26 Facts About Cats That'll Make You Love Them

[Music] oh it's the cat's meow in fact it's 26 facts about cats that'll make you love them even if you're a dog lover well maybe did you know that every culture has its own word for the sound a cat makes in English cats say meow kitties in Korea say meow and a cat in Turkey will greet you with meow obviously the whole world is obsessed with these adorable furry creatures so why not brush up on your cat facts some of them will definitely surprise you before we pay homage to the feline be sure to click that subscribe button and ring the notification bell to join us on the bright side number one the Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats since these cultures were dependent on agriculture the enemies of their livelihood were the animals that ate their crops it's speculated that once they finally figured out that wild cats preyed on these creatures they fed the cats to keep them around and this is how they slowly became domesticated number two when their pets died Egyptian cat owners would not only mummify their beloved friends along with some mummified mice for their journey through the afterlife but also shave off their eyebrows as a sign of mourning once their brows grew back the period of mourning was over yeah we're talking about the cat owners eyebrows not actually shaving the dead cats that would be weird number three now since the Egyptians thought of cats so highly they accessorized their pets with jewels the richer and more aristocratic the owner the bigger the jeweled collar their cat wore they also held an annual cat festival number four in ancient Egypt anyone found guilty of killing a cat even accidentally was sentenced to death wow that's harsh it was said that not even the fear which rome inspired could save a man from this ultimate punishment number five American novelist Ernest Hemingway was also known for his collection of polydactyl also known as six-toed cats that still live on his estate in Key West Florida to this day man those are some really old cats Oh all of them are thought to be descendants of the original polydactyl cat named Snow White that was given to him by a ship captain now you can't talk about cats without mentioning the mystery and legends that surround him number six you probably understand by now that the early Egyptians really loved their cats but did you know they even worshiped cat goddesses the most notable ones were named Bastet and math dead and they were used for protection Egyptians thought that bastet manifested physically as a cat and protected Egypt from invasion just like a cat protects its owner's home number 7 in China they have a similar cat goddess named Lee Chou according to the folklore Lee Chou was given the responsibility of overseeing world affairs but when she decided to take a nap instead typical cat that responsibility was then turned over to humans number 8 in slavic mythology it was believed that a barn cat named ova neck was the protector of crops and livestock they also said that OVA neck would even burn down the homes of any evildoers aah beware the cat with matches number 9 free via the Scandinavian goddess of the crops rode on a chariot that was pulled by cats would you think I was gonna say dogs or something number 10 it was only around the Middle Ages when cat folklore turned dark during this time cats were thought to be accomplices of witches and black magic number 11 the pussy-willow got its name from yet another legend involving cats it went something like this a mother cat was crying near a river one day because her kittens fell into the water and she knew she'd never be able to retrieve them it was at this moment that some Reed's bent over into the water so that the kittens could use them to climb out to safety ever since then the reeds grow these velvety blooms at the top as a reward for their kind act by the way in case you're wondering Galore from the James Bond movie Goldfinger had nothing to do with a cat number 12 the waving manekineko cat figurines you might come across an East Asian storefronts were born from a legend about a cat at the go to Koo Chi temple in Japan it was standing in the doorway of the temple watching passers-by and raised its paws at around the same time a feudal lord was walking by seemingly calling him into the temple as the Lord entered the temple the spot where he had been standing just moments before was struck by lightning the Lord believed that the cat saved his life and to this day the beckoning cat is still seen as a symbol of success and happiness and when given as a gift they're considered to bring good luck all right cats do have a rich history and human culture but let's move on and talk about their superpowers from their bodies to their senses to the way they communicate cats are truly living Marvel's number thirteen you've likely heard about the neck cat's half are always landing on their feet no matter how far they fall this is called a righting reflex and it's basically their innate ability to orient themselves as they're falling combined with their super flexible spine and collarbone 14 cats can't taste sweet foods but they do have an extra organ that allows them to taste scents in the air apparently that's why they stare at you sometimes with their mouths open in feed me you silly human number 15 cats have outstanding balance that's only made better by their long tails 16 a cat's whiskers are generally about the width of its body they can use them to gauge whether or not they can fit into small spaces which can be a matter of life or death when it comes to getting away from a predator this is also the reason why you should never ever cut your cat's whiskers number 17 cats communicate with each other by spraying urine or scratching their claws on things in their environment they also use vocal tones that range from light to very serious and aggressive if they live inside you can usually see evidence of them marking their territory on your couch doors curtains and chairs as for outdoor cats they'll try to mark or spray their territory on trees and fences number 18 cat's meow only to communicate with humans their natural vocal range is actually inaudible to people whether or not they understand us when we meow back is another question entirely number 19 and one more note on kitty communication cats also use their tails to send different messages a vibrating tail means they're happy to see you a tail that's standing straight up with a fur completely puffed out means they're startled it's like the human equivalent of a eat the quintessential question mark tail means they're curious and friendly but still just a bit hesitant the tip twitch meaning just the end is twitching back and forth is usually a warning that they're starting to get agitated the tail hug is literally just that it's when a cat sits down besides you and literally gives you a pseudo hug with its tail Oh number 20 cats are carnivores which aside from cleaning themselves is why they have that rough sandpaper tongue it's supposed to help them clean every last morsel of flesh an animal bone 21 cats can drink seawater unlike humans cats have kidneys that can filter out the salt from seawater 22 the ridges on a cat's nose are like fingerprints for people that means no to kitty noses are exactly alike 23 Kitty start to dream at about a week old you've also probably noticed that they sleep a lot but it's not because they're lazy it's just that their growth hormones are only released when they're sleeping in fact cats spend about two-thirds of the day sleeping and about one-third of their awake time cleaning themselves it's been calculated that cats sleep so much by the time they're nine years old they'll technically have only been awake for three years 24 most female cats are right pod while most males are left pod 25 cats purr at a frequency of about 26 per second and 26 cats have a homing instinct that allows them to find their way back to their familiar abode through a process called side traveling it's even speculated that they could have magnetized brain cells and act like a compass just as we suspected there are definitely light years ahead of us it's no wonder they were worshipped by ancient Egyptians cats are truly wondrous little creatures and we humans should be honored to share our lives in their presence if you don't feel that way well they definitely do so which cat fact did you find the most surprising let us know down in the comments don't forget to give this video a like share it with your cat loving friends and click subscribe to stay on the bright side of life [Music] you you

Channel: BRIGHT SIDE

Views: 3,508,328

Rating: 4.8551292 out of 5

Keywords: cats, cat facts, cat lovers, kitties, cat videos, cat owner, life with a cat, videos about cats, cat language, how to understand your cat, cat purring, homing instinct, righting reflex, cat whiskers, cat goddesses

Id: wO_EunoUSWg

Length: 10min 50sec (650 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 03 2019