Colossal Questions.
Are black cats really bad luck?
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All the way back in ancient Egypt, cats of all colors
were actually quite well-respected.
Cats were so loved that killing them
could mean a death penalty.
Unfortunately for our jet black feline friends, as time passed,
their special status wouldn't last.
When Christianity spread through Europe,
old religious symbols like Roman gods and Egyptian cats
came to be seen as bad omens.
This deep-seated fear of black cats
reached its peak in 1233 when the Pope
threw some serious shade at black cats,
declaring them the devil on Earth in cat form.
Eager, ill-informed Christians took the pope's words
and literally ran with them.
They started rounding up cats all across Europe
and burning them alive.
This totally terrifying, totally cruel punishment
for our feline friends even led to almost complete extinction
of cats in some parts of Europe at the time.
But people still weren't done badmouthing black cats just
yet.
Over time, the decree that black cats were devils
naturally led people to connect them
with another medieval myth, which is--
that's right-- many people in the Middle Ages
believed that black cats were witches in disguise.
Having a black cat across your path from left to right
was seen as an extra bad omen.
By the time of the famous Salem witch trials of 1692,
just owning a black cat was enough to get you credibly
accused of being a witch.
The fear that black cats are bad luck
might just sound like an interesting piece of history,
but it still affects them to this day.
According to research, it takes about four to six days longer
on average for a black cat to get
adopted from a shelter than any other breed.
So are black cats bad luck?
No, they aren't.
But I think it's fair to say that black cats definitely
have bad luck.
Why do cats hate water?
Despite how it might seem, not all cats hate water.
Some house cats have been known to hop in the shower
or swim in the family pool, but it's true
that most cats try to avoid water at all costs.
There's a few basic reasons why cats act that way.
To start, cats have never quite adapted to the water.
Ancient cats managed to catch fish
from the edge of a lake or river without needing to dive in
or swim.
And just like their ancient ancestors,
domesticated cats today tend to avoid going for a dip too.
But it's not just that.
Unlike dogs, cats do not like to get their fur wet.
For starters, cats get very cold and heavy when they're wet.
That's because they are constantly grooming themselves.
All that endless licking leaves their coat lighter, softer,
and fluffier than a dog's but also
makes it a lot less waterproof as a result.
When their thick fur gets matted down and heavy, it
makes it hard for them to move around
with those trademark cat-like reflexes.
So you can see why they try to avoid water altogether.
OK, so that's why most cats avoid water,
but there is one question still lingering.
If cats avoid water at all costs, how do they stay clean?
Cats keep themselves clean with all that nonstop licking.
That's right.
Cats don't just lick to keep their coat nice and soft
but to stay clean too.
But always remember that method works for cats, not humans.
So just take a shower.
Don't try licking yourself clean.
Why do cats love catnip?
Nepeta cataria or catnip is a fairly common plant
that grows in the wild most places around the world.
They grow about two to three feet tall
and look a lot like a large mint plant
with colorful, fragrant flowers.
Catnip's also known as catwort or catmint
and got its name because, well, about 80% of felines love it
and not just our house cats.
Leopards, cougars, lynxes, and even sometimes lions and tigers
can react to catnip in the wild much the same way
our furry friends do at home.
While the wild blend can be plenty strong,
most of the catnip our pets play with today
has been ground up, dried, and stuffed
into a toy that gives them their fix without making a mess.
OK, so that's what catnip is, but how does it work?
Why do cats love to play with this particular plant so much?
Well, it all has to do with a unique kind of oil
inside the leaves and stem.
It's called nepetalactone, and it has the unique ability
to mimic a cat pheromone.
Pheromones are chemical scents that
attract us to other animals of the same species.
That means when a cat starts sniffing catnip oils,
it triggers a chemical reaction in their brain that
makes them act weird, which can be pretty fun
for the cat and their human.
The effects of catnip can be strong enough
that some cats even hallucinate.
Others just feel a sense of euphoria or immense happiness.
So yeah, not too bad.
The effects of catnip only lasts for a few minutes
before the bliss wears off, and cats
get bored of the frisky flower and its sweet scent.
It usually takes a few hours for a cat to come back down
and reset to where they're ready for another round of nip.
But more recent studies have shown that catnip isn't just
a feel-good flower.
It works like a bug repellent, keeping mosquitoes,
flies, termites, and roaches away.
In fact, the oils from the catnip plant
are about 10 times more effective than our bug spray.
The problem is it stops working the moment it touches our skin.
Bummer.
Either way, the catnip plant seems
to keep revealing new ways it was tailor made to give cats
exactly what they need.
So next time your cat is splayed out
on its back conked out with a big smile and a bag of catnip
by its side, just know it's as nature intended.
Why do we eat pigs but not cats?
Right out of the gate, the answer might seem obvious.
Dogs and cats are smart and cuddly pets
while pigs and cows are, well, pigs and cows.
Unfortunately, it's a little more complicated than that.
Pigs might roll around in the mud,
but they actually outsmart dogs.
Cows are also smart animals who have long-term memories,
develop friendships, and even mourn the death of a loved one.
So if intelligence doesn't determine which animals we eat,
what does?
Why do we love some animals and eat others?
