135 Fun Facts About Cats

How many lives are cats traditionally said to have?

In English-speaking cultures, cats are traditionally said to have nine lives, likely due to their remarkable ability to survive falls and dangerous situations.

What sound does a contented cat typically make?

Cats purr when they are content, though they may also purr when stressed or unwell. The exact mechanism of purring involves the rapid movement of the laryngeal muscles.

What is a group of cats called?

A group of cats is called a clowder. A group of kittens is called a kindle or litter.

The Savannah breed was created by crossing domestic cats with which wild species?

The Savannah descends from a domestic cat crossed with a serval, the long-legged African wild cat; the first such kitten was born in 1986 and TICA accepted the breed in 2001.

The Bengal breed was created by crossing domestic cats with which wild species?

The Bengal descends from crosses between domestic cats and the Asian leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis, whose species name gave the breed its name.

What is a baby cat called?

A baby cat is called a kitten. The term comes from the Middle English word 'kitoun,' which was derived from Old French 'chitoun' or 'cheton.'

How often does a lapping cat's tongue touch the water's surface?

Cats lap about four times a second: the tongue tip touches the surface and pulls a column of water upward, and the jaws close before gravity pulls it back, as a 2010 MIT study showed.

In 1888 an Egyptian farmer uncovered a burial site holding hundreds of thousands of cats where?

The 1888 find was at Beni Hasan, where a farmer broke into a vast cat cemetery; tons of the mummies were later shipped to England and sold as fertilizer.

What color are most kittens' eyes when they are first born?

Almost all kittens are born with blue eyes. Their permanent eye color typically develops between 6-8 weeks of age as melanin production increases.

How many toes does a typical cat have in total?

Most cats have 18 toes — five on each front paw and four on each back paw. Cats with extra toes are called polydactyl cats.

How does the thickness of a cat's whiskers compare with its ordinary hairs?

A cat's whiskers are more than double the thickness of its ordinary hairs, and their roots sit about three times deeper in the skin, surrounded by dense nerve endings.

What is a female cat called?

A female cat is called a queen, especially when she is pregnant or nursing. An unspayed female may also be called a molly.

A cat's hearing extends up to roughly what frequency, far beyond the human limit of about 20 kHz?

Cats hear up to about 79 kHz, roughly four times the human ceiling of 20 kHz, which lets them pick up the ultrasonic calls of rodents.

In which US state was the Ragdoll breed developed in the 1960s?

Ann Baker developed the Ragdoll in Riverside, California, in the 1960s, starting from a white longhaired cat named Josephine.

Cats can see using roughly what fraction of the light that humans need?

Cats can see with about one-sixth of the light humans need, thanks to a reflective layer behind the retina and a high density of rod cells that work in dim light.

Approximately how many hours per day does an adult cat sleep?

Adult cats sleep an average of 12-16 hours per day, making them one of the sleepiest mammals. This behavior is an evolutionary adaptation from their wild ancestors, who conserved energy between hunts.

What is the term for a cat with three distinct fur colors (black, orange, and white)?

A calico coat combines white with patches of black and orange; a tortoiseshell has the black and orange without the white, and nearly all cats with either pattern are female.

What is the name of the reflective layer behind a cat's retina that enhances night vision?

The tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer of tissue behind the retina that bounces light back through the eye, giving photoreceptors a second chance to detect it. This is what causes cats' eyes to glow in the dark.

Which breed of cat is known for having no fur?

The Sphynx is known for its apparent hairlessness, though it carries a fine layer of peach-fuzz hair; the breed descends from a natural mutation first seen in a litter born in 1966.

Which compound in catnip triggers the plant's famous effect on cats?

Nepetalactone, a volatile oil in catnip leaves, triggers the response; cats detect it at under one part per billion, and silver vine and valerian provoke a similar reaction.

What is the world record for the longest domestic cat ever recorded?

Stewie, a Maine Coon from Reno, Nevada, measured 48.5 inches (123 cm) from nose to tail tip in 2010 and holds the Guinness record for the longest domestic cat ever.

What is a 'polydactyl' cat?

