Faavi Baavi

One of the most popular fictional dogs was Lassie, the dog featured in the novel ‘Lassie Come Home‘. The novel was first made into a movie in 1943, and Lassie was played by a Rough Collie named Pal.

Everybody loves a good dog film, and in 2008, ‘Marley & Me‘ managed to rake in almost $143 million, becoming the top-grossing dog movie of all time.

The Pomeranian, also known as a Pommy or the Teddy Bear Dog, is a small and cuddly dog that loves attention. They come in a variety of colors, including the very rare Lavender.

When dogs drink, they roll the back of their tongues in order to scoop up the water. They can be rather messy drinkers (and eaters!), but the way they drink is exactly the same as cats.

In 2008, a study showed that, on average, 1.2 million puppies are born each day. Not all of these are lovingly homed, however, as many of them die and others are left abandoned.

Dogs have 1,700 taste buds, which might seem a lot at first. However, when compared to the 9,000 which are on a human’s tongue, it seems a very small amount!

The Siberian Husky is one of the dog breeds which resembles a wolf. Despite this fact, they are very friendly with families and strangers. However, they need plenty of exercise and can be difficult to care for.

It is very important for dogs to have contact with humans during the first months of their lives. Domestic dogs should have regular contact with humans for the first three months in order to make friendly, safe, and domesticated pets.

The best “mouser” in the world was a cat called Towser.
Towser Cat Statue with plaque
The long-haired tortoiseshell feline was born on April 21, 1963, and was owned by the Glenturret Distillery Ltd, a whiskey distillery near the town of Crieff, Scotland.

From 1963 until her death in 1987 she prowled the distillery at night, keeping it safe from any intruding rodents.

It is estimated that over the course of her life she caught some 28,889 mice, averaging 3 mice per night.

If you visit the Glenturret distillery make sure you check out the bronze statue of Towser in the visitor’s center.

The most widely syndicated cartoon in the world is Garfield, the lasagna-loving cat.
Garfield the cat staring at a bowl of lasagne
In terms of publication, to syndicate means to publish in a number of newspapers, magazines, and so on at the same time.

In terms of Garfield being the most widely syndicated cartoon, it means that it holds the record for the number of different places it’s published every time a new comic strip is published!

The first Garfield comic was released to just 41 newspapers in 1978.

By the time it gained world-record status in 2002 the comic was being published in 2,570 newspapers worldwide!

Cats do recognize their owners’ voices, but often act like they don’t care.
Grey cat laying on the back of a sofa, being ignorant
When you come to think about it, it’s an incredibly cat-like thing to do.

Researchers in Japan conducted experiments by playing recordings of cat owners and strangers in the presence of the cats and took note of their reactions.

The cats did show clear recognition of their owner’s voices while paying no attention to the strangers.

However, in both cases, they didn’t bother getting up to investigate the sounds.

The record for the world’s longest cat is 48.5 inches.
World's longest cat being held up by its owner
Such a long cat deserves a long name, and this cat’s name doesn’t disappoint!

His full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan, although his friends called him Stewie.

In 2010 his owners in Nevada, USA, decided to enter Stewie for the record of the longest cat in the Guinness World Records after many of their friends remarked upon his enormous length.

He measured 48.5 inches (123 cm) long and gained the record of longest cat that same year.

As of 2020, Stewie still holds the record for the longest cat to ever be recorded officially.

Cats actually have one more eyelid than humans do.
A white cats face with its eyes closed
This third eyelid is known as the “haw”, and for the most part, it acts like a windshield wiper.

When a cat blinks, the haw swipes horizontally, removing any dust or debris.

You generally won’t ever get a chance to see a cat’s haw, but if you do, it could indicate an underlying health issue.

Nearly all animals have a haw, with humans and most other primates being the exception!

Most female cats prefer using their right paw, while males are more likely to be “left-pawed”.
A cat trying to operate a washing machine with its left paw
It’s not just humans who are right or left-handed.

While we humans are for the most part right-handed, this just isn’t the case with cats.

Studies have found that their preferred paw is more often associated with their gender.

The study tested a range of cats, monitoring which paw they would use first when ascending or descending stairs, reaching for treats, and stepping into their litter trays.

Cats have a great sense of hearing and can hear ultrasonic noises.
A cat sat in the dark with the light only making its ears visible
To put it mildly, cats have far superior senses than we do.

Not only is their night-vision leagues ahead of ours, but their hearing also outshines ours too!

Their ears can detect sounds ranging from the 55 Hz that we can pick up, all the way to 79 thousand hertz.

While this means that they can detect ultrasonic sounds, it doesn’t mean they communicate in such frequencies.

Instead, their ultrasonic sensitivities help them when hunting for animals such as rodents.

There are also quite a few ways to refer to a group of kittens.
A group of kittens sat on red cloth
The most commonly used collective noun for kittens is a “litter of kittens”.

They can also be called an “intrigue of kittens” due to their curious nature.

An “entanglement of kittens” is another name, as it’s often hard to tell where one kitten ends and another begins when they’re playing!

Finally, they can also be called a “kindle of kittens”, although this usage is less common.

There are many ways to refer to a group of cats.
A group of cats
It really depends on the cats, too. The collective noun for wild cats, for example, is “a destruction of cats”.

Regular house cats are generally called a “clowder of cats”.

However, they can also be called a “glaring of cats” if the cats you’re referring to don’t know each other and are glaring at each other.

The higher the fall, the more likely a cat is to survive it.
A cat falling from a tree - but in full control
It turns out that if a cat falls from a lower height, say less than 7 stories high, then it’s actually more likely to be injured!

If a cat falls from a greater height, it has more time to correct its position mid-flight and prepare itself more for the landing.

There are even reports of cats falling from as high as 32 stories high and coming away with just a chipped tooth and a punctured lung.

SECOND HAND CAT
(Anon)

Give us a chance who are not brand new,
Who would love a home with someone like you.
We may have been around a bit,
Received many a blow and many a kick,
Starved and neglected most of our days,
Yet we are forgiving anyways.

But now's our chance to start anew,
A home with love that we never knew.
So, before a kitten you're tempted to pick,
Give us a look, but not too quick.
Look at the character in our face,
And our bodies, still full of grace.

Just think of us, day after day,
Watching people look and walk away.
But say the word 'yes' and we will know -
Our bags are packed and we're ready to go.

My Cat

It’ll be five days or maybe six,
Before I get my laptop fixed.

Gosh, I think it would be nice –
If my cat would just eat mice.

Unfortunately in my house –
She likes to kill my cordless mouse!

by Leanne Guenther