International Cat Day is the cat holiday celebrated on August 8th. This special day is also meant to pamper those who have been privileged to grow up in a warm home, and also to raise awareness for stray cats who are in constant danger to their lives.
In honor of Cat Day, get 20 interesting facts about cats:
1. Some cats have survived a fall from a height of 32 stories (about 320 meters) on a concrete surface mainly due to their alignment reflex.
2. Cats have 32 muscles that control their outer ear (compared to humans, which have 6 muscles).
3. In the city of Talkeetna, Alaska, the cat Stubbs served as mayor for 15 years, from July 18th 1997 until his death on July 21st 2017.
4. The longest cat in the world was 1.23 meters (39 inch) long when measured taut.
5. Cats howl "Meow" just to communicate with humans.
6. The CIA spent $ 20 million on training cats as spies after the Soviets in the 1960s. The first spy cat was run over by a cab.
7. Studies have found that raising a cat can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks by a third.
9. Around the world there are about 10 cat cafes where you can sit with the cat for coffee for hours: in Taiwan, Japan, Austria, Korea, and Hong Kong.
10. Cats do not feel a sweet taste.
11. People in China eat every year about 4 million cats as a delicacy.
12. Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.
13. In Italy a cat inherited a fortune of $ 13 million from its owner. His name was Tommaso and he was a black stray cat that found its way into the home of Maria Assunta, who died at the age of 94.
14. According to studies, cats recognize the voice of their owner, but they are quite indifferent to it.
15. Cats have 3 eyelids.
16. In Japan black cats are considered to bring good luck.
17. Cats have more than a hundred voices in their repertoire, while dogs have a total of 10.
18. Just as a person has a unique fingerprint, every cat also has its own unique noseprint.
19. The smallest cat in the world is called Tinker Toy and his height is a total of 2.75 Inch. He weighs 680 grams.
20. In ancient Egypt, deceased cat owners would shave their eyebrows in mourning over their deaths.
How to celebrate International Cat Day?
If you have a cat, do not forget to pamper him (as if you don't do it every day anyway). If you only have one, why not addopt one more? A cat is like French fries - you can not have just one.
Do not forget to put a bowl of cold water outside for the cats, and if you see a cat in distress, do not ignore it. You can contact groups that help cats on Facebook, take it to your local veterinarian, call the municipal hotline or charities that help cats to consult what to do.