A polydactyl cat has more than the usual number of toes. This genetic trait is especially common in certain populations, including cats in Boston and Key West, Florida. Ernest Hemingway was famous for keeping polydactyl cats.

What is the term for a cat with two different colored eyes?

Heterochromia iridis is the condition where a cat has two different colored eyes. It is most common in white cats and certain breeds like Turkish Vans and Turkish Angoras.

Which wild species is the direct ancestor of the domestic cat?

The domestic cat descends from the African wildcat, Felis lybica; wildcats were domesticated in the Near East about 10,000 years ago alongside early farming.

Adult cats push their paws in and out on soft surfaces; what is this behavior thought to be?

Kneading is a holdover from nursing as kittens, when they push against the mammary glands to stimulate milk flow; some adults still suckle on blankets while doing it.

Which cat breed is known for its flat face and long, luxurious fur?

The Persian cat is famous for its flat (brachycephalic) face, round eyes, and long, dense coat. Persians have been one of the most popular cat breeds since the Victorian era.

What kind of illness is toxoplasmosis, the reason expectant mothers avoid litter boxes?

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that cats shed in their feces; it also spreads through undercooked meat and from mother to baby during pregnancy.

Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office from 2011, took up residence at which address?

Larry arrived at 10 Downing Street from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in February 2011 and was kept as a civil-service cat rather than any prime minister's personal pet.

The Egyptian Mau, one of the fastest domestic breeds, has been clocked running faster than what speed?

Egyptian Maus have been clocked running faster than 30 mph (48 km/h), helped by a loose flap of skin between flank and hind leg that lengthens their stride.

In which country did the Siamese cat breed originate?

The Siamese cat originated in Thailand, which was historically known as Siam. They were considered sacred and were kept by Thai royalty. Siamese cats first appeared in Europe in the late 19th century.

Roughly how many caudal (tail) vertebrae does a typical cat have?

Humans have only three to five, fused into the coccyx.

What is the name of the famous internet cat known for its perpetually grumpy facial expression?

Grumpy Cat (real name Tardar Sauce) became an internet sensation in 2012 due to her permanently displeased facial expression, which was caused by feline dwarfism and an underbite. She passed away in 2019.

Besides keeping the coat clean, what is one job a cat's grooming does?

Scratching around the head and neck helps dislodge fleas too.

Which famous author kept dozens of polydactyl cats at his home in Key West, Florida?

Hemingway was given a white polydactyl cat named Snow White by a ship captain. About 40-50 polydactyl cats, many descended from her, have lived on at the Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West.

Where in a cat's body is the vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ located?

The vomeronasal organ sits in the roof of the mouth just behind the incisors; a cat opens the ducts to it by curling its lip and letting its tongue hang, the flehmen response.

The dominant white coat linked to deafness in blue-eyed white cats sits on which gene?

The dominant white W allele lies on the KIT gene; it blocks melanoblast migration, and the shortfall of those stem cells in the inner ear is what causes the deafness.

Approximately how many muscles does a cat have in each ear?

A cat has about 32 muscles in each ear; those auricular muscles let each ear swivel up to 180 degrees independently toward a sound.

What nickname do owners give the primordial pouch when they notice it after a cat is neutered?

Owners call the primordial pouch a 'spay sway' because they often first notice the loose belly flap after surgery; it is hereditary in some cats and not skin left over from weight loss.

What year was the first cat show held, and where?

The first major cat show was held on July 13, 1871, at the Crystal Palace in London, organized by Harrison Weir. It featured about 170 cats and established the foundation for modern cat fancy.

Feline hyperesthesia syndrome is also known by what name?

Feline hyperesthesia syndrome is also called rolling skin disease, after the rippling of the skin along the back during episodes; first reported in 1980, it can affect cats of any age, breed or sex.

What is the name of the Egyptian goddess associated with cats?

Bastet (also known as Bast) was the ancient Egyptian goddess of home, fertility, and protection, depicted as a woman with a cat's head. She was originally portrayed as a fierce lioness but evolved into a gentler cat deity over time.

In 2022, how many breeds did the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognize for its Championship Class?

