Crazy Pet Tales

The Fascinating World of Pets: Bizarre Facts and Statistics

Some of the facts surrounding our pets are simply astonishing, entertaining, and downright strange. Here’s a compilation of the most bizarre statistics, facts, and intriguing things about our common pets.

1) Cats and Their Love for Naps

Cats spend around two-thirds of their day sleeping, which means that a nine-year-old cat has only really been awake for three years! Zzzzzzzzz

2) Dogs Experience Jealousy

Did you know that dogs can suffer from jealousy? According to scientists in California, dogs often feel emotions of jealousy, although they are incapable of feeling guilt.

3) Horses’ Exceptional Eyesight

Horses have great eyesight thanks to their big eyes. With a diameter of around five centimeters, they have the largest eyes of any land mammal, nine times bigger than ours.

4) Chicken Earlobes Determine Egg Color

A chicken with red earlobes will produce brown eggs, while a chicken with white earlobes will produce white eggs.

5) Quirky Collective Nouns for Cats

A group of cats is called a ‘clowder’ or ‘glaring.’ In the wild, it’s a ‘dowt’ and ‘destruction.’ A male cat, when neutered, is known as a ‘gib,’ and when intact, a ‘tomcat.’ A female neutered or immature cat is called a ‘molly,’ and a female intact cat is a ‘queen.’

6) Dogs Can See Color

Myth Breaker Alert: Dogs CAN see in color! While it’s a common misconception that dogs can only see in black and white, the colors they perceive are limited. Dogs cannot distinguish between red and green and can only see on the blue and yellow scale, similar to how we see at dusk. They also have superior night vision compared to us.

7) Cats in Space

A French cat named Felicette, AKA ‘Astrocat,’ was the first cat in space in 1963. She traveled with electrodes implanted in her brain, sending signals back to scientists for study. Fortunately, Astrocat survived the trip!

8) Horses Have Exceptional Memories

Studies have revealed that horses not only understand words but also have memories as good as an elephant’s. They can remember all their owners and places they have been throughout their lives.

9) Chickens: Relatives of the Tyrannosaurus Rex

The humble chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

10) Unique Nose Prints in Dogs

A dog’s nose print is as unique as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify them.

11) Prolific Puppies

If a male and female dog were left intact and not neutered, they could produce upwards of 66,000 puppies in six years! That’s a lot of unwanted dogs.

12) Cats’ Survival Instinct

Cats have survived falls from over 32 stories high!

13) Musical Birds

The majority of bird owners admit to leaving the radio on for their pets before leaving the house.

14) Dogs Release ‘Love’ Hormone

Your pooch does love you! Professor Paul Zak from the University of California noticed that a dog will release oxytocin, also known as the ‘love’ hormone, when interacting with humans and other dogs it is fond of.

15) Canaries as Gas Detectors

Coal miners often use canaries to detect poisonous levels of carbon monoxide gas. If the canary passes out, they know they are in danger and evacuate the mine.

16) Dogs as Life-Savers

Dogs can be trained to do all sorts of wonderful things, including detecting epileptic seizures.

17) Speedy Greyhounds

Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth and can reach speeds of a whopping 70 kilometers per hour!

A BIT ABOUT THE BLOGGER:

Nadia Crighton is a well-known and accomplished Australian Journalist and pet magazine Editor. As a busy mum of four humans, two dogs, 50 sheep, three cats, a handful of chickens and a goat named Billy, she simply adores animals and pets.

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