- Cats Have Sharp Tongues
All feline tongues, from tabby house pets to 600-pound Bengal tigers, are covered with tiny barbs or hooks, giving the tongue a rough texture. These microscopic projections, called “filiform papillae,” face toward the cat's throat and are the tools that help it groom its coat. The barbs work like a comb, catching and cleaning the cat's fur.
- They Come Down the Way They Go Up
Cats can't climb head first down trees because every claw on the feline paw points in the same direction. To get out of a tree, Fluffy must back down.
- Some Cats Are All Thumbs
Polydactyl cats have more than the usual number of toes and are known by many names, including Hemingway cat, mitten cat, big-foot cat, six-toed cat, and even cats with thumbs.
- Some Are Lefties
A study in the UK found that, like people, cats are either right-handed or left-handed, though some are ambidextrous. Females are more likely to be right-handed while males are more frequently left-handed.
A study conducted at Turkey's Atatürk University showed that 50 percent of domestic cats are right pawed, 40 percent favor their left paws, and 10 percent are ambidextrous.
- It’s Not a Toomah!
In January 2012, the BBC reported that a British cat named Gemma went under the knife for removal of a tumor the “size of two cricket balls” that was preventing her from eating. Turns out it wasn’t a tumor – it was a 5-inch wide hairball that weighed 7.5 ounces!
- Male Calicos Are the Result of Quirky Genetics
According to cat expert Dr. Arnold Plotnick, approximately one calico in 3,000 is male, thanks to a genetic oddity known as “Klinefelter syndrome.” A kitty with this condition has X and Y chromosomes, making it a male, but he also has an extra X chromosome that allows for the expression of the calico coat pattern.
- Some Felines Apparently Float
It is said that Unsinkable Sam, a black and white cat also known as Oskar, survived the sinking of a total of three ships during World War II: the Bismarck, the HMS Cossack, and the HMS Ark Royal.
- Some Forecast the Weather
Once upon a time in America, a cat with its back to the fire foretold a cold snap; all four paws tucked under meant bad weather was coming.
- Hairballs Are Good Medicine
The scientific term for a hairball is trichobezoar. The root, trich is Greek for “hair.” A bezoar is any mass found in the stomach or intestines. It comes from the Persian word for “antidote.”
Animal hairballs were once thought to cure epilepsy, the plague, and poisoning. During the Middle Ages, hairballs were even set in gold.
- Speedy Cats
It has been reported that a cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph over a short distance. It has also been reported that domestic cats have a top speed of 29.8 mph.