30 Fun Facts About Cats for Kids and Cat Lovers

Cats are small hunters that moved into our homes thousands of years ago and never left. They purr, pounce, nap in sunbeams and sometimes ignore us on purpose. Here are 30 fun facts about cats, grouped so you can read a few at a time or use them for a classroom talk.

When you finish, print a few pets and wild cats from our animal coloring pages or pick a sleepy kitten from the cute coloring pages.

Cat bodies

1. Cats walk on their toes. Their heels are higher up the leg, which is why the "backward knee" on a cat's back leg is really its ankle.
2. A cat has 18 toes. Most have five on each front paw and four on each back paw.
3. Cat claws pull back in. Their claws stay tucked inside the paw most of the time, which keeps them sharp for climbing and hunting.
4. Whiskers are sensors. They help a cat feel air movement and judge whether a gap is wide enough to squeeze through.
5. A cat's ears can swivel. Each ear has many small muscles, so cats can point their ears toward different sounds without moving their heads.
6. Cats have a flexible spine. That is why they can curl up into a ball and twist in the air.
7. A cat's nose is like a fingerprint. The pattern of bumps and ridges on each nose is different.

Super senses

8. Cats see well in dim light. Their eyes need much less light than ours do, which suits an animal that hunts at dawn and dusk.
9. Their eyes seem to glow. A mirror-like layer at the back of the eye bounces light back, so cat eyes shine in car headlights.
10. Cats hear very high sounds. They can pick up squeaks that people can't hear at all, which helps them find mice.
11. Cats have a strong sense of smell. They also have a special scent organ in the roof of the mouth, which is why a cat sometimes makes a funny open-mouthed face after sniffing something.
12. Cats can't taste sweet things. Scientists think they simply don't have the taste receptor for it.

Moving and sleeping

13. Cats sleep a lot. Many adult cats nap for about 12 to 16 hours a day, and kittens and older cats often sleep even more.
14. Most cats are crepuscular. That means they are most active around dawn and dusk.
15. Cats can usually land on their feet. Cats have a "righting reflex" that helps them twist in mid-air. It isn't magic, and cats can still get hurt in a fall.
16. Cats are great jumpers. A healthy cat can leap several times its own height from a standing start.
17. They can run fast for a short time. A house cat can sprint at around 30 miles per hour (about 48 km/h) in a short burst.
18. Cats knead with their paws. Kittens push on their mother to get milk, and many grown cats keep the habit when they feel happy and safe.

Talking cat

19. Purring usually means "I'm content." Cats also sometimes purr when they are nervous or not feeling well, so look at the rest of the body too.
20. Adult cats meow mostly for people. Cats seem to use meows to talk to humans more than to other cats.
21. A tail held straight up is a friendly hello. A puffed-up tail means a cat is frightened or very excited.
22. A slow blink is a kind message. If a cat looks at you and slowly closes its eyes, you can try a slow blink back.
23. Head bumps and cheek rubs leave scent. Cats have scent glands on their cheeks, so rubbing on you or the furniture marks things as familiar.

Cat families

24. Baby cats are called kittens. A group of kittens born together is a litter, and a litter often has about three to six kittens.
25. Kittens are born with their eyes closed. They open them after about a week or two, and the eyes start out blue before settling into their grown-up color.
26. A group of cats is sometimes called a clowder. It is a fun word to use at the dinner table.
27. Cats were domesticated a very long time ago. People have lived with cats for roughly 10,000 years, starting when wild cats came to farms to hunt mice.

Big cats and house cats

28. House cats are relatives of lions and tigers. All cats share a lot of body language, like stalking and pouncing.
29. Big cats roar, but most small cats purr. The way their throats are built is a little different.
30. Many pet cats live 12 to 18 years. Indoor cats usually live longer than cats that spend all their time outside.

Cat coloring ideas

• Tabbies, calicos, black cats and tuxedo cats are great practice for patterns. Try short, curved pencil strokes to show fur, and see our coloring techniques for more shading ideas.
• Use gray and brown for a tabby. If you want a warm orange cat, our guide to what colors make orange shows how to mix it.
• Make a custom page of your own cat with the photo to coloring page tool.