10 things you did not know about cats

Do you think you know everything about your cat and the feline species? Cats are very interesting animals and have inhabited the planet for hundreds of years. Our feline friends are more than purrs and games.

They are spontaneous animals, curious, with character and a lot of personality. This is practically everything we know when we talk about cats, but in reality they are ancient creatures with very complex physical, physiological and emotional characteristics. If you have a cat at home, we invite you to read this new article dedicated to cat lovers, about 10 things you did not know about cats.

1. They do not perceive the sweet flavors

Even if you try to spoil your cat by offering sweet foods, he will give the same. Surely you did not know that cats they lack the receiver of the taste that perceives the sweet flavors. Unfortunately, your cat will not be able to taste the sweetness.

2. His language is very complex

Cats have a repertoire of sounds to communicate, both with each other and with other animals and people. In this way, they howl to humans as one more form of communication (it can mean several things, from hunger to “I want pampering”) and they have learned that they can get things of us through the meow.

Although many are the ones who believe that cats do not waffle among themselves, the truth is that they do use this sound to communicate, especially puppies to their mothers to indicate that they are hungry. In this sense, it should be noted that each cat has its own meow, so there are not two felines that perform the same sound, just as there are not two people with the same voice. Likewise, the meow is not the only way that cats communicate with us. They can purr and growl, requesting different types of attention. However, the favorite language of felines to communicate with each other is the body language, through gestures and sensations rather than through sounds.

3. The cat dreams

To our surprise, cats dream just like humans do. Cats when they sleep and enter the deepest phase of sleep, have the ability to dream. That’s because your mind produces the same pattern of brain waves that we have when we enter into a dream episode.

When you see your cat sleep very pleasantly, even if you make some sound, it is very possible that you are having a dream. The question is, what will they dream? Unfortunately we can not ask you, but it’s fun to imagine what will happen to your mind.

4. They have bad eyesight

Cats have a very developed sense of sight, except when it comes to very short distances. Because they have very big eyes because they are farsighted, cats can not focus on anything that approaches them from a distance of 30 cm. However, his powerful whiskers come to the rescue and can perceive elements that his eyes can not.

5. The myth of milk

Everyone believes that cats love milk and it is also very healthy for them. This is very far from reality and it is a historical myth that cats drink milk. In fact, most adults are lactose intolerant.

This means, not only milk, but all dairy products. Cats, when drinking, alter the stomach and can cause the onset of diarrhea. Of course, we are talking about cow’s milk and in adult cats, baby cats can drink milk from their mothers.

6. House cats live longer than street cats

If you have adopted a cat, make your life in your new home as pleasant and safe as possible. This will result in a longer and more solid life because the real dangers and threats to your health and life will be reduced. Keeping your cat inside your house can increase your life expectancy three to five times.

However, outdoors is another story: conflicts with other animals, traffic, bad conditions, contagious agents and abuses are just some of the problems that a cat can suffer when it lives in the open.

7. Cats as serial killers

This statement will sound somewhat exaggerated, but in the animal world it happens. Researchers at the University of Georgia in the United States have done tests placing small cameras on domestic cats to know their habits when they are outdoors.

What they found was that one in three cats killed other animals and smaller birds, about twice a week. In addition, most were not hunted to later become food but were left or brought home as a trophy.

8. Paws sweatshirts

You will never see a cat drop a sweat, even in that aspect they are very elegant. These felines sweat through their legs, not through their skin because they have few sweat glands in their entire body.

Most of these glands are located in the pads of their legs. Reason why you can see the tracks of your cat when walking on certain surfaces in the hot season. To cool down, cats pant and lick their entire skin.

9. The cat fingerprints

If you want to analyze the fingerprint of a cat, you have to go directly to its nose. Impressions in this area of ​​the body are unique and become the equivalent to our fingerprints. The cushion of a cat’s nose is not exactly like the cushion of another cat, each one has its exclusive, unmistakable and special design.

10. Right handed and left handed cats

Your cat has a dominant leg, just like humans. Experts say that this probably depends on the genus of the animal, since in an investigation carried out in 2009 it was determined that male cats prefer to use the left leg and the cats are more to use the right leg in the first place. When you finish reading this article, observe your cat and pay attention to which leg he uses first to perform any action.

If you want to read more articles similar to 10 things you did not know about cats, we recommend that you enter in our Curiosities section of the animal world.