It's not just cats but also dogs among the most popular pets - which have lived together with humans for about 30,000 years already!
And while we spend so much time with our friends on four paws, we still don't know everything about them. Time to fill a few of these knowledge gaps!
Did you know that...
... both a dog and a cat have been elected mayors before? In Talkeetna, Alaska, a cat lived 15 years in office and in the small town of Cormorant, Minnesota, a dog was elected three times in a row.
... although there are an estimated 500 million dogs on our planet, at least in Germany the cat proves to be most popular? There alone lives an estimated amount of over 12.5 million kitties - which is about 5 million more cats than dogs!
... dogs can understand up to 250 different gestures and words and can even count to 5? Hence, they are about as smart as a 2-year-old child!
... cats spend up to 16 hours a day sleeping? That's 70% of their lives! Another 6 hours a day, they spent on personal hygiene.
... the length of a dog's snout is an indication of how well he can smell? On average, dogs have about 250 million olfactory cells, while humans have only 10-30 million. As a result, a dog can even smell changes in the human body and thus, can detect diseases such as cancer early!
... the cat's meow is reserved only for humans? They use it almost exclusively for communication with us. Scientists discovered that their high-frequency meowing matches the pitch of the screaming of a hungry human baby.
By the way, according to surveys, 50% of all pet owners would rather be stranded on a deserted island with their animal companion than with another human being. The only questions that remains - who will be the mayor of that island?
