Purr Inside Of Me

Some time ago I’ve written a post about 20 things you surely don’t know about me. So now it’s a perfect time for 20 things which maybe you don’t know about cats.
Maybe you can’t keep cats in your flat, maybe you don’t like them, or maybe you’re afraid of them (I’m afraid of dogs). Anyway, this post is especially for you. Of course, feel free to read the text below even if you’re living with a cat :)

Adult cat is mentally at the toddler level (2-3 years old kid)
It means that he understands everything we talk to him; he can learn the most common words. An adult cat can learn 2 different languages. He also exactly knows what’s his name (but he’s not always responding), he also knows the rest pets (which are living in the same place) names.
If you want to teach your cat how is he called, you’ll have to begin every sentence you say to him with his name.
Every cat (as every human) has a different personality and character. Of course, cats as part of their species have some shared traits, but still, they’re different from each other. For example, one cat likes to be carried, another cat won’t let you do this. There are some cats who are sociable, but there are also distrustful and suspicious ones.
Cats can understand cause and effect to some extent.
For example - cat knows that he won’t be hungry, if he tears the package of food. He also knows, that he shouldn’t tear this package while someone is watching ;)



Cats have feelings and emotions
Cats can feel joy, love, sadness, anger, fear, etc.
Cats can also feel longing and loneliness. Some of them can experience it harder than others. Also, our beloved cats can’t understand the concept of time, they can’t define it in any way. They build their sense of security based on recurrence (rituals).
So your cat won’t understand “an hour/a day/a week” while you’re going to work/holidays/etc. A cat can only learn that his human always returns home.
If a human hasn’t been returning for a long time, the cat will feel uncomfortable, his sense of security is disturbed.
It’s very common, that a cats behavior is changing or he’s getting sick after his human goes on a holiday trip. It’s caused by the stress he feels following a human absence.
The immunity system doesn’t work great during the stress period.


Cats become attached to their human
Cats are territorial animals, but they’re not only attached to a place. Wild cats have a territory. It’s usually an area of 10 -15 kilometers in diameter. Sometimes, when a new cat appears, he has to fight for the area with others. The one who has lost (the older or weaker one) has to change its territory.
It’s bit different, when we’re talking about domestic cats, the area is much smaller than wild cats area (Of course, when we have a lot of cats at home, sometimes they can fight as well; usually cats are not happy about cat density/m2) . Our cat becomes dependent on us, he makes a relationship with us.
The stereotype says, that cats can be only be attached to a place, but it’s not true.
Of course, a place is important for cats (they feel uncomfortable if they have to move, but let’s face it - who doesn’t?), but the herd (this is how cats treat us) is even more important.
For example - we don’t have our own flat, so we’re renting it. Since Purka has started living with us, we’ve changed the flat 5 times. In the meantime Amaya, Misio and Hedwiga have started living with us. Every one of them is different, but I can see a common feature - they feel calmer while we’re staying together in a new place. The first thing they make after I let them go out from the carrying boxes is checking if we’re together - cats and people. They’re usually curious and they’re willingly checking out new space, but they’re returning to one place all the time (it’s usually the place where they’ve seen us for the last time). If we’re not there, they’re looking for us, Amaya additionally is calling everyone. 
That’s why I always organize removal on Friday - to be able to spend the whole weekend with cats. It’s easier for them to get used to the new situation.



