Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!

Since I'm currently working on an illustrated book series for (very) young readers whose principal hero is a kitten, my interest was peaked by the following article on cat facts. Here are a few I thought I'd share with you:

• A group of cats is called a clowder or also a clutter. (I really like the second one.)
• In tigers and tabbies, the middle of the tongue is covered in backward-pointing spines, used for breaking off and gripping meat. (I suppose this means tabbies are part tiger?)

• Cats can literally taste-sense the air...
• ...but they can't taste anything sweet.
• The frequency of a domestic cat's purr is the same at which muscles and bones repair themselves. (Is this for real?)
• Adult cats only meow to communicate with humans. They can even change their meowing to manipulate humans (sounding for example like a baby when they're hungry or scared).

• Cats are often lactose intolerant. 
• Bezoar =  scientific term for cat hairball. (I'm sure Harry Potter fans knew this already.)
• A cat's brain is more similar to that of a human than a dog's.
• Female cats are typically right-pawed while males are left-pawed.
• A cat has five toes on his front paws, and only four on his back paws, unless he's a polydactyl (in which case he'd have five toes on his back paws too).
• When cats leave their poop uncovered it's a sign of aggression (aka they don't fear you and contest your territory).
• Cats use their whiskers to test whether they will fit in a certain space. (Like a tiny, weeny box.)

• Cats' noses are ridged uniquely, like humans' fingerprints.
• If a cat rubs on you, it's cause he's marking you as his territory...
• ...while they lick themselves to get your scent off. (Hey, you're their slave, hooman!)

Pretty interesting, eh?