Tell the Truth, Right Meow: Feline Facts and Fictions

In this day and age, we’re constantly amassing information. As we’ve seen lately, this pursuit can result in fake news or ideas that aren’t entirely true – and shared material on pet care is no exception. The spread of false information threatens the health of animals, but perhaps our feline friends suffer the most. As a result, your friends at Schertz Animal Hospital hope to dispel some common feline myths and spotlight the best feline facts.

Unhealthy Fiction

It’s hard to know exactly why people perpetuate certain myths about cat health, but when left unchallenged, these myths can actually cause harm. For instance, the following cat myths do not pass muster:

• Cats are solitary creatures who don’t want/need social interaction with people or other animals. Not only is this false, but it’s truly unkind to isolate a cat from experiencing potential friendships.
• Cats don’t need veterinary support unless something is wrong. All animals benefit from routine wellness examinations, dental care, excellent nutrition, and disease prevention.
• Indoor cats are not affected by the same problems facing indoor-outdoor or strictly outdoor cats. Sure, indoor cats don’t face car accidents or fights with raccoons, but they can still get sick after exposure to parasites brought inside.
• Cats will always show signs of illness. Nope. Cats are notoriously secretive about illness or injury as a method of self-preservation.
• Cats always land on their feet. Cats do have an outstanding “righting reflex,” but their feet don’t always correct before a quick fall.
• Cats cannot be trained. They can be trained, and when they pick up tricks or tasks, it’s with stunning precision and intelligence.

Feline Facts to Write Home About

Now that some of the more toxic cat myths are out of the way, we can dive into the fun, illuminating, and amusing feline facts we like best:

• Due to the absence of a clavicle, cats can fit into any opening that accommodates their head.
• While cats have the same number of vertebrae as humans, they have 30 more in their tail – and they can rotate their spines up to 180 degrees!
• Cats can jump up to 5-6 times their own height. That’s like an average adult jumping from the ground to the 3rd floor!
• Obligate carnivores, cats must eat meat to obtain certain vitamins and minerals. They have 30 razor-sharp adult teeth to efficiently shred and chew meat.
• Cats in the wild don’t meow to communicate with each other. Instead, they use this type of vocalization to “talk” to humans and can have up to 100 variations.
• Purring is unique to cats, but it doesn’t always indicate pleasure. Purring can also be a result of fear or pain.
• An unspayed female can produce 100 kittens. Between them and their offspring, we could be looking at 400,000 feral cats!

The Truth is Powerful

By dispelling myths and promoting feline facts, we hope that general cat health can improve. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please let us know.