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15 Weird Cat Facts That Finally Explain Why Your Cat Is Like That

Your cat isn't broken. It's just a cat.

By the Buzzuh TeamNovember 1, 2026

Cats share our homes, our couches and occasionally our dinner plates, but they're still a little bit of a mystery. Here are 15 real cat facts that explain a lot about the tiny weirdo in your house.

1.Cats can't taste sweet things

Cats are missing a working version of the gene for one of the sweet-taste receptors, so sugar basically doesn't register. If your cat is going after your ice cream, it's probably the fat, not the sugar.

2.They have a secret third eyelid

Cats have a thin membrane in the inner corner of each eye that can slide across to protect and moisten it. You'll sometimes spot it when your cat is very sleepy.

3.Adult cats mostly meow for humans

Kittens meow at their moms, but grown cats rarely meow at each other. They mainly save it for us. Yes, that 5 a.m. yowl is a message for you specifically.

4.A group of kittens is called a kindle

It's also called a litter, but "a kindle of kittens" is way cuter, and we will be using it from now on.

5.They really do sleep most of the day

Cats typically sleep somewhere around 12 to 16 hours a day, and sometimes even more. They're most active around dawn and dusk, which explains the zoomies right when you're trying to sleep.

6.A slow blink is basically a cat smile

In a 2020 study, researchers found that cats were more likely to slow-blink back at people who slow-blinked at them, and to approach them afterward. Try it: blink slowly at your cat and see what happens.

7.That "gross face" is actually smelling

When a cat sniffs something, then freezes with its mouth slightly open, it's doing the flehmen response. It's pulling scents into a special organ in the roof of its mouth to get extra information. It's not disgusted. Probably.

8.Ancient Egyptians mourned their cats in a big way

The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that when a family cat died in ancient Egypt, the people of the house shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. Many cats were also mummified.

9.Cats can jump up to about six times their own height

Thanks to powerful back legs, a healthy cat can leap up to roughly five or six times its own height. So no, the top of the fridge is not "out of reach."

10.Most orange cats are boys

The gene for orange fur is carried on the X chromosome, which makes orange coloring much more common in males. Estimates suggest roughly 80% of orange cats are male.

11.Calico cats are almost always girls

That same X-chromosome gene is why calico and tortoiseshell cats are nearly always female. Male calicos do exist, but they're very rare.

12.They sweat through their paws

Cats have sweat glands mainly in their paw pads. That's why a nervous cat at the vet can leave damp little paw prints on the exam table.

13.Their hearing beats a dog's

Cats can hear much higher-pitched sounds than dogs or people can. That's handy for hearing mice squeak, and also for hearing a treat bag open from three rooms away.

14.A cat has been to space

In October 1963, France launched a cat named Félicette on a short rocket flight about 100 miles up, past the boundary of space. She landed safely, making her the first cat in space and the only one known to have survived the trip.

15.Grooming is basically their full-time job

Cats can spend a big chunk of their waking hours grooming themselves, by some estimates around a third to half of it. It keeps them clean, cool and calm. It also explains the hairballs.

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