More Funny Cat Videos

The Many Moods of Cats

Are Cats Trainable?

Apparently so. Watch this video to see how to train a cat to work a light switch.

My Cat has too Many Toes...

I personally have a cat with polydactylism. That is, he has one too many toes on each of his paws. Normally, a cat has 18 toes. The front paw has five toes - four toes and one dewclaw (the small toe on the inside of the foot that doesn’t touch the ground). Most polydactyl cats have one or two extra toes on each foot, with the extra toes appearing on the thumb side of the foot.

Physically and genetically, polydactylism is not a dangerous trait among cats. However, it is a dominant one. It can be assumed, therefore, if either one of a kitten's parents is polydactyl, chances are that the kitten will be too.

Polydactylism doesn’t adversely affect cats. However, It offers them no advantages. It is simply a quirk, neither bad nor good.

Weird Cat Facts

WEIRD CAT FACTS (Various Sources)

• Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
• The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
• Cat urine glows under a black-light.
• Cats, like humans, are either right or left handed... or is that paws?
• Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the deaths of their cats.
• Catgut comes from sheep, not cats.
• Cats have five toes on each front paw and four on the back.
  
• Kittens are born with both eyes and ears closed. When the eyes open, they are always blue at first. They change color over a period of months to the final eye color.
• If a male cat is both orange and black it is ( besides being extremely rare ) sterile. To have both the orange and the black coat colors, the male cat must have all or part of both female X chromosomes. This unusual sex chromosome combination will render the male cat sterile.
• Many cats cannot properly digest cow's milk. Milk and milk products give them diarrhea.
• Unlike humans and dogs, cats do not suffer a lot from loneliness. It is a mistake to project our social feelings onto our cats. Cats are social to a degree, but they are far more concerned with territorial issues than we can even imagine.
• A cat is pregnant for about 58-65 days. This is roughly two months.
• The oldest age that a house cat has attained and has been reliably documented is the case of a female tabby named "Ma." She lived to the ripe old age of 34!
• When cats are "de-clawed" they are actually having their 3rd phalanx removed. It is the equivalent of you having your fingers cut off at the 3rd knuckle.
• Tylenol and chocolate are poisonous to cats.
• The first cat show was in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London.
• Today there are about 100 distinct breeds of the domestic cat.
• Genetic mutation created the domestic cat which is tame from birth.
• Like birds, cats have a homing ability that uses its biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth's magnetic field. A cat taken far from its home can return to it. But if a cat's owners move far from its home, the cat can't find them.
• Hunting is not instinctive for cats. Kittens born to non-hunting mothers may never learn to hunt.
• Cats bury their feces to cover their trails from predators.
• Mother cats teach their kittens to use the litter box.
• Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours per day.

Why do Cats Purr?

Cats purr for numerous reasons, although the most commonly known reason is a sign of contentment. When Fluffy is sitting in your lap, it is only obvious that the vibrations you're feeling are due to happiness. However, purring can signify a problem.

Cats also purr to heal wounds. Excessive purring may be a warning sign of an injury. Quoted: "It seems that the measurable Hertz of a cat's purr lies between 25 and 150. Coincidentally (or not) it has been found that sound frequency in this range can stimilate bone growth and healing." ¹

¹http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/why_cats_purr.htm