Interesting facts about kittens
First, some statistics. The normal weight of a newborn kitten ranges from 75 to 150 grams, depending on gender, genetics, the number of cubs in the litter and the diet of the mother cat. During the first month of life (called the suckling period), the weight of a healthy baby increases 4 times. Kittens are born deaf and blind.
Hearing appears on the fifth day, by the end of the second week the newborn begins to navigate by sounds, and by the age of one month this sense organ is fully formed.
Around 7–15 days after birth, kittens’ eyes open; another 3–4 days are spent developing the final depth of vision. “Coordination” of vision and hearing takes several more days. The baby begins to walk confidently on his paws at about two weeks of age, and by three weeks he is already dexterous enough to scratch behind the ear with his paw. From interesting facts about kittens we move on to action.
1. Cats can heal people. According to scientists, it is enough to stroke your pet to lower blood pressure and calm down. In a house where cats live, stress is easier to bear, and the family becomes more harmonious and friendly. 2.The average life expectancy of a domestic cat is 15 years. If the cat is three years old, then this corresponds to the age of twenty years for a person. If a cat is 8 years old, then this is 40 years old, in terms of our years, and if a pet is 15 years old, then this is our 70 years old. 3. The most ancient representatives of the cat family existed more than 50 million years ago. 4. Vibrissae is the Latin name for a cat's whiskers. On average, a cat has about 12 whiskers on one side of the cheek. For cats, this is a reliable compass in their life, since they have a large number of nerve endings on their whiskers. 5.Thanks to their whiskers, kittens determine the temperature, wind direction and even the width of the opening. For these reasons, cats should not have their whiskers trimmed. Without them they are like without hands! They will feel insecure.
6. Cats cannot tolerate closed spaces and stale air. Therefore, always ventilate your home and do not close the interior doors. 7. How many times per minute does a cat’s heart beat? – about 140 beats. For comparison, in humans the norm is 80 beats. 8. Everyone knows that cats love the smell of valerian. But you should also know that these animals are not indifferent to garlic, coffee, vinegar, grapes and onions? But these products are harmful to our pets. So keep them away. 9. Many people notice that immediately after someone touches a cat, he immediately begins to lick his fur. Why is this happening? Scientists cannot determine exactly why cats behave this way. 10. You need to know that allergies to cats are not caused by the fur itself, but by the FEL D1 protein, which is spread through the hairs. Males are more allergenic than cats.
11.Ailurophilia is an excessive love for cats. Precisely excessive, since this term is taken from psychiatry. As a rule, older women suffer from this mental disorder, keeping several dozen of these pets in a small apartment. 12. Cats can turn their ears 180 degrees. They achieve this thanks to the special structure of the organ. Each ear consists of 32 muscles, twelve of which animals use very actively. 13. Everyone knows that male and female cat breeds are very active predators. Therefore, if they notice a live mouse somewhere, they will definitely bring it to their owners. Why they do this is not known exactly. 14. Interestingly, cats are able to hear sounds transmitted at a frequency of 60 kHz. To understand this, imagine that dogs hear at a frequency of 40 kHz, and people hear at 20 kHz. Naturally, even the subtlest rustle of a mouse, which seems silent to us, is very clearly audible to cats. 15. When cats are in someone else's cat territory, when they meet other cats, they slow down their steps. This happens because, being “away”, they do not want to enter into conflict.
16. Cats sleep a third of the time of the day. Oh, a third of the remaining time they take care of themselves. 17. If you have several cats in your house, feed them from separate bowls. This is because these animals are predators and competitors by nature. 18. Cats are unique animals. They perceive odors 14 times better than humans and can hear sounds at a frequency of 60 kHz. For comparison: people - 20 kHz, dogs - 40 kHz. 19. Cats’ favorite activity, purring, occurs about one and a half thousand times per minute. 20. There is scientific evidence that cats retract their claws while sleeping. This applies to the entire cat family, with the only exception being the cheetah - its claws are always ready.
21. When cats lick their fur, they also comb it. After all, their tongue has hooks and combs that are convenient for this activity. 22. Many animals, seeing water dripping from a tap, head towards it to feast on it. Most people are outraged by this inattention of cats, since their bowl is filled with their own water, which is changed regularly. So why is a cat attracted to this particular liquid? The thing is that females love everything fresh, including water. In addition, they have an excellent sense of smell, and they can feel the smell of fresh water and that which has stood for at least a day. For these reasons, such a reservoir is more attractive to them than settled water in a plate. 23. Some people treat their pets with human medicine. But this cannot be done! Cats can be fatally poisoned by taking a regular aspirin tablet. 24.Cats never communicate with each other using meowing. Their language of communication is hissing, purring and snorting. But when cats meow, they address themselves exclusively to people, probably thinking that they are expressing themselves perfectly in human language. 25. Most cats butt or “cram” their heads into your legs to demonstrate their affection for people. This is truly a sign of affection, although sometimes this behavior is annoying.
