Fun & Famous

11 fascinating cat facts

I have ailurophobia. Now that sounds quite unique, but it's nothing more than a huge love for cats. My two grumpy furballs Monza and Luna are my everything, and that's why it's time this sticky Sunday to go all out on all sorts of strange cat fun facts. About whiskers, Guinness Book of Records kitties, and the largest litters in the world. Are you ready?

– The longest cat in the world is named Stewie, and is a whopping eh, 1 meter 23 long. Dafuck. Imagine it jumping on you in the morning.

– And the smallest cat in the world (SEVEN CENTIMETERS!) was named Tinker Toy.

– You would have a whopping 30 percent less chance of a heart attack if cat owner. Just saying, okay? Science doesn't lie.

– On average, cats sleep 60 percent of their lives. A ten-year-old cat has therefore only been awake for four years of its life. I already knew it, but now even more: if the reincarnation god Amayzine also likes it (I get it): in my next life, I would like to be a cat. And preferably a bit of a handsome one, a British Shorthair or something. Thank you.

- Cats have not one, but three eyelids per eye. Okay, that sounds creepy.

– Ever thought about the fact that cats have five toes on their front paws and only four on their back paws? The fifth toe on their back paw has ‘disappeared’ over the years because felines did not use the fifth toe.

– Cats use their whiskers to find out how big an opening is and whether they will fit through it. Smart little creatures.

– Okay, every sweat story is gross, but not with cats. Here it comes: cats can only sweat through those soft, cute, pink pads on their paws. All together now: ‘Aaaaaawh.“

– Normally, a cat gives birth to one to nine kittens at a time. And nine is already quite a handful, I can tell you (click here and here for the cutest Luna kittens ever). But no, the largest litter ever consisted of 19 (!) kittens.

– Hmm, apparently my little monsters are unable to perceive the taste ‘sweet’. Is your cat crazy about something sweet? Then that's probably due to another basic taste in the food, like a bit of added salt.

– Cats can sense earthquakes 10 to 15 minutes earlier than humans. I'm telling you, ambiguous or not, we all need a cat. #P CatsForPresident.