In 2022 the CFA recognized 42 breeds in its Championship Class; three more, the Khao Manee, Lykoi and Toybob, sat in non-competitive classes.

The 'righting reflex' lets a falling cat do what?

It does not always work, and cats can still be injured in falls.

What is the term for the clumps of fur that grow between a cat's toes and muffle its footsteps?

The tufts of fur growing between a cat's toes are called toe tufts (or interdigital tufts). They are especially prominent in long-haired breeds like Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats, and help with traction and insulation.

What is unique about the Manx cat breed?

The Manx cat is characterized by its naturally occurring spinal mutation that results in a shortened or absent tail. The breed originated on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. The taillessness is caused by a dominant gene.

The split between 'purring cats' and 'roaring cats' was traditionally based on which bone?

The traditional split rested on the hyoid bone: fully ossified in purring cats, incompletely ossified in the roaring Panthera species; later work argued the hyoid does not actually decide purring.

Whose poetry collection about cats became the basis for the musical Cats?

T. S. Eliot wrote Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939); Andrew Lloyd Webber set its poems to music for the 1981 musical Cats.

The Abyssinian, one of the oldest established breeds, is named after a region that is now which country?

Abyssinia is the old name for Ethiopia; the breed's name comes from a cat named Zula said to have been brought to England from there by a British soldier around 1868.

What is 'cat scratch fever' (cat scratch disease) caused by?

Cat scratch disease is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae, which cats carry in their blood. It is transmitted to humans through scratches or bites. Most cats show no symptoms but can carry the bacteria for months.

What part of a cat's body detects changes in air currents?

Whiskers are deeply rooted tactile hairs that register tiny shifts in air currents, letting a cat sense nearby objects and prey even in the dark.

Which big cat shares the roaring cats' larynx anatomy yet purrs rather than roars?

The snow leopard has the roaring cats' incompletely ossified hyoid yet cannot roar, instead purring and chuffing; no cat species can both purr and roar.

How many permanent teeth does an adult cat have?

An adult cat has 30 permanent teeth: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 10 premolars and 4 molars; kittens have 26 deciduous teeth and dogs have 42.

In which ancient civilization were cats first widely domesticated and revered?

Ancient Egyptians were among the first to domesticate cats, revering them as sacred animals and associating them with deities like Bastet.

What shape does a domestic cat's pupil take in bright light?

In bright light a domestic cat's pupil narrows to a vertical slit, which lets it cut light far more than a round pupil; in darkness it opens almost fully round.

Within a group of cats, which individuals raise their tails least often?

Dominant cats raise their tails least; the tail-up greeting is mostly offered by subordinate cats to higher-ranking ones, so it signals a cat's place in the group hierarchy.

What is unusual about a cat's collarbone?

A cat's collarbone floats free, attached only by muscle rather than to other bones, which lets the cat squeeze through any gap its head fits through.

Compared to humans, how much stronger is a cat's sense of smell, approximately?

A cat's sense of smell is significantly more acute than a human's, estimated to be about 14 times stronger due to a larger number of olfactory receptors.

Creme Puff, the oldest cat ever recorded by Guinness World Records, died in 2005 at what age?

Creme Puff died in August 2005 aged 38 years and 3 days, the oldest cat ever recorded by Guinness; she lived in Austin, Texas, with owner Jake Perry.

The Cheshire Cat, famous for its lingering grin, was popularized by which author?

Lewis Carroll made the Cheshire Cat famous in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), though the phrase 'grin like a Cheshire cat' was already in use in the 18th century.

What is the 'third eyelid' that lets a cat blink without interrupting its vision?

The nictitating membrane, a translucent third eyelid, sweeps across the eye from the inner corner to clear and moisten it, so a cat need not blink fully to keep its eyes lubricated.

Which cat breed is often called the 'gentle giant' and is known for its large size and bushy tail?

The Maine Coon is one of the largest domesticated cat breeds, famous for its long, shaggy coat, bushy tail, and friendly disposition, earning it the nickname 'gentle giant'.

Which of these senses is generally considered less developed in cats compared to humans?

