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Cats are happy when they get to snuggle inside empty boxes.

According to research, cats that are provided with empty boxes are more friendly, comfortable, and interactive with the people around them as compared to those cats that did not have a box to play or snuggle in. So, it was proved that cats derive security and comfort from boxes. (source)

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As a throwback to their wild ancestors, cats circle around before bedding down.

Cats always circle around before bedding down because of an ancestral trait. The survival instincts of wild cats provoked them to position themselves in the direction of the wind to pick up scents and smells of their predators and also to choose the best angle to keep an eye on the environment while sleeping. (source)

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Cats are known as both an invasive species and superpredators.

Cats have an ability to rapidly wipe out entire species of small fauna, which is only surpassed by humans. In Australia, hunting cats have helped to drive at least 20 mammals to extinction. These include the Key Largo woodcat, Otago skink, numbat, and others. (source)

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Cats are thought to be primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 species of birds.

Every year in the United States, cats kill over one billion birds. Cats are a threat to the already declining least tern and wood thrush. They have caused the extinction of many other bird species, including orange-bellied parrots, lakapo, and others. (source)

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Cats have an unusual trait of bringing home dead mice and presenting them to their owners.

When cats bring back dead animals to their human owners, they are actually teaching humans (their surrogate family) how to catch and eat prey, just as they would teach their young ones in the wild. (source)

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Cat bites can be incredibly dangerous, causing severe infection.

Cats have very sharp and narrow teeth. If a cat bites you, the resulting wound may heal from the surface of the skin, but pathogenic bacteria are driven deep into the skin’s surface, leading to severe infections. (1, 2)

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Cats love humans the way dogs do but don’t display their affections often.

A study regarding the behavior of cats and dogs towards their owners has revealed that cats and dogs both have the same emotional bonding with humans, although dogs display their feelings quite openly. Cats look upon humans as a source of comfort and security. Just as two different humans have different ways of revealing their feelings for someone, cats show their affection in a more subtle way when compared to dogs. (source)

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Cats are attracted to eating spider plant foliage.

Spider plant foliage is mildly hallucinogenic to cats. According to the ASPCA, these plants are non-toxic and contain certain chemicals that are somewhat related to opium. (source)

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Cats do not only rub their heads against you to show their affection but also to mark their territory.

Cats use scent glands present around their face to mark their territory on you. These glands are also present at the base of their nails and paws. (source)

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Cats only meow when they want to communicate with humans.

Of the 100 types of sounds a cat makes, the meowing sound is only used when they want to communicate with humans. They have other types of sounds for their own kind. (source)

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Some cats go after fruits, like melons, because of the released amino acids that smell like meat to them.

The nose receptors in cats detect the smells of fruits like melons and send messages to the brains that meat is nearby. So, they go after these fruits. (source)

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Cats spend one-third of their lives cleaning themselves.

Cats spend one-third of their lives cleaning themselves.  By licking their fur coat, they remove the debris and help regulate their body temperature. By licking itself, a cat evenly distributes the natural oils around its coat. (1, 2)

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There is a specific breed of dwarf cats with very short legs, called “Munchkins cats.”

The Munchkin cat, or the sausage cat, has very short legs caused by a genetic mutation. This breed was officially introduced in 1991 and is still young. Scientists are still trying to figure out what causes the mutation. (source)

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Between 65-85% of all white cats born with two blue eyes are deaf.

The reason for deafness is that these cats are affected by congenital hereditary deafness that affects one or both ears. The deafness is linked to the W-gene. If a cat is born with just one blue eye, only the hearing on that side is impaired. (1, 2)

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Almost all calico cats are female.

There is a specific DNA pattern that is specific to all calico cats. The gene for coat color is on the female(X) chromosome. And, to get a Calico coat, the cat must have an orange gene from one parent and a black gene from the other, resulting in both XX females. A male calico cat is also born sometimes with the genes XXY, but such a cat is sterile. (source)