Chances are good you currently have a pet cat, or have had one in your life. But lest it be forgotten, cats are the most semi-feral animals that will choose to coexist with humans. They may live in our houses, but really are impossible to fully domesticate. Don’t believe it? Here are some facts about house cats that, although seeming crazy, just happen to be true. Yes, your little furry house friend is secretly still a wild animal at heart.
House Cat Or Mini Tiger?
It may seem fairly obvious that cats and their larger feline cousins are similar, but do you realise just how similar? It has been observed that house cats and tigers are just over 95% identical. That’s right, a cat very literally is just a miniature version of a tiger. That shouldn’t come as much of a shock, given how similar their behaviour is. Cats and tigers both stalk their prey, plus they also pounce in an identical fashion.
Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Tigers are also pretty fast, which is another trait that carries over to the humble house cat. At their top speed a cat will easily beat the fastest sprinters alive. Though good luck getting a cat to spring on demand. A cat may be a fast sprinter, but will never stop being a car, after all.
On average a house cat will hit speeds of around 30mph. That is much faster than even Usain Bolt.
Cats And Giraffes?
Next time you’re looking up cricket world cup odds and your kitty struts over to be a nuisance, watch the way the sultry feline walks. Both right paws forward, then both left paws forward, right? It just so happens that there are hardly any animals that use that walk pattern, with only cats, giraffes and camels doing the same.
So although being miniature tigers, apparently cats also have some relation to giraffes?
Not So Miniature
But if cats are so closely related to tigers, how come they never get any bigger? Sometimes they do, and although not getting tiger sized are much bigger than your average cat. A Main Coon named Stewie reached a staggering length of 48.5 inches, making him the longest feline in history. Maine Coons are known to be large, but Stewie was the largest.
As far as tallest cats are concerned a kitty named Fenrir reached 18.83 inches, making him far bigger than many little dogs.
Smarter Than You Think
Everyone knows that cats are smart. The problem is that they’re not particularly cooperative. Which is to say; teaching cats tricks is a nightmare. At least it is if you’re not a professional cat trainer.
Didga the cat holds the record for performing the most tricks in 1 minute. How many tricks did this smart feline manage? 24, which is exactly 24 more than the average cat. The smart felines trick portfolio included rolling over, jumping hurdles, and even riding on a skateboard. Impressive to say the least.