Taste is the sense where cats trail humans: they have far fewer taste buds than we do, while their hearing, smell and whisker-touch all outstrip ours.

When a cat rubs its head or body against you, what is the behavior thought to be?

Head-rubbing, or bunting, is scent-rubbing to bond with you: the cat spreads secretions from its facial glands onto you, marking you as part of its social group.

The Canadian Sphynx breed began in 1966 when a hairless kitten named Prune was born in which city?

Prune was born to a domestic cat in Toronto in 1966; early breeders called the line 'Moonstones' and 'Canadian Hairless' before the Sphynx name stuck.

Which cat breed is known for unusually short legs, caused by a natural genetic mutation?

The Munchkin cat is characterized by its very short legs, a trait that results from a genetic mutation causing a form of dwarfism.

What is the name of the popular Japanese good luck charm, often depicted as a beckoning cat?

The Maneki-neko is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner.

Socks, the cat who lived in the White House in the 1990s, belonged to which president?

Socks was Bill Clinton's black-and-white cat, adopted by Chelsea in Arkansas in 1991 and a White House fixture through both Clinton terms.

Morris, the finicky orange tabby of 1970s TV ads, sold which cat food brand?

Morris the Cat, a rescued orange tabby, fronted 9Lives commercials from 1969, playing a finicky eater who would only touch that brand.

About how many movable whiskers does a cat have on its upper lips in total?

A cat has about 24 movable whiskers on its upper lips, 12 on each side in four rows; the upper two rows move independently of the lower two for greater precision.

Which writer famously bought oysters himself for his cat Hodge?

Samuel Johnson bought oysters for his cat Hodge in person, Boswell recorded, so his servants would not resent the animal; a statue of Hodge stands outside Johnson's London house.

The first cat of a folded-ear breed, a white barn cat named Susie, was found in 1961 in which country?

Susie was found on a farm near Coupar Angus in Scotland in 1961; two of her kittens had the same folded ears, and neighbouring farmer William Ross took one on to found the breed.

What is a neutered male cat called?

A neutered male cat is a gib; an intact male is a tom, while a wether is a castrated sheep and a barrow a castrated pig.

How many thoracic vertebrae does a cat have (humans have twelve)?

Cats have 13 thoracic vertebrae to a human's 12, and seven lumbar vertebrae to our five, which helps explain their flexibility.

Cats are crepuscular, so when are they most active?

Crepuscular animals are most active at dawn and dusk, when cats' rodent prey is stirring; house cats often shift toward their owners' schedules anyway.

Which internet cat with a Pop-Tart body flies through space in a 2011 video?

Nyan Cat, an animated cat with a Pop-Tart body trailing a rainbow, went viral in April 2011 set to a looping Japanese pop vocal.

Which taste can a cat not detect, thanks to a broken receptor gene?

Obligate carnivores, cats carry a mutation that stops their sweet receptors binding sugar, so a cat has no idea what sweetness is.

About how long after birth do kittens open their eyes?

Kittens open their eyes about 7-10 days after birth; their coordination improves over the following weeks as they begin play-fighting with littermates.

What is the normal body temperature range of a healthy adult cat?

A healthy adult cat runs about 101-102°F (38.3-38.9°C), and a reading of 103.1°F (39.5°C) or above counts as a fever.

Who proposed the domestic cat's scientific name in 1758?

Carl Linnaeus proposed Felis catus in the 1758 tenth edition of Systema Naturae; Georg Forster later named the African wildcat, Felis lybica, in 1780.

What essential amino acid, vital for a cat's vision and heart health, must be obtained through its diet?

Cats are obligate carnivores and require taurine in their diet, as they cannot synthesize this essential amino acid, which is critical for their heart function and vision.

Between 60 and 56 BC, an outraged Egyptian crowd lynched a Roman for doing what?

Pharaoh Ptolemy XII tried and failed to intervene.

What food-themed nickname is commonly given to a cat's rhythmic paw-pushing?

Owners call kneading 'making biscuits' because the alternating paw-pushes look like working dough; cats will sit on hard surfaces but only knead soft, pliant ones.

