101 facts about dogs & cats

1. Dogs don’t sweat hence why they pant, their only sweat glands are between their paw pads.

2. Like us humans, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age
3. Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures
4. Basset Hounds cannot swim
5. The fastest dogs on earth are greyhounds with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour
6. When the Titanic sank, 3 dogs survived – a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese
7. Obesity is the No1 health problem among dogs
8. A dog’s nose print is as unique as a human finger print
9. 70% of people sign their pet’s name on greeting and holiday cards
10. The oldest known dog breed is likely the Saluki – originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
11. The basenji which is an African wolf dog is the only dog in the world that cannot bark
12. There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs
13. The 3 world’s smartest dogs are thought to be: the border collie, the poodle, and the golden retriever
14. Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape
15. Human chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill
16. Dogs sleep up to 14 hrs a day
17. Do dogs dream? – Yes they do, hence the twitchy feet and noises made
18. All dogs regardless of their breed have 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth
19. The Wizard of Oz’s Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry
20. A dog’s sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than ours, we can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
21. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white and develop their spots as they grow
22. Our hearts beat at approx 80 times per min where as a dogs beats at 120 per min
23. Dogs live on average for 15 years
24. Dogs are pack animals, they are naturally submissive to either us or another dog with higher pack status. Dogs instinctively require the pack leader’s approval (that should be you as the owner)
25. Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don’t make good pets
26. It is not until 12 days after a puppy is born that their eyes open, it’s not until a month later their vision is complete
27. Many owners treat their dogs as if they were children when the truth is that dogs are a completely different species and should be treated as a dog
28. All dogs have a strong need to be around others whether it’s with us or other animals. If they are isolated from social contact, their behaviour changes in search of attention from the owner, or trying to escape etc.
29. Their sense of smell is about 37 times stronger than ours
30. Dogs use special signals to show they want to play. When inviting others to play, a dog is down on its forelimbs, remains standing on its hind limbs and may wag its tail or bark. This behaviour is called the ‘play bow’
31. There are 8 million cats, in over 5.2 million households and 8 million dogs, in over 6 million households
32. Dogs that are well trained learn to adjust their behaviour in order to be accepted by other dogs
33. The Irish Wolfhound is the largest dog
34. The Great Dane is the tallest dog
35. The Chihuahua is the smallest dog
36. The St. Bernard is the heaviest dog
37. The Worlds oldest dog was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey who lived to the age of 29 years and 5 months!
38. Prairie dogs are in fact a type of rodent and not dogs
39. The Poodle's "haircut" was to improve their swimming abilities. The pom-poms were left to keep their joints warm!
40. The Chow Chow dog has a black tongue
41. Dogs have a visual range of 250 degrees compared to the our range of 180 degrees
42. A dog can hear sounds approx 250 yards away & that most people can’t hear beyond 25 yards
43. Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears than humans
44. The average dog's mouth exerts 150 to 180 llb’s of pressure per square inch. However, Some dogs can apply up to 450 llbs
45. A puppy at the age of 3 weeks will develop its sense of smell
46. Adult teeth in a puppy start to come through between 4 and 8 months when it starts to chew everything! Try a cold raw carrot to sooth their gums.
47. Surprisingly some dogs reach sexual maturity at the age of eight months
48. A puppy is considered adult at the age of 1. At this age it is as physically as mature as a 15 year-old human
49. How old is your dog? This varies depending on the size and maturity of the dog. Up to the age of 5 in human yrs small, med & large dogs are 36yrs, this is where it changes. 
50. The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like human finger prints.
51. There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.
52. A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.
53. 25% of cat owners blow dry their cats after a bath.
54. The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Males weighing in at between twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds.
55. The smallest cat breed is the Singapura. Males weighing a mear six pounds while females weigh about four pounds.
56. If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you, however, If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to step back!
57. Don't pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck; only its mum can do this safely, and only with their kittens.
58. Cats knead with their paws when they're happy.
59. Your cat loves you and can "read" your moods.  If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat's behaviour. This also goes for dogs as well.
60. The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. Wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
61. The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian cat in South Africa named Bluebell. Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!
62. Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles
63. Cats have five more vertebrae in their spinal column than we do.
64. The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, she died in 1939 just a day after her 36th birthday.
65. Strangely a female cat called Mincho went up a tree in Argentina and didn't come down again until she died six years later.  Whilst up the tree, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.
66. There are three body types for a cat. 
    1. Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head.  The eyes are large and round. 
    2. Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head.
    3. Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
67. Sir Isaac Newton not only discovered the principles of gravity but also invented the cat door.
68. How old is your cat? If your cat is 3, it is 21 in human years.  If your cat is 8, it is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, it is 70 in human years.
69. The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
70. People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
71. Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage. Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat!  But be careful many plants can be toxic
72. A cat will kill it's prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognise that prey as food. Realizing prey is food is a learned behaviour
73. A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.
74. "Sociable" cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.
75. Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.
76. If your cat loves to climb the Christmas tree try hanging an orange or lemon scented air freshener in the inner branches.
77. Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats!  And be mindful of your tone of voice. They know when you're yelling at them  even though they may not care.
78. The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.
79. It is thought that a white cat sitting on your doorstep just before your wedding is a sign of lasting happiness.  However as the myth goes black cats are a sign of bad luck.
80. Cats do see in colour!
81. They are partially colour blind. They have the equivalency of human red/green colour blindness. (Reds appear green and greens appear red; or shades thereof.)
82. They can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.
83. Their night vision is amazing! Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see. 
84. At birth, kittens can't see or hear. They open their eyes after five days and begin to develop their eyesight and hearing at about 2 weeks. They begin to walk at about 20 days.
85. They can pivot their ears 180 degrees. They have 30 muscles in each ear, and use twelve or more muscles to control their ear movement.
86. Have you ever tried to feed your cat food that was just taken out of the fridge? Most prefer their food at room temperature, and will turn down any food that is too cold or too hot. Your cat is not being fussy!
87. Give your cat fresh water at least once a day. Should it refuses the tap water, it may be sensing (with it's superior sense of smell) chlorine or other minerals in the water.  Try bottled water or even clean rain water.
88. Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. Spending 16 hours of each day sleeping.
89. If you can't feel your cat's ribs, they need to lose some weight!
90. Your cat is probably either a "righty" or a "lefty." Only 40% of cats are ambidextrous.
91. Cats are more aggressive when they are not neutered or spayed.
92. A cat that bites you after you have rubbed its stomach, is probably biting out of pleasure, not anger
93. It is said that a cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather is coming
94. Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat
95. The fumes from moth balls destroy a cat's liver cells. Use cedar in your wardrobe instead
96. Cats can detect higher frequencies of sound than dogs or humans
97. Cats have a top speed of about 30 mp/h (48.28 km/h).
98. Cat's urine glows under a black light
99. Kittens should not have dry food until they are older than two months
100. Cats will bury their faeces to cover their trails from predators
101. Cats shouldn't eat human chocolate or grapes