9 Common Cat Myths Debunked

[Hum]

1. Myth: Cats have nine lives

Fact: The myth most likely originated from Egyptian gods and religions, where sun god Atum-Ra, one of the Ennead, or the Nine would assume the form of the cat when visiting the underworld.

2. Myth: Pregnant women cannot live with cats

Fact: While toxoplasmosis is a risk for fetuses, a woman is more likely to catch it from handling raw meat or digging in the garden than from her cats. Cat guardians can protect themselves from cat-related exposure by related exposure by emptying the litter box daily, having someone else clean the litter box or wearing rubber gloves and a mask if the litter box task can?t be foisted onto anyone else.

3. Myth: Cats steal the breath of babies

Fact: Cats are heat-and comfort-seekers. Curling up next to a newborn in a crib meets both of these needs. However, if the cat chooses to press up against the face of a bundled infant who is too young to turn away on her own, her breathing may be hampered. Keep cats out of the nursery at naptime/bedtime.

4. Myth: Cats purr only when happy

Fact: Purring is one of the first sounds kittens can make. They can purr by the time they are 48 hours old. While nursing, both mom and kittens can be heard to purr. But while purring is often heard at times of contentment, cats also purr when in pain and in the throes of death. :(

5. Myth: Cats hate water

Fact: While most cats hate baths, many find running water fascinating and spend time pawing at dripping faucets or demanding their guardians turn on the water for a fresh, cool drink. Kittens, in particular, find sinks and showers a source of amusement, although for most the thrill lessens with age. One breed, the Turkish Van, is nicknamed ?the swimming cat? for its swimming prowess and love of all things wet. (All cats need plenty of water to drink.)

6. Myth: Cats are nocturnal

Fact: Cats are crepuscular. They are most active at dusk and dawn when prey abounds and the hunting is best. The construction of their eyes allows them to see well in low light. Cats only need 1/6 of the light humans do in order to decipher shapes. However, they cannot see in absolute darkness.

7. Myth: Black cats are bad luck

Fact: There are nearly as many superstitions about black cats bringing luck as there are about them being harbingers of bad luck. In different cultures around the world, other colors and coat patterns are seen as lucky ? or not. However, in one 2000 study of 321 patients reported in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology patients with dark-colored cats were up to four times more likely to suffer a moderate to severe allergy attack than those with light-colored cats. Researchers speculate that darker cats produce more fel d 1 allergen in their skin and saliva. So if adopters are mildly allergic to cats, it may be smart to steer them to lighter colored ones, leaving all the terrific black cats to those lucky folks with no cat allergies.

8. Myth: Cats always land on their feet

Fact: As a tree-climbing species, the cat?s survival depends on its ability to survive falls when possible. The feline vestibular system and vision work together with the cat?s flexible spine to allow the cat to right itself and, when there is enough time, to ?parachute out? in a manner similar to the flying squirrel. While they can usually right themselves, they can still sustain serious injury to limbs, jaws and the thoracic region which may result in death.

9. Myth: Cats are loners

Fact: Outdoor cats are solitary hunters, but most will choose to live in a colony near a food source. Unneutered males will roam the farthest, in search of food and females in heat. Studies of barn cats showed matrilineal groups were created by a founding female, her daughters and their kittens. When males reach approximately eighteen months of age, they leave the area and strike out on their own. The kittens of domesticated house cats are best prepared to fit into a multi-cat household when they are kept with their littermates until at least eight- to ten-weeks of age. Cats can even be friends with dogs!

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[Phouchg]

1. Myth: Cats have nine lives

 

It is common knowledge that irradiated cats have 18 half-lives.

[Sir Topham Hatt]

8. Myth: Cats always land on their feet[/size]
 
While true, cats are very good at twisting their bodies to work out which way is down.

Cat survives 19 storey fall

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

8. Myth: Cats always land on their feet[/size]

 

While true, cats are very good at twisting their bodies to work out which way is down.

Cat survives 19 storey fall

 

while it does say that cats are better off flying from the higher floors, when they have time to orient themselves and slow down the fall, i call bullcrap

i know at least 3 people who's cats have died falling from the balcony.

i also know a person who survived a fall out of a high flying plane, without a parachute, and landed on a snowed-in slope, and survived!

 

it is now about cats ability, it is about luck, and the surface you land on.

 

 

as for cats landing on feet -  that works best with the small drops or jumps or throws.     they are so flexibile and adjusting they can manage to reorient and land properly, in a situation where the dog would hurt themselves.   every preteen boy who own a cat most likely know that.  i have thrown my cat.  did not mean any harm. just wanted to test the ability i noticed by accident.  and yes, the ability did work.

[Hum]

while it does say that cats are better off flying from the higher floors, when they have time to orient themselves and slow down the fall, i call bullcrap

i know at least 3 people who's cats have died falling from the balcony.

Clearly they suicided.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

Clearly they suicided.

 

actually, they were just stupid condo cats who never went outside once.    those things are not adjusted to life.

[xendrome]

Lost me at the first one, and then the contradictions in each answer

 

1: False, second word for the "Fact" answer is "myth"

[Buttus]

my parents had a maine coon cat, and it LOVED baths.   they would start to fill the sink with warm water and the cat would almost jump in the sink.

[Hum]

actually, they were just stupid condo cats who never went outside once.    those things are not adjusted to life.

Exactly. They were bored by condo life.

 

Exit, stage right ...