Incredible Cat Skills You Might Not Know Existed

Animal lovers, and cat owners in particular, may already know how incredible their pets are, but even they are sometimes amazed by how extraordinary their furry companions can truly be. Some might even go so far as to say that cats are perfect. Like evolutionary biologist Anjali Goswami who thinks all cats, from tigers to house kittens, are quintessential products of evolution. Whether your reasoning is backed by science or you simply adore cats, these are still incredible cat skills you might not know existed.

Cats may be highly independent creatures who often appear to ignore you but they have different social cues that humans might be used to. When a feline truly loves its owner, it can be rather affectionate but it's important to build a trustworthy relationship. To gather this list of incredible cat skills you might not know existed, 24/7 Tempo consulted several animal-centered sources. These include Pet MD, Daily Paws, and Viagen Pets. (To learn more interesting facts you might not already know about cats, click here.)

Jumping isn't something cats are afraid of. They're capable of jumping between six and eight feet into the air. On average, that comes out to about five or six times their body length. Cats jump to get from point A to point B when necessary. They move around to different places until they feel safe and comfortable. Jumping to new locations might simply be a cat's way of exploring their environment in moments of curiosity.

Although drinking seawater is completely unsafe for human beings, cats can lap it up without any issues. Seawater is far from refreshing for humans since it's full of salt — which is highly dehydrating. Cats have kidneys that naturally filter salt from water, which means the fear of dehydration isn't a factor for them. Any cats stranded by the ocean will be able to survive just fine.

Since there are 32 muscles in each ear of a cat, cats can move their ears separately. As odd as it sounds, separated ear wiggles are completely normal for felines. They can rotate their ears by 180 degrees based on distinct noises they're hearing. The movement of their individual ears is independent, which is why you might notice one ear turned in a certain direction while the other isn't.

Plenty of people assume that meows and purrs are the only sounds that cats make. In reality, cats are capable of producing more than 100 different noises. Many cats come across as quiet and aloof, but they're capable of being "chatty" and communicative when they feel like it. Different sounds will come out based on their circumstances. They'll growl when they are threatened, hiss when they're in distress, and muster up several other noises in between.

Cats certainly don't have night vision, but that doesn't mean they aren't capable of seeing in the dark better than humans. Humans need the help of flashlights whenever their surroundings get too dark, but that simply isn't the case for cats. Their night vision is decent enough to get around without sunlight. Since their pupils expand wider than humans, more light is capable of entering their eyeballs.

One of the most important reasons to get pet cats spayed and neutered is that female cats are capable of producing 49,000 kittens within a 10-year period. If 49,000 kittens were born from every female cat every decade, thousands of cats would grow up without finding forever homes. A lot of them would be put down since there wouldn't be enough resources to take care of them.

The importance of getting pet cats spayed and neutered should be prioritized again upon learning how old female cats can be to get pregnant. Female cats can be impregnated as young as four months old – which is alarming. A four-month-old kitten only weighs about 4.5 pounds. They certainly shouldn't be placed in positions to carry pregnancies term. Still, this has happened in the past.

A cat named Stubbs was elected as the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska. Stubbs maintained his position from July 18, 1997, until he died in 2017. Although Stubbs didn't have any real authoritative power, the residents of Talkeetna supported the scenario because they found it incredibly endearing. Although Talkeetna is a small town with only about 2,000 residents, Stubbs' position was enough to attract tourist attention.

Are you curious to know how a massive theme park like Disneyland stays rodent-free? The answer is cats. About 200 feral cats roam through Disneyland daily to ensure the theme park remains void of rats and mice. The cats who handle this job are given food and medical care when needed. It's been reported that Disneyland cats are a better pest control team than human exterminators.

The wealthiest feline to ever live was a cat named Blackie. When Blackie's millionaire owner died in 1988, he left 7,000,000 pounds behind for Blackie to inherit. That translates to approximately nine million American dollars. Blackie's owner, Ben Rea, was an antiques dealer with a family of his own. Instead of leaving his family members anything behind, Rea wanted Blackie to inherit everything.

When you think of cats, their speed probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But cats can be super fast when they run. They might never be as fast as other felines like leopards, cheetahs, or jaguars, but they're still speedy. House cats are capable of reaching speeds up to 30 miles per hour. Since they're so quick on their feet, cats can even beat the world's fastest man, Olympic superstar Usain Bolt, in the 200-meter dash.

Astronauts aren't the only living creatures to venture off into space. Back in 1963, a cat named Felicette took a trip to outer space as well. She was launched into the sky on October 18th of that year as part of the French Space Program. Out of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight, she was the one chosen for launch. Felicette made it safely back down to earth, but scientists chose to euthanize her a couple of months later so they could analyze what the trip did to her brain.

Experiencing vivid dreams at night isn't something solely reserved for human beings. It's something cats are capable of as well. Cats use dreaming as a way to mentally process the events that unfold throughout their day. Sometimes, they dream about what their next meal will be while other times they relive playful moments they experienced with their owners while they were awake.

The oldest cat to ever live (on record) was named Creme Puff. She died at 38 years old after making it into the 2010 edition of the "Guinness World Records." Creme Puff was born in 1967 but didn't die until 2005. Her owner, Jake Perry, said she consumed a diet full of broccoli, eggs, and bacon. Occasionally, he also served her coffee, cream, and eyedroppers full of red wine.

A cat can notice a woman's pregnancy before early signs or symptoms. Cats can detect bodily changes typically associated with pregnancy, which means their attitudes and behaviors around pregnant women can adapt. This is possible because cats have such strong senses of hearing and smell. Click here to uncover the states with the most cats as pets.