An old saying claims that dogs are “man’s best friend”, but what about the feline? We see the compassionate dynamic between owners and their feline friends each and every day at our Baltimore County veterinary clinic, and we’re positive that cats make the perfect pals, too! They’re certainly a different species than canines, and thus have their own set of habitual behaviors and tendencies, but we’ve seen many cats provide the same companionship to their owners as other domestic animals do!
Get to Know Your Feline Friend
If your best friend is a furry feline, you’ll love these interesting cat facts we have for you:
- When comparing the biology of the brain in people, cats, and dogs, the cat’s brain is more similar to a human’s than is a dog’s.
- A group of cats or other small felines is known as a “clowder.”
- Because each claw on a cat’s paw points in the same direction, they have a difficult time climbing down from high places head-first. That’s why you may often see them climb down from tall structures backwards!
- While dogs only make about 10 different but recognizable sounds, cats are known to make nearly 100.
- The word ‘cat’ stems from the Latin word catus, which is a domestic cat. Feles in the same language refers to a wild cat.
- As of 2018, approximately 93 million cats were kept as domestic pets in the United States: Cats were the most popular pet second only to freshwater fish, and trumped dogs by close to 5 million.
- The medical term for a hairball is trichobezoar, which is defined as a mass formed from the ingestion of hair, found in the gastrointestinal (digestive) system.
- The first cat to ever go into space was a French feline named Felicette (meaning “Astrocat”) nearly 60 years ago. She survived the trip just fine.
- Cats have the auditory ability to hear sounds up to two octaves higher than humans can recognize.
- In ancient Egypt, many people worshipped a goddess named “Bast”, who had the body of a woman but the head of a cat.
Stay tuned for Feline Facts: Part 2 – coming next week!
Want to Better Understand Your Cat?
When you have pets, you want to know everything there is to know about them. This strengthens your connection with them and helps you better recognize when they aren’t feeling their best. Whether your cat is displaying abnormal behavior or simply needs a routine wellness check-up, Catonsville Cat Clinic can help.
We provide a wide variety of veterinary services to felines of all shapes and sizes and are dedicated to bettering the health of each cat that comes through our doors. Contact us today to learn more.