thursday 13: cat facts edition

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Because why not? You’re welcome.

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1. i spy a tiger cat

Genetically, a domestic house cat is over 95% tiger. I feel like this explains a lot about the creatures.

2. furry gender

It turns out there are genetic connections between the color of a cat’s fur and their gender. It is a genetic oddity that is shared only with hamsters, and even with the two species, it’s not 100%. As we know, biomales have XY chromosomes while biofemales have XX. The gene for orange fur color is on the X chromosome, so male cats need only one to be orange, making them about 80% of the orange-cat population. Female cats need the gene on both X chromosomes to be orange, which is statistically much less likely. Conversely, nearly all calico cats are female because the color is formed from one orange gene and one gene for another color, both connected to the X chromosome. Therefore, male calicos only occur when there is a genetic sex-chromosome anomaly, when they receive more than one X chromosome with their Y. These males are usually sterile because of that anomaly.

3. stoner cats

It’s the oil in catnip that will turn a cat into a stoner, specifically the smell of it. The smell is reminiscent of cat sex hormones, so a cat deep in a haze will exhibit behavior similar to that of, um, horny cats. But it doesn’t work on all cats, only about 60% of them. Silvervine and valerian, though, have similar affects. Interestingly, kittens generally don’t react to catnip until they are at least six months old.

4. old blue eyes

Not Frank Sinatra, but white cats with blue eyes. They are genetically more prone to deafness, even with only one blue eye. White cats with any other color has a 17-22% chance of deafness, but a white cat with at least one blue eye has a 40% chance of deafness. And if a cat with only one blue eye is deaf, the deafness is usually on the same side.

5. gendered paws

Like their human counterparts, cats have a dominant paw. Studies have shown this dominance usually extends to the leading foot with walking or climbing, as well as choosing a side to lay on. Female cats are far more likely to be right-pawed, while males tend to be left-pawed. In dogs, this tendency is thought to be linked to hormonal factors, but the cats in recent study have all been neutered.

6. more for me

Unlike me, cats don’t have a sweet tooth. There are two proteins required to create the gene that gives the ability to identify sweet tastes, but cats lack one of them. Physiologically, they aren’t missing out because their bodies are not designed to process the carbs that are in sweet things.

7. muscle-bound felines

A cat ears have 32 muscles each and can move independently of one another, within 180 degrees. This allows them to hear sounds that pulsate at 60K vibrations per second, three times as many as humans. This ability allows them to determine the movement and location of predators and prey. And the movement of cat ears allows them to express moods and emotions.

8. Kindle versus kindle

A Kindle is a book. But a kindle is a group of kittens. I love them both.

9. emerald city kitty

In 1995, a cat was born in Denmark with green-hued fur and claws. The unusual color is attributed to an abnormally high level of copper in the local water supply. As she grew, drinking water not high in copper, the green faded away.

10. move aside, Usain Bolt

He may be a legend on the track and the fastest human being, but he can’t beat the average cat. Bolt’s fastest recorded speed was 27.8 mph, recorded during the 100m final race at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin. But a cat can run about 30 mph over a short distance.

11. ancient cat

The oldest known pet cat lived roughly 9,500 years ago in Cyprus, found by French archaeologists in a grave in 2004. Egyptian art featuring cats didn’t begin until over 4,000 years later.

12. walk like a…

Camel or giraffe. Like these animals, cats walk with half their body. Both right paws first, or both left. Cats, camels, and giraffes are the animals who move like this.

13. speaking of Egypt

Apparently, in ancient Europe, it was customary for family members to shave off their eyebrows if their pet cat died. It was also commonplace for cats to be mummified and entombed with their family.