"Odd" Kitty Facts

Have been going through some articles and found a few cat facts that were interesting, so I thought I would share them with you.  The first one is the answer to a question about whether your cat is right-pawed or left-pawed.  The answers might surprise you!

Interestingly, most female cats are right pawed, while the majority of males are lefties. Guess what - the same goes for humans! Well, almost. 90% of humans are right handed, but the majority of the remaining 10% are left-handed males.

Next time you break out the kitty toys, take note of which paw your kitty uses first. You can also try placing some tuna or any treat your kitty loves at the bottom of a narrow jar. Which paw did your kitty use to try and get it?

According to that definition, this kitty artist must be a male:

None of my cats have ever been blue-eyed or two different colors.  Quite a shock to look at them.  :>)  Many white-haired, blue-eyed cats are actually deaf. This has to do with the connection between the kitty's iris (the part of the eye that holds color) and the inner ear, which kitties (and humans) use to hear.

This only goes for pure-white cats, which make up 5% of the population. Out of all pure whites, 15%-40% have blue eyes, and 60%-80% of pure white, blue-eyed cats experience hearing loss. We're talking about quite a small proportion!

Plus, if a kitty has only one blue eye and another eye that's a different color, there's an even lower chance they'll be deaf. This phenomenon is genetic and quite complex.

Who could ever resist these eyes?

The next fact had to do with their sensitive hearing.  Ever wonder what makes your kitty snap its head around at the slightest sound? You guessed it -- their hearing is far superior to ours and even that of doggies! Here are a few important things to know about your kitty's hearing abilities:

• Cats can pinpoint the location of a sound within six one-hundredths of a second from up to three feet away.
• Cats can hear four or fives times better than humans can!
• A cat's outer ear (a.k.a. the "pinna") can rotate up to 180 degrees.  Combined with their exceptionally long ear canals, it's practically a satellite dish!

The next time you're in a room with your kitty, check out how their ears respond to the slightest sound you make! Also, keep your music down -- since your kitty can hear things much more loudly than you, loud noises could frighten it!

Maybe this kitty is trying to protect those sensitive ears:

Has your cat ever gone missing and reappeared later.  Sometimes  MUCH LATER?

Do all kitties have a magical pair of ruby slippers we don't know about? If not, how is it that they always seem to find their way home, despite disappearing from home for hours on end? Well, science will tell you it isn't a glittery pair of shoes that miraculously teleports them back to their starting point.

Known as "homing," there are a couple of theories about how kitties find their way home. One theory is that they judge their location based on the angle at which the Sun is hitting the Earth. Others believe that kitties have magnetic cells in their brain that act as an internal compass. While both theories seem a little far-fetched, they actually are used by other animals. Plus,how else would you explain this eery phenomenon?

One thing is for sure: there have been some astounding stories about cats traveling vast distances to return home. Just earlier this year, a cat living in West Palm Beach, Florida went missing while vacationing with her family 200 miles away in Daytona Beach. Two months (and 200 miles) later, she reappeared on a neighbor's doorstep -- weak, but alive, and leaving her family wondering just how she was able to make it home.


This neighborhood cat runs a taxi system, so his friends can get home easily:

As I said in a previous blog, I couldn't believe how high one of my females could jump!  Now I know why.


A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound?! Height-wise, that's about eight feet high -- over two feet taller than the average adult male!

So how do they manage this seemingly ambitious feat? It's all thanks to a powerful set of muscles in their hind legs, which serve as a kind of springboard that allows kitties to sail effortlessly over countertops, balconies, you name it! When jumping, kitties also use their tail for stability, their stretchy spines to extend their leaps, and their whiskers as distance markers! Who knew?!

In addition to jumping high, kitties also exhibit something known as the "righting reflex." This is a reflex that is unique to kitties, and allows them to land on all four legs with ease -- even if they have fallen from tall heights.

The name for this reflex comes from the process a cat uses to orient its body when falling: first it turns its head in the right direction. For example, if a kitty is falling head first, it would turn its head upwards so that its spine and hind legs would follow. Just before the kitty lands, it bends its back to absorb the force of the fall, and its soft paw pads help with harsh landings as well.

Oh, yeah, these guys know how to do it:

Those are your "cat facts" for today.  Hope you learned something new.  :>)

A Typical Cat Day (Or Maybe Not)

Every day in the life of a cat or the household they're living in is not the same.  There's kind of a routine at our house, but that is subject to change at any given moment.  Cats sleep sixteen hours a day, so you would think that they couldn't cause so much commotion in the remaining eight hours.  What a silly person you are!  Cat owners are prepared for anything at anytime and really expect nothing less.

Well, of course, the first order of the day is breakfast.  Mine feel it's their duty to inform me if I'm not up right at the time they think I should be:

They are sitting by their bowls by the time I finally crawl out at 4:30 a.m. and make my way into the kitchen to feed them.  This little guy already has a shuttle system built in to help him in the morning.

