title="Abraham Lincoln"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portrait.j pg/245px-Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portrait.j pg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/4/44/Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portrait.j pg/245px-Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portrait.j pg[/ame]
10. President Lincoln kept 4 cats in the White House.
11. Your cat purrs at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine. This is around 26 purrs per second.
12. Your cat's ears can hear ultrasonic sounds. Rodents use these sounds too to communicate. Your cat can hear them, but dogs and humans cannot.
13. Your cat uses whiskers to gauge whether or not they can fit through an opening. Cats collarbones does not connect to any other bones but instead sits buried in a muscle. This makes it easier for your cat to squeeze through tight spots.
14. Your cat purrs continously, by flowing air past the voice box during both inhalation and exhalation.
15. Without [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine"]Taurine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Acap.svg" class="image"><img alt="Acap.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Acap.svg/36px-Acap.svg.png"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/5/52/Acap.svg/36px-Acap.svg.png[/ame] your cat would go blind. Taurine is an amino acid that most animal produce on their own, but cats require it in their diet.
16. [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla"]Nikola Tesla - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:N.Tesla.JPG" class="image" title="circa 1896."><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/N.Tesla.JPG/225px-N.Tesla.JPG"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/d/d4/N.Tesla.JPG/225px-N.Tesla.JPG[/ame] got zapped by his cat. As a child Nikola was inspired to understand the secrets of electricity after being shocked by static electricity from his beloved cat.
17. Your cat can run at least 30 miles per hour.