Which cat breed is known for its striking blue eyes and distinctive color-point coat?

The Siamese cat is renowned for its elegant, slender body, vocal nature, and its iconic combination of deep blue eyes and a color-point coat, where the body is lighter than the extremities.

Because cats are superfecund, kittens in a single litter can have different what?

Superfecundation means kittens in one litter can have different fathers: a queen in heat may mate with several males, and each egg can be fertilised by a different tom.

How many kittens does a feline litter usually contain?

2-5 kittens is the usual litter; litters of a single kitten or more than ten are known.

The world's first cat cafe, 'Cat Flower Garden', opened in 1998 in which city?

Cat Flower Garden opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998 as the world's first cat cafe; Japanese visitors took the idea home, and Osaka opened Japan's first in 2004.

A cat's few sweat glands are located mainly where?

A cat's few sweat glands sit mainly in its paw pads, which is why damp pawprints appear when it is hot or stressed; cats pant for heat relief only at very high temperatures.

The lazy, lasagna-loving comic-strip cat Garfield lives with his owner Jon Arbuckle and which dog?

Odie is the dim but cheerful dog who shares Jon Arbuckle's house with Garfield; the strip ran locally as 'Jon' in 1976 before national syndication began in June 1978.

A cat's dry feces and highly concentrated urine are adaptations to conserve what?

Dry feces and concentrated urine conserve water; the cat's desert-dwelling wild ancestor rarely drinks, getting most of its moisture from prey.

When prey is too close to see, a cat's whiskers swing forward into what shape?

A basket of whiskers around the muzzle pinpoints prey too close to see; a cat with damaged whiskers may bite the wrong part of its prey.

Roughly what proportion of cats respond to the active compound in catnip?

About 70-80% of cats respond to nepetalactone; the sensitivity is hereditary, kittens under a few months show no reaction, and unaffected cats simply ignore the plant.

What is the name of Alice's pet cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

Dinah is Alice's cat in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book; Alice worries aloud during her fall down the rabbit hole about who will feed Dinah her milk.

Which cartoon cat, created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan, was a star of the silent-film era?

Felix the Cat debuted in 1919 in the short Feline Follies from Pat Sullivan's studio; animator Otto Messmer later claimed authorship, and historians have credited both men.

What is the average gestation period for a domestic cat?

A domestic cat's pregnancy typically lasts for about 63 to 65 days, which is roughly nine weeks.

In a relaxed position, what keeps a cat's claws sheathed and sharp?

In a relaxed paw the claws sit sheathed in the skin and fur around the toe pads, which keeps them sharp by avoiding wear on the ground; cats extend them voluntarily for hunting, climbing or traction.

What does the feral-cat management method TNR stand for?

TNR stands for trap-neuter-return: feral cats are trapped, sterilised and vaccinated, then released at the same site, often with an ear tip clipped to mark them.

What are the small, backward-pointing spines that make a cat's tongue rough called?

A cat's tongue is covered in keratinized papillae, which are tiny, hook-like spines that help them groom their fur and strip meat from bones.

Besides contentment, in which of these situations have cats been recorded purring?

Purring may have begun as a reassurance signal between mothers and nursing kittens, and some chronically ill cats purr continuously; a soothing, possibly healing role has been proposed but the mechanism is still uncertain.

A tamed cat from about 7500 BCE, buried beside a human, turned up on which island?

The burial was at Shillourokambos on Cyprus, about 7500 BCE; cats are not native to the island, so settlers must have brought tamed ones, thousands of years before Egypt's cat cult.

What is the name of the talking black cat in Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

Salem Saberhagen is the wisecracking black cat of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, a warlock sentenced to 100 years as a cat for trying to take over the world.

Which of these breeds is widely cited as provoking a milder reaction in people with cat allergies?

No cat is truly hypoallergenic, but Russian Blues, Balinese and several rex breeds are often reported to bother sufferers less, apparently because they shed less of the main allergen protein.

Which pointed breed's standard requires four white paws known as 'gloves'?

