Microchipping

Featured Cat

Merlin

Merlin

Merlin is a handsome adult male who came to Cats ...

Find out more

Cat news

June is National Microchip Month

June is National Microchip Month

June is National Microchip Month June is ...

The Purr-fect Winners

The Purr-fect Winners

Cats Protection Reading (East), Wokingham and...

Sponsored Walk Update

Sponsored Walk Update

Woody, along with members of the local branch...

URGENT Summer Fair Change of date

URGENT Summer Fair Change of date

A change of date! Please be aware that ...

How you can help

Some interesting cat facts

  • Whiskers
    The average cat has a total of twenty-four whiskers, arranged in four rows of three whiskers on
    either side of the face. The upper rows can move independent of the bottom rows. whiskers are
    more than twice as thick as ordinary hairs, and their roots are set three times as deep - they are
    closely connected to the nervous system. They are full of nerve endings which provide the cat
    with detailed information about air movement and pressure, as well as feedback on its
    surroundings. Whiskers are also a tool for hunting, providing cats with vital information about the
    shape and movement of their prey.
  • Cats Ears
    It can take up to two weeks after birth for the hearing of a new born kitten to develop fully. A
    human has six muscles to 'control' each ear - cats have thirty-two. Such control enables a cat
    to move and rotate its ears to pinpoint sound better. Each ear can rotate, independently of the
    other, a full 180 degrees, and at a rate many times faster than that of the most acute dog. It has
    been estimated that a cat's hearing ability is five times greater than that of a human. The range
    of a cat's hearing stops at 65 kilohertz. Humans can only perceive sound that is less than 20
    kilohertz in frequency.
  • Cat Naps
    Cats are masterful sleepers, even from birth - new-born kittens sleep almost 90 per cent of the
    time. even adult cats are asleep for approx 60 per cent of their lives. Therefore, a fifteen year
    old cat has spent some nine years of its life sleeping!  Whilst cats are sleeping they are still
    alert to external stimuli.
  • Cats Eyes
    Most cats' eyes are greenish-yellow to gold coloured. Cats are long-sighted, and objects directly
    in front of them appear fuzzy and unclear. To compensate for this, their peripheral vision is
    extremely acute, and able to detect the slightest movement some distance away. In relation to
    their bodies, cats have the largest eyes of any mammal. The common belief that cats are
    colour-blind is false, as recent experiments have revealed that cats can see blue, green and red. 
    Contrary to popular belief, a cat cannot see in total darkness, but its vision in reduced light
    conditions is better than that of most animals. A cat can see some six times better at night than 
    a  human, and needs only a sixth of the amount of light that a person does to make out the world
    around it.
  • Purring
    Purring is commonly seen as a display of contentment on the part of a cat, but this may only be
    half the story.  Scientists in America have discovered that the frequency at which cats purr
    helps their bones and organs to mend!  It also stimulates the skeletal system, which prevents the
    bones from weakening.
  • Cats chat
    Cats make sixteen different and meaningful sounds; a mixture of vowels, consonants and even
    two dipthongs. There are many different variations of "meow", which most owners will recognize,
    and cats can change the meaning of their meow by altering the volume, tone, pitch, rhythm and
    pronunciation.
  • Cats Legs and paws
    Whilst a cat's legs are short compared to the length of its body, they are powerful. Strong muscles
    can produce explosive power for leaping on prey, or for great bursts of speed. Cat forelegs can be
    stretched wide apart to hug the body of a kill and hold it close, and the paws are suited for great
    flexibility too. Most cats have five 'toes' in the forepaws and four in the hind paws. However, some
    domestic cats have extra toes inside their front feet, and sometimes even on their hind feet. This
    inherited mutation is known as 'polydactylism'.
  • Cats' blood
    Cats have three blood types: A, B and AB. The majority of cats are type A. Cat blood is transferable
    to other cats in the same way that humans can donate blood to one another.
  • Cats' Mouths
    A full feline dental set contains thirty teeth (twelve incisors, ten premolars, four canine and four molar
    teeth). Like humans, kittens too have baby teeth, which are replaced by permanent teeth approx
    seven months after birth.
  • Cat's Tongues
    The tiny backward-facing barbs on a cat's tongue - which account for its rough feeling - scoop water backwards into the mouth when the cat drinks. These 'hooks' are called papillae.
  • Cats' Tails
    A cat's tail is primarily used to maintain balance, and it contains almost 10 per cent of the total number
    of bones in its body. The domestic cat is the only species of cat able to hold its tail up vertical while walking. The tail plays a vital role in the 'righting reflex', the instinctive ability that allows a cat to rotate
    whilst falling and enabling it to land on its feet.  A cat's mood can be read in its tail. a tail held high
    shows happiness, whilst a twitching tail is a warning sign, and a tail tucked close to the body is a sign
    of insecurity or fear.