Cats!

"If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats"

- Lemony Snicket

Cats. They're so loveable and squidgy and fluffy (with the exception of the Sphynx cat that looks like Yoda). I like cats. Many people like cats. In North America, there's 10 million more cats than there are dogs (73 million cats to 63 million dogs). In Ancient Egypt, cats were treated with the highest regards but you doubtless know this. However, did you know that the Egyptian Mau is the oldest cat breed around? It is. Mau is also the Egyptian word for cat. Imaginative!

That's my old cat, Mau, there. He was not an Egyptian Mau, he was a white and tabby male which is rare because white and tabby cats are usually females. He could say his own name.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you all about cats. I'm going to share all my cat knowledge with you and hopefully, you will be wiser for the experience.

- Cats have the largest eyeballs of all mammals, in relation to their skull.
- Cats have 24 more bones in their bodies than humans do.
- Cats can make 100 different sounds. Dogs can only make 10.
- Cat brains resemble human brains more closely than they do dog brains.
- Each cat has a unique nose print, just like our fingerprints.
- When a cat is rubbing the side of its mouth on something, it doesn't have an itchy face (like I once thought), it is actually leaving its scent on the object so other cats know it belongs to them.
- Cats spend up to 16 hours a day asleep.

- A litter of kittens will all share the same mother (obviously) but can have different fathers.
- Ragdoll cats go limp when picked up by humans, hence their name.
- Outdoor cats have an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years. House cats have an average lifespan of 16 years. I imagine cars factor in these statistics.
- Cats can dream.
- Cats cannot taste anything sweet.
- If a cat has their tail held upright and curled slightly at the end, it means they are friendly. If you see a cat in the street with their tail like that, it's probably safe to approach and pet them.
- Cats close their eyes when they are pleased or contented.

- The purring noise a cat makes when it is hungry has the frequency of a baby's cry embedded in it so you feel compelled to feed the cat.
- Cats spend a third of their day grooming themselves.
- A cat's heartbeat is twice as fast as a human's heartbeat.
- The Maine Coon cat is the state animal of Maine (unsurprisingly).
- Black cats are a sign of good luck in the UK and bad luck in America. Unfortunately, they are the least likely to be adopted from rescue centres.
- Cats are the best. It's undisputable.

So there you have it. 20 cat facts you never needed to know. Don't you feel so much more knowledgeable now? Now go and find a cat to cuddle. You know you want to!