Cats

It’s estimated that there are 200 million cats in the world!

2. Which territory has the biggest population of cats?

The greatest number of cats is in the USA (25% of the total cat population).

3. How long do cats live on average?

The average lifespan of a domesticated cat is on average from 12 to 15 years.

4. What’s the equivalent of cat years to human years?

1 year of cat’s life is an equivalent of 7 human years. A cat that has reached 2 years of age has gone through the equivalent of human childhood and the teenage years and is in its twenties. Cats are deemed middle-aged at about 7 years where they are the equivalent of a human age of 40 years. Any cat that is beyond this age can be considered to be heading for old age.

5. Where do cats take their personalities from?

Cat’s personality is passed on in the DNA by its parents (accounts for 75% of personality makeup), modified by the learned behavior and environmental circumstances of its birth and early life (accounts for 25% of personality makeup).

6. Who first domesticated cats?

Domestication of the cat begun in the ancient Middle East, in Egypt. Egyptians encouraged wild cats to live in their grain barns in order to reduce the number of rats, mice, and locusts.

7. What is a ‘tom’ cat and what is a ‘queen’ cat?

‘Tom’ is a name given to an un-neutered (uncastrated) male cat and ‘queen’ is a name given to an un-neutered (unspayed) female cat.

8. Does a black cat bring bad luck or good luck?

In the USA, a black cat is associated with bad luck, conversely, in the UK, a black cat is associated with good luck. The superstitions around cats are related to religious ideology.