Animal Facts

Discover interesting and fun facts about cats, dogs, and other animals. Learn fascinating information about our furry friends.

Dec 14, 2025

In Holland’s embassy in Moscow, Russia, the staff noticed that the two Siamese cats kept meowing and clawing at the walls of the building. Their owners finally investigated, thinking they would find mice. Instead, they discovered microphones hidden by Russian spies. The cats heard the microphones when they turned on.

Dec 14, 2025

You check your cats pulse on the inside of the back thigh, where the leg joins to the body. Normal for cats: 110-170 beats per minute.

Dec 14, 2025

A cat's normal temperature varies around 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dec 14, 2025

There are approximately 100 breeds of cat.

Dec 14, 2025

The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) recognizes 44 breeds of cats.

Dec 14, 2025

The average cat food meal is the equivalent to about five mice.

Dec 14, 2025

The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Male Ragdolls weigh between 12 and 20 lbs (5.4-9.0 k). Females weigh between 10 and 15 lbs (4.5-6.8 k).

Dec 14, 2025

The average litter of kittens is between 2 - 6 kittens.

Dec 14, 2025

A happy cat holds her tail high and steady.

Dec 14, 2025

Tabby cats are thought to get their name from Attab, a district in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq.

Dec 14, 2025

The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.

Dec 14, 2025

If a cat is frightened, the hair stands up fairly evenly all over the body; when the cat is threatened or is ready to attack, the hair stands up only in a narrow band along the spine and tail.

Dec 14, 2025

Cats are now Britain's favourite pet: there are 7.7 million cats as opposed to 6.6 million dogs.

Dec 14, 2025

Your cat's heart beats at a rate almost double that of yours, from 110-140 beats per minute.

Dec 14, 2025

Polydactyl cats (a cat with 1-2 extra toes on their paws) have this as a result of a genetic mutation. These cats are also referred to as 'Hemingway cats' because writer Ernest Hemingway reportedly owned dozens of them at his home in Key West, Florida.

Dec 22, 2025

Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans.

Dec 22, 2025

Eighty-seven percent of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.

Dec 22, 2025

The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in seventeenth-century England. During heavy rainstorms, many homeless animals would drown and float down the streets, giving the appearance that it had actually rained cats and dogs.

Dec 22, 2025

Greyhounds appear to be the most ancient dog breed. "Greyhound" comes from a mistake in translating the early German name Greishund, which means "old (or ancient) dog," not from the color gray.

Dec 22, 2025

The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.

Dec 22, 2025

Many foot disorders in dogs are simply an issue of too-long toenails.

Dec 22, 2025

No, it’s not just to make themselves look adorable. Dogs curl up in a ball when they sleep due to an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and protect their abdomen and vital organs from predators.

Dec 22, 2025

According to a study shared by Cornell University, dogs were domesticated between 9,000 and 34,000 years ago.

Dec 22, 2025

There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs.

Dec 22, 2025

Dogs curl up to keep themselves warm and protect vital organs.

Dec 22, 2025

The grief suffered after a pet dog dies can be the same as that experienced after the death of a person.

Dec 22, 2025

The most popular breed of dog in the US is the Labrador Retriever.

Dec 22, 2025

Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations. The average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child.

Dec 22, 2025

Dogs have three eyelids, including one to keep their eyes moist and protected.

Dec 22, 2025

All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis which dwelled in trees and dens. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus, a direct forbear of the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and jackal as well as the dog.

General Animal Facts

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Fish Dec 22, 2025

A jellyfish is 95 percent water!

Lion Dec 22, 2025

There are a million ants for every person on Earth.

Bear Dec 22, 2025

A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white.

Animal Dec 22, 2025

In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated.

Lion Dec 21, 2025

15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second.

Elephant Dec 21, 2025

The sperm of a mouse is actually longer than the sperm of an elephant.

Snake Dec 21, 2025

More people are killed each year from bees than from snakes.

Tiger Dec 21, 2025

Tigers not only have striped fur, they have striped skin!

Tiger Dec 21, 2025

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.