Ten cat facts

Maddie: Hi, I'm Maddie. Here are ten things you need to know about cats:

10. Domestic cats

Have you ever noticed your cat leaves wet paw marks during summer? Unlike us humans, cats don't have sweat glands all over their bodies; instead they only sweat through their paws. For cheetahs sprinting to catch prey in hot climates, this helps to cool them down.

9. Siberian tiger

The biggest cat in the world is the Siberian tiger, measuring a mighty 3.15 metres in length and weighing a hefty 265 kilograms, the same as a small motorbike.

8. Caracal

The ears of a caracal are controlled by 20 muscles allowing them to pinpoint their prey. It's also speculated that their prominent tufts of fur act as antennas to further enhance their hearing ability.

7. Lion

The loudest roar belongs to the lion. At 114 decibels it’s as loud as a chainsaw and can be heard up to 8 kilometres away.

6. Snow leopard

Snow leopards are impressive athletes, able to jump 15 metres in length and up to 9 metres high. That’s six times their body length. These rare cats live at high altitudes and have extra-long tails to help them balance.

5. Keratinised papillae

Cats have a hairbrush on their tongue. Comb-like structures called keratinised papillae allow them to groom and to lap up large amounts of fluid when they are drinking. Check out our slo-mo film to learn more.

4. Clouded leopard

In South East Asia, the clouded leopard has the biggest teeth of any cat relative to its size. Little is known about this mysterious feline that makes noises somewhere between a purr and a roar!

3. Amur leopard

The rarest cat in the world is the Amur leopard. It's thought that there are less than 35 of these creatures left in the wild owing to loss of habitat. Thankfully they are being bred successfully in captivity.

2. Margay

In the Amazon rainforest, the margay is the first and only scientifically documented case of a cat using vocal mimicry to hunt. Scientists were amazed to discover it copying the sounds of a baby pied tamarin, which enticed adult monkeys to investigate and within catching distance of this clever cat.

1. Black panther

The black panther is not a species of cat but in fact a jaguar, puma or leopard that is a genetic mutation. A gene called melanin causes the black pigmentation. In fact if you look closer you can still make out the intrinsic cat markings beneath the black coating.

What's your favourite cat's stat?

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