To answer that, we have to travel back about 15,000 years
to the beginning of humanity itself.
For as long as humans have existed,
we've counted on other creatures for survival.
For example, pigs were raised as food
because they easily adapt to most environments,
eat almost anything, and have plenty of meat on their bones.
But other animals like dogs, cats, and horses
were useful for more than just their meat.
Dogs and horses helped humans hunt bigger, meatier animals,
and cats kept mice away from food supplies.
So over thousands of years, cultures around the world
began treating animals differently
depending on how they used them.
This led most cultures to fit all animals
into three artificial categories-- wild animals, farm
animals, and pets.
Which category an animal fits into
depends on what that culture uses the animal for.
So how we view different animals has a lot
to do with our culture and circumstance.
If you live in part of the world where cows are sacred,
or dogs are man's best friend, you'd
never think of eating them.
And since most people don't keep pigs, cows, or chickens
as household pets in the US, it can
be easy to ignore where or what your food is coming from.
So if you're a vegan, a carnivore, or anything
in between, you can dive into dinner tonight
knowing why we eat some animals but not others.
Why do cats love scratching?
Sometimes, it might seem like cat scratch furniture
simply to get under our skin.
But according to experts, there's
a pretty straightforward reason for it.
Cats tend to scratch the nicest and most noticeable pieces
of furniture in the room as a warning to other animals
that it's their territory.
Think of it like a cat marking their favorite place
to sit so that no one else would dare come close.
But it's actually not just the scratches
that a cat is leaving behind.
They also had scent glands in their paws
that leave a distinct odor that cats, dogs, and other animals
can smell to let them know which cat owns the place.
So that's the main reason that cats love to tear up the place,
but it's not the only one.
They also do it to help them file down their claws
or even pull them off so that a fresh one can grow.
They also use their scratching time
as a chance to stretch out their back muscles
so they can stay nice and loose for all that scurrying about.
If you live with a cat who loves to tear the couch to shreds,
there is something you can do to try and stop them.
Buy a scratch post for your cat to tear apart instead.
That way, the cat can mark its territory,
and that brand-new couch can still look nice.
So really, if you think about it,
all those scratches on your couch
are kind of like the cat version of a bedroom door sign
that says, keep out.
Why do cats purr?
Purring is a special sound made by cats both big and small.
Bobcats, cheetahs, lynxes, and pumas are all
known to purr just like our cats at home.
Most people assume that a cat purrs because they're
happy and relaxed.
But according to experts, that's not always the case.
Cats can purr for lots of different reasons
and to express all kinds of emotions beyond just happiness.
Most experts believe mother cats teach their kittens
how to purr in the first few days
and use it as a way to bond, keep track of each other,
and even beg for food.
House cats have even learned how to purr and meow
in a way that sounds a bit like a crying baby
so that their owners are quicker to pay attention.
Cats can also purr when they're scared or in pain,
and there's a pretty good reason why.
The low frequency of a cat's purr
causes their insights to vibrate in a way that
helps heal bones and cuts, build muscle, dull pain,
and even make breathing easier.
Many professionals say that a cat's purr
serves the same function as a person's smile.
Think about it.
People can smile because they're happy and content,
but there's also lots of other reasons you might smile.
We learn how to smile from our parents and use it as a way
to bond just like a cat's purr.
We might even smile and act sweet if we're hungry
or want an extra treat.
We even smile sometimes when we're scared, nervous, or hurt.
Just like a cat's purr, smiling can be a subconscious way
to soothe yourself when you're afraid.
So why do cats purr?
It turns out for a lot more reasons
than you might have thought.
Why do cats like boxes?
It's one of the true mysteries of the modern world.
Cats all across the globe seem to love
snuggling inside whatever small cardboard box they can find,
just sitting there for hours.
So what gives?
Why, given all the spaces they could choose to sit,
do they pick shoeboxes and leftover packaging
as their thrones?
Well, most cat experts believe it comes down
to their natural animal instinct.
[tiger growls]
You see, cats might be domesticated,
but they still have animalistic instincts
to feel safe and in control of the area around them.
That means even though your cat is safe and sound
sitting in your living room, they're
still taking some of the same defensive measures
as if they were out in the wild.
So a small, cramped space with walls
seems like a fairly secure spot to a cat.
They can feel nice and safe while
having a perfect place to watch for riffraff,
kind of like their own mini fortress.
In fact, scientists have even studied cat behavior
to help support that theory.
They found that cats that had just arrived at a shelter had
lower stress levels and settled in faster if they had a box
in their cage compared to cats who didn't.
So that's a huge part of why cats around the world
all seem to want their own cardboard throne,
but it's not the only reason.
Cats also like chilling inside a cramped box
because, well, it keeps them warm.
Normal body temperature for a cat
is around 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's about three degrees hotter than the average human,
which is why cats, even with all that fur,
love spending hours in a sunny spot
or curled up next to a heater.
It's also why cats seem to have a weird obsession
with sitting on people's laptops while they work.
Just another warm spot for them to plop down and get relaxed.
So next time you see your beloved kitty
cat nestled in a seemingly random cardboard box,
you'll know it's not quite as random as it seems.
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