The Birman is a colour-pointed, blue-eyed breed whose standard demands pure white 'gloves' on all four paws, with matching 'laces' running up the back of the hind legs.

What is the defining physical trait of the LaPerm cat breed?

The LaPerm's dominant curl gene is unrelated to the other rex breeds; the whole line traces to a kitten named Curly born to a barn cat named Speedy. Selkirk Rex curls are thicker, LaPerm's more like a shaggy perm.

How many major blood groups are generally recognized in domestic cats?

Cats are typed A, B, or AB. Type A and B cats carry natural antibodies against the other type, and a B cat given A blood reacts severely, so a typing test is recommended before any transfusion or breeding.

Why are tortoiseshell and calico coats almost always found on female cats?

The orange locus sits on the X chromosome, so a female with one orange and one non-orange allele shows patches of both. Only about 1 in 3,000 tortoiseshells is male, and most of those carry an extra X.

Dewey Readmore Books, the famous library cat, lived in a public library in which US state?

Dewey Readmore Books was found in the book drop of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa in 1988 and lived there for 19 years, later the subject of a bestselling memoir.

Cats see well in dim light, but which aspect of their eyesight is far weaker than a human's?

A cat's acuity is roughly 20/100 to 20/200: it must be six metres from something to see what a person sees from 20 or 30 metres. The same adaptations that let it see with one-sixth the light humans need cost it sharpness.

Which Hanna-Barbera cat led a gang of Manhattan alley cats in a 1961 TV series?

Top Cat, voiced by Arnold Stang, led Benny the Ball, Choo-Choo and the rest of the gang from a Manhattan alley in Hanna-Barbera's 1961 series, dodging Officer Dibble.

Adult cats direct which vocalization almost entirely at humans rather than other cats?

Adult cats rarely meow at each other, so meowing at people is thought to extend the mewing kittens aim at their mothers; domestic cats meow far more than feral ones.

What is the name of Hermione Granger's cat in the Harry Potter books?

Crookshanks is Hermione's bandy-legged ginger cat, bought in Diagon Alley in Prisoner of Azkaban, who keeps trying to catch Ron's rat Scabbers.

What does a cat signal when it approaches with its tail held straight up?

A raised tail is a friendly greeting, and tail-raising also tracks rank: dominant cats raise their tails less often than subordinate ones. Flattened ears, by contrast, signal hostility.

What type of dietary classification describes cats, meaning they must eat meat to survive?

Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot make enough taurine themselves; a shortage causes dilated cardiomyopathy, and commercial cat food was routinely deficient until a 1987 study made the link.

Which protein in cat saliva and skin is the main allergen behind cat allergies?

Fel d 1 comes mainly from saliva and the sebaceous glands of the skin and triggers about 90 percent of cat allergies. Females and neutered males make less of it, but still enough to set off sensitive people.

What name is given to a black cat with a white chest, belly and paws?

A tuxedo cat is a bicolour, usually black with white on the chest, belly and paws, as if wearing formal dress; the pattern is a coat marking found in many breeds, not a breed itself.

Which Disney film features the mischievous Siamese cats Si and Am?

Si and Am, the scheming Siamese pair, sing 'The Siamese Cat Song' in Disney's 1955 Lady and the Tramp, voiced by Peggy Lee.

Roughly how many taste buds does a cat have, compared with more than 9,000 on a human tongue?

With so few taste buds and a broken sweet receptor, cats live in a world of acid, bitter, amino-acid and umami tastes. Researchers think umami matters to cats the way sweetness matters to us, which may explain the tuna obsession.

What common household plant is highly toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure?

Even licking lily pollen off its coat can put a cat in danger, and vets treat any suspected exposure as an emergency. Tulips and philodendrons are also on the toxic list.

Cats are digitigrade, which means they walk on what?

Digitigrade animals walk on their toes: a cat's heel, the hock, sits well off the ground, which lengthens its stride and quiets its step. Humans and bears walk on the whole sole.

What is the term for a cat with a coat pattern featuring distinct stripes, spots, or swirls?

