10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About YOUR CATS

cats are unique beings surprising us daily with their personality and varied abilities their wild aspects and idiosyncratic characters can generate certain doubts with their human Guardians this is why animal wise brings you these 10 things you probably didn't know about cats to help you better understand your feline friend

1-although we see images of cats drinking milk in movies and TV the truth is this is not ideal for a cat's health during the lactation period kittens produce a large amount of an enzyme called lactase this is responsible for breaking down lactose in their mother's milk however after the weaning period as the cat develops the production of this enzyme decreases progressively so that the cat's body prepares to move on to solid food it should be noted that some cats especially those which never stop drinking milk may not have this intolerance but most adult cats do and given the milk can lead to gastrointestinal issues

2-while most humans have more than 9,000 tastebuds a cat has less than 500 their ability to identify a variety of flavors is much more limited additionally cats only produce one of the two proteins needed to assimilate information about sweet flavors 

3-it's currently estimated that cats can emit up to 100 different vocalizations and contrary to what was formerly believed they are known to use these sounds to communicate with both humans and other cats although their ability to vocalize is surprising cats mainly use body language to express their emotions moods and perception of reality a cat's body language is sophisticated and complex comprising of a wide variety of postures gestures and facial expressions

4-a healthy cat has about 230 bones 24 more than the human skeleton this bone structure combined with two well-developed muscles allows felines to have great agility being able to jump very high and enter small passages 

5-cats bury their faeces for a very simple reason to cover their smell in the wild this will help them to evade possible predators likewise other cats cannot find their territory

6-each human has a unique design on their fingerprint identifying each person by this natural impression in the same way each cat has a unique and unmatched design on the tissue of their nose instead of fingerprints cats have nasal prints with quite beautiful patterns

7-a cat's whiskers are not simply  hairs but they are integral to their sensory capability as with eyelashes and the hairs under their chin the whiskers act as motion sensors combined with olfactory cells they allow them to quickly detect prey possible predators other cat's territory and more

8-a cat's eyes do not have red cone cells cells required to perceive the shades of red and pink but they do have green cone cells meaning they are able to distinguish shades of yellow blue and green

9-cats rub against people furniture and objects for various reasons they mainly do it to leave their scent and mark objects or even people as part of their territory of course when they do it regularly to the people with whom they share a home it can also be interpreted as a demonstration of affection and trust

10-when cats are kittens they need their mothers breasts to stimulate the production of milk it's a natural gesture which generates a pleasant feeling of well-being when an adult cat does this to their human companion it's a way of expressing the feeling they are at ease in their company this is why if your cat needs you it's because they love you and  sharing time together creates great pleasure here are the 10 facts about cats you probably didn't know do you have any more you'd like to add please do so