KITTY MEOW

CAT BOUNCE! (cat-bounce.com)

• A cat's learning style is about the same as a 2- to 3-year-old child.
• A cat's purr vibrates at a frequency of 25 to 150 hertz, which is the same frequency at which muscles and bones repair themselves.
• A group of kittens is called a "kindle."
• A house cat could beat superstar runner Usain Bolt in the 200 meter dash.
• Cats have the largest eyes relative to their head size of any mammal.
• Cats make very little noise when they walk around. The thick, soft pads on their paws allow them to sneak up on their prey — or you!
• Cats' rough tongues can lick a bone clean of any shred of meat.
• Cats use their long tails to balance themselves when they're jumping or walking along narrow ledges.
• Cats use their whiskers to "feel" the world around them in an effort to determine which small spaces they can fit into. A cat's whiskers are generally about the same width as its body. (This is why you should never, EVER cut their whiskers.)
• Cats walk like camels and giraffes: They move both of their right feet first, then move both of their left feet. No other animals walk this way.
• Male cats are more likely to be left-pawed, while female cats are more likely to be right-pawed.
• Though cats can notice the fast movements of their prey, it often seems to them that slow-moving objects are actually stagnant.
• Some cats are ambidextrous, but 40 percent are either left- or right-pawed.
• Some cats can swim.
• There are cats who have more than 18 toes. These extra-digit felines are referred to as being "polydactyl."
• A cat with a question-mark-shaped tail is asking, "Want to play?"
• According to Wilde, a slow blink is a "kitty kiss." This movement shows contentment and trust.
• Cats have a unique "vocabulary" with their owner — each cat has a different set of vocalizations, purrs and behaviors.
• Cats have up to 100 different vocalizations — dogs only have 10.
• Cats find it threatening when you make direct eye contact with them.
• Cats mark you as their territory

  when they rub their faces and bodies against you, as they have scent glands in those areas.

• Cats may yawn as a way to end a confrontation with another animal. Think of it as their "talk to the hand" gesture.
• Hissing is defensive, not aggressive, says Wilde. "It's an expression of fear, stress or discomfort of a threatened cat communicating 'stay away,'" she says.
• If cats are fighting, the cat that's hissing is the more vulnerable one, says Wilde.
• If your cat approaches you with a straight, almost vibrating tail, this means that she is extremely happy to see you.
• Kneading — which some people refer to as "making biscuits" — is a sign of contentment and happiness. Cats knead their mothers when they are nursing to stimulate the let-down of milk.
• Meowing is a behavior that cats developed exclusively to communicate with people.
• When a cat flops over and exposes his belly, it's not always an invitation for a belly rub. A cat does this when he's relaxed and showing trust.
• When cats hit you with retracted claws, they're playing, not attacking.
• When dogs wag their tails, they may be expressing happiness. But this isn't the case for cats! When your cat wags her tail, it's her way of warning you that you are getting on her last nerve.
• When your cat sticks his butt in your face, he is doing so as a gesture of friendship.
• Whiskers are also good indicators of a cat's mood. When a cat is scared, he put his whiskers back. But when a cat is in hunting mode, he puts his whiskers forward.
• Your cat drapes its tail over another cat, your dog, or you as a symbol of friendship.