FELINE FACTS

Cats are quickly becoming America's most popular pet.  Here are six things you may not know about them.

FAMILY FLAVOR

Does your cat lick its fur clean after it rubs against you???  That's its way of "tasting" you, becoming familiar with the taste and scent of the people in its life.

 THE INSIDE POOP

Nearly all domestic cats bury their feces--but in the wild, only timid cats do.  Aggressive cats in the wild actually leave their droppings on tiny "advertising hills" that they create.  This leads researchers to believe that domestic cats see themselves as submissive members of their human families.  If you have a cat that refuses to cover up after going it may be an aggression issue.

CAT & MOUSE

Why do cats play with their victims??  Experts believe it's because they're not hungry.  Wild cats, who eat nothing but the food they catch, rarely, if ever play with their food.

PURR-FECT

Do cats purr because they are happy??  Probably not, researchers say; even dying cats and cats in pain purr.  The researchers think a cat's purr is a sign it is receptive to "social interaction".

THE BETTER TO SEE YOU WITH

Unlike human eyes, a cat's eyes have pupils that are shaped like vertical slits.  These vertical slits work together with the horizontal slits of the cat's eyelid to give it greater control over how much light it allws into it's eyes.

WHISKED AWAY

Because a cat's whiskers are sensitive to the slight air currents that form around solid objects, they help it to "see" in the dark.  This is especially helpful in night hunting.

All information gathered from "Unlce Johns Bathroom Reader #5"