Cats can heal
It’s scientifically confirmed. Cats purr on the frequency between 25 - 150 Hz. Waves of such length can help a human (or any other animal) to defeat some illness. Additionally purr sound has a calming and soothing effect; reduces a pain; helps with the depression and anxiety. It happens really often, that cats are lying on someone, to warm the sick place of his body.
Cats can feel our sickness, weakness, and changes. I’ve heard many times about the cases when a cat started to warm someone’s body and after a while, this person has learned, that he has cancer exactly there!
But why the Hell I am looking for the examples of others? When I got pregnant, my cats knew about it before I did. 
We’ve been planning to have a baby for around a year; then I realized that cats suddenly started to warm my belly (they haven’t made it before). I also learned that I’m never alone - everywhere I went (the kitchen, toilet, hall…), I’ve had a cat accompany me. Of course, they’re sociable, but they’ve never moved so willingly from their soft blankets, just to sit with me for a few minutes. That was the moment, I’ve guessed I might be pregnant. And after 2 weeks my test went positive. 
After I got birth to Maja - cat’s started to behave regularly - no more lying on my belly, I can have some privacy in the toilet, etc.



Cats can have depression and any other mental disease
The same as people, cats can have a worse day, no power for a living, etc. I don’t know any cat’s suicide attempt, but cats with the depression can be more sleepy, they can have decreased appetite, they can also lose their weight very fast, sometimes they can have nightmares etc.


For cats disability doesn’t exist
Disabled cats don’t treat their disability as a dysfunction. They can get used to the new conditions very fast (I mean - their body limitations). The cat, who has lost his leg will learn how to live with 3 legs only. Blind or deaf cats - they’re living like a normal cat! The other senses become more sensitive - just to substitute these which has stopped to work properly (or maybe which have never worked).
Some time ago my parents in law had a blind cat. He was called Kotuś, and he was acting like a healthy fully functional cat. He accompanied them in everyday activities, he was playing, climbing on the trees (my parents in law has a free-standing house), he could easily jump on the high furniture. Until you’ve seen his face, you would never say he’s blind.

Cats have the Sixth Sense
Cats can feel someone’s presence from the distance.
If I’m absent, my husband/mom/mother in law knows, that I’ll be at home in next 15-20 minutes. It happens very often, that my cats are walking around the door. Purka usually waits for me on the corridor’s chest of drawers. I still work remotely, so I’m not leaving home regularly. Cats have no chance to learn my in and out hours. Furthermore, as I’ve written before - cats can’t understand the concept of time.



Cats can’t distinguish the red color
Cats see the world in green-blue-yellow shades. The fact, that they can’t see the red color makes them world more pale and toned than ours.
Their viewing angle is 200 degrees, and the peripheral vision (things they can watch out of the corner of their eye) is 30 degrees (human viewing angle is 180 degrees and peripheral vision 20 degrees). Cats see bit blurred images, this helps cats to register movement better.
Due to the fact, that cats have more rod cells, they can easily watch the night world 6-8 times better than people.


Cats can’t recognize the sweet taste
The same as they don’t know the salty and sour taste.
Sensing these flavors is useless for them. The main role in the cat’s food selection is the sense of smell.
Cat’s tongue has around 500 taste buds (for the comparison, people have around 10 000 taste buds). Cats can sense the bitter taste (this ability protect them from eating some spoiled food or something dangerous). They can also recognize… water flavor. This skill is so highly developed, that cats can guess its origin (tap water, boiled water, mineral water, the water which stays for few days - all these kinds of water taste for cats differently).
For example - my cats like to drink the water from the fountain. Misiek likes few-days water, on the other hand, girls like the fresh and cold one.



Cats like classical music
This kind makes them feel calm and relaxed.
Cats don’t like loud music and a fast rhythm.
They have a very sensitive sense of hearing, they can hear sounds up to 65 kHz (people can only hear up to 20 kHz).
Cats can locate few sound sources in the same time; their ears rotate in 180 degrees (there are 30 muscles in each cat’s ear, so they can move them both at the same time in different directions).


Cat’s whiskers are small but inconspicuous
Whiskers are incredibly necessary! They help cats to maintain the balance and assess the distance. For example - if your cat has to wear veterinary collar, he’ll walk like a drunk guy.



