Fun Feline Facts

Did You Know?

• Ancient Egyptians valued the cat to destroy rats and mice that threatened their crops
• In Egyptian mythology, Bast was the goddess of fire, cats, pregnant women and protector of the home. Also known as Bastet, Ubasti and Pasht, she was depicted usually as a cat or lioness.
• In Celtic mythology, Cat Sidhe or Cait Sith (pronounced caught shee) was a fairy creature that haunted the Scottish Highlands as a large black cat with a white mark on its chest.
• The Norse goddess Freyja has been depicted riding a chariot drawn by a pair of cats.
• Maneki Neko (meaning beckoning cat) is a common Japanese sculpture believed to bring prosperity, fortune in business and general good luck. Its raised paw is said to beckon good fortune. Over the years it has gained popularity in Asia and many other parts of the world.
• Cats live on average between 9 and 15 years, though many owners can attest to their feline companions living well past 20 years.
• The smallest living domestic cat in the world known by the Guinness Book of World Records is Mr. Peebles, a 2-year old cat in Central Illinois measuring 6.1 inches high and weighing just about 3 lbs.
• The world's fastest feline is the Cheetah, which can travel at speeds of up to 112km/h. 

Cat Quotes

"If animals could speak the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much." 
-Mark Twain

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this."
-Anonymous

"One cat just leads to another."
-Ernest Hemingway

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later."
-Mary Bly

"Time spent with cats is never wasted."
-May Sarton

"Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them."
-Jim Davis

"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat."
-Edgar Allan Poe

Cat Proverbs from Around the World

Happy is the home with at least one cat. 
-Italian proverb

When the cat's away, the mice will play. 
-Western Europe proverb

After dark all cats are leopards. 
-Zuni proverb

When rats infest the Palace, a lame cat is better than the swiftest horse. 
-Chinese proverb

I gave an order to a cat, and the cat gave it to its tail. 
-Chinese proverb

One should not send a cat to deliver cream. 
-Yiddish proverb

The cat was created when the lion sneezed. 
-Arab proverb