Since becoming a volunteer at the Malcolm’s Cat Sanctuary I have been surprised how many facts that I did not know about cats. Too many to list them all but there are a few that I found very interesting.
For instance like human babies – kittens are born with blue eyes.
Most of us believe that ginger cats are only male but Cyprus has one of the highest ratios of female ginger cats and we have many at the sanctuary.
When a cat has a litter of kittens of multiple colours it means that she has become pregnant by more than one male!
On average a cat lives between 12-15 years and a female cat can have 3 to 4 litters a year with an average of 4 kittens meaning that one female cat can have up to 180 kittens. It is important therefore to have cats neutered not only to control the ever growing population but it is beneficial to their health.
Tri colour cats are nearly exclusively female.
A cat can jump up to 5 times their own height.
The saying a cat has 9 lives is just a myth and the number changes depending on the country. It is thought that it started from a proverb – for three he plays, for three he strays for three he stays!
Did you know that a cat can make 100 different sounds however a dog only makes 10. I still don’t understand them all!
There are two types of Aphrodite Cats in Cyprus – the one that most of us know which can be traced back to Egyptian cats with the triangular shaped face, almond shaped eyes and ears that are higher set on their head. However, there is the Giant Aphrodite Cat that is very shy and lives in the higher regions. It is much larger, has a thicker coat and longer back legs to cope with the mountainous areas.
A cat lover is called a Ailurophilia (Greek- cat+lover)
If you love cats and have a few hours a week to spare and you would like to volunteer at the sanctuary please contact us on 25 952622 between 9am – 11am and 2pm – 4pm and leave your name and telephone number.
Malcolm’s Cats – making a difference…