A tabby cat is characterized by its distinctive coat patterns, which can include stripes (mackerel), spots (spotted), or swirls (classic/blotched). These patterns are very common in domestic cats.

In Disney's The Aristocats, what is the name of the mother cat?

Duchess, voiced by Eva Gabor, is the elegant mother cat of The Aristocats (1970); Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz are her three kittens.

A cat that leaves its droppings uncovered instead of burying them is most likely doing what?

Territory holders mark with urine spray, cheek rubbing at head height, and deliberate defecation. Cats otherwise bury their waste, one reason they are far tidier housemates than most domestic animals.

Which of these is NOT considered one of the 'big cats' (genus Panthera)?

The cheetah is the only living member of Acinonyx, a name built from Greek words for 'motionless' and 'nail' because its claws stay partly extended. Leopards, by contrast, are Panthera pardus.

Trim, the ship's cat who circled Australia, sailed with which navigator?

Trim sailed with Matthew Flinders on the Investigator during his 1801-03 circumnavigation of Australia; Flinders wrote a tribute to him, and a bronze Trim sits outside the State Library of New South Wales.

The Abyssinian cat breed is known for its 'ticked' coat pattern. What does 'ticked' refer to?

Each Abyssinian hair has a light base and three or four bands that darken toward the tip, a variant of the tabby pattern produced by the tabby and ticked genes together. The spine, tail, and hind legs stay noticeably darker.

What is the name of Dr. Evil's hairless cat in the Austin Powers films?

Mr. Bigglesworth is Dr. Evil's cat, a Persian who lost all his fur during cryogenic freezing in the 1997 film and was played afterwards by a Sphynx named Ted Nude-Gent.

The Ragdoll breed takes its name from what habit?

Every Ragdoll descends from a cat named Josephine whose kittens shared the placid, floppy temperament. Some British breeders have tried to breed the limpness out, worried extreme docility is not good for the cat.

The Selkirk Rex's founding cat was named after a curly-haired character from which 1980s TV series?

Breeder Jeri Newman named the kitten Miss DiPesto after Allyce Beasley's receptionist on Moonlighting. Selkirk whiskers curl too, and are so fragile they tend to snap off.

Which of these tells you a cat feels threatened?

An aggressive cat tries to look bigger by raising its fur, arching its back, turning sideways, and hissing or spitting. Ears often go down and back to protect them and to listen behind.

Which Looney Tunes cat spends his career trying to catch Tweety Bird?

Sylvester, the lisping tuxedo cat who debuted in 1945, chased Tweety through dozens of Warner Bros. shorts, including the Oscar-winning Tweetie Pie (1947).

Which ship's cat reportedly survived the sinkings of the Bismarck and two British warships?

Unsinkable Sam, also called Oscar, was reportedly pulled from the sea after the Bismarck sank in May 1941 and went on to survive the losses of HMS Cossack and HMS Ark Royal that same year.

Which country launched Félicette, the first cat in space, in October 1963?

France launched Félicette on a Véronique sounding rocket from its Hammaguir base in Algeria on 18 October 1963; one of 14 cats trained for the flight, she was recovered 13 minutes after launch.

The native Van cats of Turkey are nicknamed for which unusual habit?

Van cats are nicknamed 'swimming cats' for their fondness for the water around Lake Van; the pedigreed Turkish Van breed was developed in Britain in the 1950s from cats given to two photographers.

The Sokoke breed takes its name from a forest in which country?

The Sokoke is named for the Arabuko-Sokoke forest on Kenya's coast, where the ticked-tabby landrace was found in the late 1970s; Denmark and then the FIFe recognised the breed in the 1990s.

Most modern Burmese cats descend from Wong Mau, a female brought to the US in which year?

Dr Joseph Thompson brought Wong Mau from Burma to San Francisco in 1930; bred to Siamese, her line founded the Burmese breed, and US and British breeders then developed differing standards.

The Cornish Rex coat consists only of which of the three usual layers of a cat's fur?

The Cornish Rex keeps only the soft down undercoat, lacking guard and awn hairs, which gives its marcel-wave coat; its sleek build earned it the nickname 'Greyhound of the cats'.