FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kim Lande
(619) 232-3821, ext. 244, marketing@sdnhm.org
September 3, 1997
FASCINATING FELINE FACTS
- Cats were domesticated house pets more than 4000 years ago.
- House cats spend about 70 percent of their day sleeping and 15 percent of their day grooming.
- Cats were brought to North America by colonists to protect their granaries. As settlers moved West, cats went along in covered wagons.
- One out of every four households in America own at least one cat. There are an estimated 65.8 million cats in the U.S., compared to 54.9 million dogs.
- House cats spend 10,950.13 hours purring during their lifetime.
- Roaring and purring are the two best known noises of cats. Four species of cat don't purr at all -- lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars.
- The cheetah is one of the fastest animals alive, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph. A frightened house cat can run up to 30 mph.
- Cats have an amazing ability to almost always land on their feet. Most cats can survive a fall of 30 feet or more.
- The smallest cat is the rusty spotted cat found in India and Sri Lanka. Half the size of a domestic cat, it weighs less than three pounds.
- The largest cat is the tiger. It can weigh up to 700 pounds and be ten to 11 feet in length (not including a three-foot tail). Tigers are also able to spring on prey from 25 feet or more.
- Native to every continent on Earth except Australia, the modern domestic cat is a descendant African and European wildcats.
For more "Cats!" information, call 232-3821.
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San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park
P.O. Box 1390 San Diego, California 92112 - (619) 232-3821 ext. 220 or 224
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