Each cat has unique nose-print (just like a fingerprint in humans)
Cats have a more sensitive sense of smell than people, they can recognize other cats after they smell their urine or pheromones. They can easily find out some new cat’s presence on their territory. Because of the smell, cats can easily locate food from a huge distance.
Odor receptors (which are more than 100 million in cat’s nose) support sense of direction.
Also, cats’ sense of smell is stronger in the evening.

Cats can taste a smell
Cats have a Vomeronasal organ - it’s located between the nasal cavity and the throat. This small organ lets cats to “taste a smell”. This is the way the cat can investigate a smell or… enjoy it.
Have you ever seen a cat, who freezes with an opened mouth? Yes, this is the moment, when the cat relishes the smell. 

Cats won’t always land on their feet
Of course, the construction of cats body lets for many safe falls, but you can’t take it for granted. If your cat falls down from a high altitude, he’s exposed to strong fractures of the limbs, pelvis, sometimes even a spine. That’s why it’s so important to install a net on the windows and balcony, while you’re living with cats.
A lot of people says “my cat isn’t interested in the outside world”. And then he jumps to get a butterfly! Unfortunately, I know that cases in person.

People can’t hear some of the cats’ sounds
Cats communicate with each other (and with other species) with 100 different sounds (for the comparison, dogs can make only 10 different sounds).


Allergy for the cat’s fur doesn’t exist
People who are allergic to cats, they’re allergic for their saliva or some particles of the epidermis (which are silting up on the fur).


If the cat's head fits, the whole cat will fit
Can you believe, that the small cat’s body contains 230 of bones? For the comparison - people have 206 bones in their bodies.
Additionally, cats don’t have clavicle bone, that’s why they can fit into the narrow gap.

Tomcats are usually “left-pawed”, and female cats are “right-pawed”
What’s even more interesting, left-handed people are usually men.

Cats create a safety points map of their territory
It literally means that everything which smells with the cat (or with his group) is safe.
Have you ever wondered why cats like to lie on the freshly made laundry? The answer to this question is above ;)


Cats imitate human behavior
“Who keeps company with wolves, will learn to howl” - cats are changing their habits while living among people. They’re adjusting their daily schedule to ours.
For example - our cats have learned over time when we usually get asleep and wake up. In the beginning, they’ve woken us up because they were hungry. For now, they’re waking up with those of us, who wakes up first. Well, they’re emotionally closer to me, than to Adam, so if I’m staying in bed longer, they’re returning to bed after their breakfast. If I’m the person who wakes up first, they’ll surely keep me a company with my every day’s work. 
When I’m working, they’re lying on my laps or somewhere close; if I’m making crafty things, they need to watch every element I use. They’re always somewhere close to me for the whole day.



Around the midday they usually take a nap - the best nap is in our bed or eventually on their soft blankets. 
After the nap ends, they’re returning to me; the most often we play together. Their favorite toy is a fishing rod with feathers - but the best cat toys ever it a subject for a separated post ;) 
Usually, we’re getting asleep late; cats prefer to go to bed around midnight. Even if I need to stay in the living room for longer, they’re slowly moving to the bedroom and waiting there for us. They know that I’ll come sooner or later, and we’ll sleep there together. The most often Purka takes the bedside cabinet, Misio picks a windowsill (just above our heads), Amaya likes to hug to my hips, and Hedwiga sleeps on our feet. 
Of course, it’s also common to use a toilet (their litter box stays next to the toilet seat) together ;) 
We usually eat together. Cats have 3 meals per day, if I’m at home for the whole day, I feed them when I’m starting my meal.



Our lives are also adapted a bit for the cats routine.
We have some rituals with them, this is how we can make them happy, loved and adored. We’re also planning our holidays for at most 10-14 days, because we know that they miss us a lot (despite that they’re always staying with the person they like and they trust to).

Well, if you’re here, it means that you’ve read the whole text! I’m really happy about that, especially because I’ve written too much.
I’m really curious about your opinion about the following post. Or maybe you have your own observations? :)