When the food is gone, it's playtime!  Sometimes it's pretty vigorous with them chasing each other around the house; other times, it's an half-hearted attempt.  So we can go from this:

to this:

and finally this:

By this time, they're sleepy and ready for a nap.  Sometimes they will sleep in the same room, but, most of the time, they're in separate rooms.  (Probably had enough of each other while they were playing)  One curls up into a tiny little ball; the other one likes to let it "all hang out".  My older one has actually laid in front of the fan this summer like this cat is doing.  Cracks me up!

The other one is wrapped up as tight as this little Purrito.

And so it goes on through the day.  Sleeping, eating, and playing.  They have their favorite spots for doing all of these activities, but you can find them in some unusual places sometimes.

Wherever you find them, you can count on being entertained during the day.  Let us know the crazy things your cat does.  :>)

Cats eat, sleep, play, want attention, and show affection in return.  Sometimes, they can be very helpful.  You might think they're in the way, but they're just trying to get your attention. as shown in the above pictures.  If you have a sense of humor, you might get a chuckle out of the following pictures.

They help each other keep clean,

and while they're exploring.  (Sometimes you need a lift up)

They even help other animals,

but they love to help us!  (In their own way, of course)

No need to worry about your computer if your cat is on the job!

They'll help you with your food,

help you to stay warm,

and warn you about danger.

What more could you expect?  Talk about a complete package deal!  All they require is fresh water and food along with your affection.  Pretty good exchange, I think.

Watching a cat play with an object or with each other is always a surprise because you never know what might happen.  The most common objects to us could be a treasure for them.  For example, my older cat, Kirby, has now decided that playing with the straps on my swimming suit hanging on the handicapped handle of the bathtub is the greatest thing since peanut butter!  Have hung my suits there for the last two years when I rinse them out after water aerobics.  But, he's just now discovered this "thing" to play with and is having a ball.

Another common object I've found that all of my cats have liked to play with has been just an ordinary box regardless of whether it's empty or has something in it.  Much like this cat:

Or maybe a box designed by their owner like this one:

However, the poor cat doesn't really look too happy since it probably wasn't his idea.  Just plain old boxes will do.  My younger cat, Sammy, likes to tip over the recycling box that we have for papers anytime it's empty.  Once papers are in it, he leaves it alone.  But, if it's empty, he can't resist!

They can keep themselves entertained very well just as Kirby did with my swimming suit strap.  Or like these cats:

From catching butterflies, to exploring:

to being hyperactive:

Get two kitty cats together, and they can come up with most anything!

Sometimes their play will get them into very awkward places.

But, however they play, you can be assured that you will be laughing and thoroughly entertained!

Eating

In the last two blogs, we have covered some of the crazy contortions cats go through to sit and to sleep or least rest.  Might as well talk about eating because if mine are not playing or sleeping, guess what they want to do.  My younger cat, Sammy, likes to eat throughout the day.  A little bit here and a little bit there.  However, my older cat, Kirby, would eat us out of house and home if I allowed him to eat that way.  So, we've found ways to compromise and still get them both fed.  Whenever I come home or walk into the kitchen from any other room, no matter what time it is, this is the type of attitude that I will see from Kirby.

He'll talk, he'll butt up against me, lay on the floor for his tummy to be rubbed, or whatever he can think of to get my attention before he finally decides that now is not the right time.

He hasn't done this yet, but it wouldn't surprise me any if he did.

Fortunately, my boys are not picky eaters, but I feel for pet owners that have to deal with this kind of problem.  Nope, no problems along that line!  It could very easily go this way if Kirby could eat all he wanted.

He's to lose a pound over the next year according to the vet, so I've been very careful about the amount I give him.  He certainly doesn't get as much as he wants.  :>)

It's amazing how they can know that you're getting ready to feed them even when they're not in the same room.  But they associate certain sounds with the feeding preparation and don't miss a beat.  They're right there ready and waiting.

After they're done eating, then they feel this way before taking another nap or playing a little.

Most pet owners feed their pets several times a day.  As I said before, Kirby doesn't think that's enough.  But, he's especially thinking this when he gets me up at five in the morning.

And so begins another day in the our household.  Hope yours is a good one!

Since we've talked about the crazy ways a cat will sit, let's also look at the ways they "rest" or sleep.  How in the world they do that, I have no idea!!  My younger cat, Sammy, gets so curled up in a ball that his feet and legs totally cover his nose.  Man, can that cat snore!!  He'll wake you up in the middle of the night with his noises.  Good thing I snore too.  :>)  Sammy sleeps on his side, but he'll have his nose covered like this.

At least, this little kitten is laying half way normally: (Not including the napkin, of course.)

And then we have those who must just play until they drop in their tracks!

Some don't even have a chance to "drop".  They just go to sleep.

If your cat sleeps with you, you need to remember the "rules".  These were very carefully thought out and planned for their comfort, not yours.  My older cat would gently push me through the night with his back feet until I woke up in the morning on the edge of the bed.  Guess who was in the middle of the bed!!  It looked something like this:

So I quickly learned the ways to sleep with my cat and am passing them on to you.

And now we ALL can get some sleep!  Good night and sweet dreams.