26. You need to know that cats don’t see well at close range. The most comfortable zone for their vision varies from 75 centimeters to 6 meters. 27.If a cat’s tail trembles when you are nearby, then rest assured that you are one of her closest and dearest creatures. This is how these pets have the most tender feeling. 28. All cats love to play with boxes. 29. Everyone is interested in watching the kittens who have seen a bird and are crouching intently near the ground. Many people wonder why they do this? There are two answers to this question. First, the cat crouches several times before attacking. Birds for them are not only interesting animals that can fly and they treat them with passion, but also, first of all, prey. Secondly, if the cat sees that the prey is very far away and he cannot catch it, this is like a gesture of dissatisfaction. He admits defeat. Similarly, due to the same feelings, kittens who see prey have their jaws twitch. 30.Why does the cat turn his back to you? Cats are very vigilant animals, so if they notice that you are not showing any interest in them and are not paying attention to them, then they are showing you their character. It is in such situations that they turn their backs on their owners or walk away.
31.Cats' eyes glow in the dark because light reflects off their retinas. For this reason, they only need a sixth of the light that we need for orientation in space. 32. Did you know that cats can meow for several hours on end? They are very persistent. 33. Very often you can notice that if you play with an animal for a long time, it can suddenly bite a person or scratch with its claws. Why is this happening? Naturally, the owners are perplexed, because everything was fine, and they, on the contrary, caressed the kitten and played with it in a friendly manner. The thing is that pets have sensitive places, for example: whiskers, nose, ears, stomach. And if the owners touch them very often, then sooner or later the animal will feel unpleasant and in response he will bite him. 34. In Australia, 90% of homes have cats. Such a “cat state”! 35. Why does a cat wrinkle its nose? This happens at the moment when he smells something new and interesting to him. In cat breeds, the smell is 14 times stronger than in humans. In addition, the kitten smells not only the nose, but also the upper palate. For these reasons, when a cat hears something pleasant or new, it may wrinkle its nose and open its mouth slightly.
36. Some believe that the whiskers are the sixth sense of cats. Indeed, this unique mechanism allows animals to move freely in space even in complete darkness. In other words, vibrissae can almost completely replace both ears and eyes. 37.When a cat shakes off its paws, it demonstrates that something is very unpleasant to it. 38. Surprisingly, cats don’t sweat. Yes, yes, only their paw pads can be moisturized. 39. Your pet should not be a vegetarian. It is meat that contains an important substance for its health – arginine (amino acid). 40. Everyone knows that fingerprints can identify any person, since they are not repeated, being absolutely unique. The same goes for a cat's nose print.
41. It is a well-known statement that they are terribly afraid of water. Although in fact, under normal conditions, cats can even catch fish. But if you hold them tightly and try to force them into the bathtub, they can become aggressive. 42.Kittens also lose their baby teeth, just like humans. 43. Particularly capable cats can easily survive a fall even from the height of a nine-story building. 44. You can judge a cat’s mood by its whiskers, for example, if they look forward, it means she is curious, but if there is a rival nearby, then with such a gesture she wants to scare him. If the whiskers, as usual, look to the sides - this is a calm state of the pet, when they are directed back, then this means that he is scared or worried. 45.Why does the cat wag its tail? In general, the tail is a unique structure in a pet’s body. With its help, animals can express their feelings and show their mood. Therefore, every movement of your cat's tail means something. For example, if something doesn’t suit her, she will wag it from side to side strongly, sharply and dissatisfied. If an animal, seeing you, runs towards you and trembles its tail, then show attention to it, because for cats this is an expression of the highest degree of love. When the tail points upward, this is a sign of curiosity in your furry animal.
46.Cats prefer warm or room food rather than cold or hot food. 47. Incredibly, cats can make more than 100 different sounds, while dogs can only make about 10 sounds. 48. Cats love to live clean. Therefore, never place a food bowl or litter box near their sleeping area. These animals follow this rule even in the wild. 49. Cats require their own territory, ten times larger than for cats. 50.Why do cats stick their heads into people? It is a gesture of affection and love. Cats show it most often to their household members, but there are times when they show this gesture to other pets, especially to their fellow tribesmen.
photo from the Internet
How to care for a kitten
What actions need to be taken to ensure that the kitten that comes to you develops in accordance with the norm? After all, it is during this very suckling period, the first month of life, that the main development of a cat occurs? Let's face it: these 4 weeks will not be easy. But love can give strength. And the miracle that will happen before your eyes is worth overcoming some inconveniences.
