Fascinating facts about felines...

Many cat owners are fascinated by their feline friends. Cats can be quirky, and their behavior often amuses their owners, but there is more to cats than their quirky personalities. The following are some interesting facts about felines, courtesy of Animal Planet:

• Much like humans can be right- or left-handed, cats can favor their right paw or left paw. Cats can even be ambidextrous.

• Cats spend roughly one-third of their waking hours cleaning themselves. In fact, cats’ tongues are so strong that they can lick

animal bone clean.

• Selkirk cats are known for their distinctive curly coats. But Selkirk cats slowly lose their natural-born curly coats in the months after their births. The coat begins to grow again when Selkirk cats reach eight months of age.

• While cats are partial to litter boxes, their skill sets enable them to learn how to use toilets. Kittens may be adorable and cuddly, but their teeth are most sharp at this stage of their life. Upon reaching six months of age, cats lose their needle-sharp milk teeth.

• Once they reach a week old, cats start to dream while sleeping.

• Cats don’t just close their eyes because they’re tired. In fact, many cats close their eyes when they’re happy or pleased.

• Cats pregnancies last just nine weeks.

• Cats can jump up to five times their own height.

• While not all cats with blue eyes are deaf, many cats with blue eyes cannot hear. That said, many kittens are born with blue eyes, only to have their eye color change with age.

• Cats have a naturally strong aversion to all things citrus.

• Cats of the opposite sex tend to make better housemates than cats of the same sex.

• The majority of cats do not have eyelashes.

• Cats tend to have 12 whiskers on each side of their face.

More fascinating facts about felines can be found at animalplanet.com.