MYSTERIOUS: Silly cats catbraincell - You Need To See This

On paper, a cat's physical abilities and senses absolutely blow us, humans, out of the water. They need just one-sixth of the light we need to see in the dark and can blink without really affecting their vision due to a specific feature called a nictitating membrane, which might be worth remembering, it could come up during a trivia contest at any point.

Setting aside sight, cats can hear a wide range of sounds, more than humans or even dogs. They need to be able to hear ultrasonic sounds as rodents use them to communicate. Domestic cats, particularly house cats, can create mental images of where their owners are just based on sound alone, hence why it can be hard to sneak up on them. 

There are certain myths people maintain about cats. The first is that they are solitary animals. While they do enjoy personal space and alone time, many variants of cats are quite social, most famously, lions, who live in packs. Cats will live in colonies, although they tend to be organized around females and their children. This part is vital to kittens learning, as they tend to figure out hunting and survival from watching their mothers. 

The other counterpoint to “cats are loners” is the fact that many of them happily live with us. While they are rarely as active and social as dogs, cats do enjoy people. Similar to hunting, kittens will learn to be ok with being pet and “talked to” by seeing their mother do the same. While cat colonies are not nearly as “established” as a lion’s pride, there are certain roles the animals will take. Male cats, while somewhat absent as fathers, will break up fights among bickering females. 

There is evidence to suggest that cats do understand pointing and can even follow our gaze, although, in typical cat behavior, they will understand something only when it’s particularly valuable to them. After spending some time with a person, they will also learn their facial expressions, tones of voice, and even their own name and the names of other animals. 

Even friendly cats are ok being left alone for long periods, probably why they are very popular pets in urban areas. It’s worth adding that they do bring a host of benefits to their owners, from lowered chances of a heart attack to less psychological stress. As ridiculous as the behavior visible here really is, let’s face it, most of us find it pretty endearing when cats are just being weird little guys. 

What makes them somewhat weird, beyond the antics seen here, is the fact that cats do enjoy having their own territory, free of humans or other cats, but will put up with “intrusions” because they get bored too easily. Over long periods of time, solitary cats can even “forget” how to communicate with other cats, which would probably make for a great cat sitcom if we could understand what they were talking about. 

They also have a number of physical attributes that are often downright funny. Cats, or so the saying goes, always land on their feet. This is almost true, they almost always land on their feet, or at least try to, but not even millions of years of cat genetics allow them to predict every outcome. More comically, cats will also just freeze and go limp when they are grabbed by the scruff of their neck. Ostensibly so the mother can carry the kittens with ease, humans can also exploit this “loophole.” 

And as much as you might think your cat loves you, always remember to feed them, since cat bonding is formed through feeding. So in a sense, they do love you, as long as you can provide. While this may sound a bit mercenary, the flip side is that this allows people to perhaps bond with wild cats or newly adopted cats, simply by placing food near them on a regular basis. Kinda like dating. 

Famously, cats are also very sleepy little guys and will spend a good half to three-quarters of the day napping, particularly if we feed them. A cat in the wild, naturally, needs to hunt so will spend more time awake. Their preferred time to hunt is during the twilight period, which may explain why your house cat suddenly flies off the chain in the middle of the night with no explanation. 

Cat owners might also be familiar with “making biscuits” or “kneading,” when the feline massages a surface with its paws. There does not appear to be a good explanation for this behavior, just that many cats learn it as kittens and seem to retain it into adulthood. Regardless, cat content, from ancient Egypt to memes, has been popular for a reason, so if you would want to see more, Bored Panda has got you covered, you can find our other articles on this topic here.