A few words about milk
It is clear to everyone that the baby needs to be well fed with milk. Ideally, with colostrum, and then with mother’s milk, the kitten receives antibodies responsible for immunity, as well as all the nutrients necessary for growth and development. But, if the cat is left an orphan, and there is no other cat nearby that could feed someone else’s baby, you will have to become a nursing mother and learn new facts about kittens.
Special attention! Kittens should not be fed whole cow's milk! Due to cat physiology, it is poorly digested, coagulates in the stomach and forms a lump there. This poses serious problems.
How to replace cat milk? Of course, it is best to use special mixtures that are sold in pet stores. If this is not possible, regular baby formulas, which are sold at every retail outlet, are also suitable. They need to be diluted with warm water - the finished food should be at a temperature of approximately 30 degrees.
A newborn kitten should eat up to 12 times a day; by the end of the month, the number of feedings can be halved. It is most convenient to feed the baby, again using a special nipple for kittens, but if this is not available, a plastic pipette with a blunt end will also work. There is no need to rush in this process - since the baby is still too small, you need to be patient.
You need to feed the kitten when he is lying on his tummy, otherwise he may regurgitate food and remain hungry. Regularly measuring its weight will help you determine whether you are feeding your kitten correctly. To do this, you need to use, of course, kitchen scales, not floor scales. If for a couple of days in a row the numbers show that there is no increase, the situation is bad, and you cannot do without the help of a veterinarian.
The main thing is warmth
Newborn kittens cannot regulate their body temperature - this is another important kitten fact to know. Ideally, the baby spends the first month in a cozy place with his mother and siblings. If a human has replaced the kitten’s family, it is your responsibility to provide him with constant warmth. Whether it will be your body heat, heating pads, socks filled with heated grain, or bottles of hot water - decide for yourself. Just remember that there should be soft insulation between the kitten and the heat source, so as not to burn the baby. Under no circumstances should a heating lamp be used and do not forget about the obligatory supply of fresh air!
Thirdly, you will have to take on another very delicate function as a cat mother. After eating, she usually carefully licks the perineum of her children, stimulating the excretion of urine and feces from the newborn's body. Of course, we do not recommend that you repeat her feat exactly. You can massage your baby with a warm, damp towel or soft cloth. At the same time, he must pee during each such massage, and excretion of feces is considered normal once or twice a day.
Interesting stories about cats. Real stories about cats and cats
The veterinarian came to vaccinate the poodle, saw Matvey, shuddered and crossed himself. For the first time, he says, I see a gastropod cat. I say: for mercy's sake, doctor, he's just portly. His belly, he says, drags along the floor! I say: he just runs half-bent. And the ryakha, he says, is twice as wide as yours! I say: everyone in our family is miniature: grandfather rode a goat until he was old, grandmother slept in a basket. The veterinarian does not listen and demands a scale. The cat crawled onto the scales, and the scales also trembled. Fourteen kilograms. I tried to object that there are about five hundred grams of whiskers alone, but the veterinarian wrote with an unwavering hand: DIET! And he handed it to us. Have you ever put an animal on a diet? The cat follows me for the fourth day in a row and asks: “Mom, why did you give birth to me with such an ass? » At night he sits next to him. You open your eyes and a red mug looms over you. Looks. It feels like it’s waiting for me to die so it can gnaw my face while it’s still warm. I used to say a lot of words: mom, proof, mygr, bird, nya. Now he only knows “meat” and “give”. Yesterday a guest came, the cat sniffed him and suddenly grabbed his calf muscle. When they pulled him away, he fought back and shouted “give me meat” through clenched teeth. Just in case, the knives have been put away, and we are not allowing guests in yet, especially the well-fed ones. In the evening he starts crying under the refrigerator. Yesterday I listened and clearly understood “spring will not come for me.” He's seeking pity, you bastard. But we are holding on. We stopped buying fish, we hide sausage, we gradually switch to a vegetarian menu so that he doesn’t feel jealous. What’s most offensive is that the cat quickly becomes wiser from hunger. I used to think: Lord, why did we get such a fool, the inside of his skull is lined with moss, on which sunbeams run. Now I understand that it was not a curse, but a blessing. A smart, hungry cat found a cache of cookies in the nursery, dug up candy in my own backpack, got to the trash can and gnawed off chicken bones, and, in my opinion, made a shiv out of one. Any day now I expect him to pick up the master key for the padlock on the refrigerator. Against this nervous background, everyone is losing weight, except the cat, and I am afraid that the diet will not work and I will still have to add cardio and abdominal training.
Fact 5. If my head goes through, I can get through it all
A cat uses its whiskers to determine the volume of space around it, namely whether it can squeeze into a given space.
And she can squeeze into any hole that her head can fit into, because... The cat does not have collarbones, and the head is its largest bony organ.
