For The Love Of Cats

By Lori Palermo

I absolutely LOVE animals… especially dogs & cats!  I’ve always had a dog and surprised my son with a kitten 20 years ago and have had cats ever since.  The animal lover that I am has taken in stray dogs and cats, nursed them back to health, and they’d go happily on their way!
As I always thought a dog was America’s favorite pet, I found out differently while surfing the web.  The cat has replaced the dog with 65,000 pet cats in the U.S. compared to approximately 58,000 dogs.
Here are some fun and interesting facts about our fabulous feline!
The cat was considered sacred in ancient Egypt.  In fact, killing a cat was punishable by death.  In 2004, the skeleton of a human was found buried with the skeleton of a cat in Cyprus, Greece, in a grave dating back about 9,500 years.
Believe or not… cats and humans have some common physiological traits:  a cat’s brain is more similar to a human brain than a dogs, the regions of the brain responsible for emotion are identical in both humans and cats, cats have AB blood type, a cats memory is 200 times more retentive than a dog’s and the cat’s memory lasts longer than that of a monkey & orangutan!
Does your cat soothe you with his purring? Cats have about 100 different vocalization sounds, cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, and they purr while both inhaling and exhaling! Purring is most often a sign of contentment.
Now a cat’s tail can be used as an indicator of his emotions! A few examples… when the tail is held up straight wile walking or bent forward over the head, means a confident, contented cat. Tucked under, the cat is fearful or anxious, and several quick flicks upward is a happy greeting… twitching sharply side to side… “You’d better quit bugging me, or you’ll be sorry!”
Cat’s noses are like human fingerprints, each one is different. Most cats are either left-or right-pawed: only 40% are ambidextrous. Domestic cats can reach speeds of up to 31 miles per hour, though can’t maintain that speed for more than a minute. Cat’s whiskers are used to help determine whether it can fit through an opening.  One last little fact… (because I’m way over my word count!!)  About 60% of all cats like cold tomato juice, but they don’t care for V8!
Finally, cats can share a deep bond with their human family, as for myself, I consider my cats part of me!  They are loving creatures and show it with their unconditional love sensing when you’re sad or troubled; curling up on your lap… nestled in, letting you know that in this cold world, there is at least one sentient creature who will be there for you day-in and day-out… no matter what society throws at you!
Love & God bless,
Lori