*In ancient Egypt, mummies were made of cats and embalmed mice were placed with them in their tombs. In one ancient city, over 300,000 cat mummies were found.

*In the Middle Ages, during the Festival of Saint John, cats were burned alive in town squares.

*Today there are about 100 distinct breeds of the domestic cat.

*Genetic mutation created the domestic cat which is tame from birth.

*Like birds, cats have a homing ability that uses its biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth’s magnetic field. A cat taken far from its home can return to it. But if a cat's owners move far from it’s home, the cat can’t find them.

*Hunting is not instinctive for cats. Kittens born to non-hunting mothers may never learn to hunt.

*Cats bury their feces to cover their trails from predators.

*Mother cats teach their kittens to use the litter box.

*Among other tasks, cats can be taught to use a toilet, come, sit, bed, eat with their paws, heel, jump through a hoop, play a piano, play dead, roll over, open a door, hide food in boxes, shake, and fetch.

*In Great Britain, black cats are thought to bring good luck.

*Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an additional organ called the Jacobson's organ, located in the upper surface of the mouth.

*Cats can't taste sweets.

*The chlorine in fresh tap water irritates sensitive parts of the cat’s nose.

*The average cat food meal is the equivalent to about 5 mice.

*The catgut formerly used as strings in tennis rackets and musical instruments does not come from cats. Catgut actually comes from sheep, hogs, and horses.

*A large majority of white cats with blue eyes are deaf. White cats with only one blue eye are deaf only in the ear closest to the blue eye. White cats with orange eyes do not have this disability.

*Ten human years translate to about 60 cat years. A one year old cat is similar in age to an 18 year old human.