Interesting animal facts - Let's have fun

Like to read interesting animal facts? I love them. Some of them are really funny some actually serious. But all of them definitely interesting.

For years now I have been learning and reading about pets. And every once in a while I run into an interesting animal facts. I beleive I have hundreds of them.

Since this is a pet site I will share some pet facts here. Oh, I said "we will share"? Yes, you and me. Feel free to add any interesting and funny pet fact you know about.

Dog facts

• More than 5 million puppies are born in the United States each year.
• Dog that lives in the city will live approximately three years longer than a country dog.
• Small dogs usually live longer than larger breeds.
• Dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet.
• Dogs are considered color blind.
• When a dog licks you, he's saying "I Love You"

Dog breeds' facts

• Bulldogs were originally bred to fight bulls and bears. (David, UK)

Cat facts

• Cats cannot see directly under its nose.
• A cat cannot move its jaws sideways.
• Cats successfully navigate through mazes in complete darkness. They lose this ability if their whiskers are cut off.
• Cats can hear ultrasound.
• Female cat may have three to seven kittens every four months.
• Cats spend 30% of their time grooming themselves.
• Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.
• Cats can have freckles.
• Cats purr at about the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
• The cat's brain needs so much energy to function that over twenty percent of blood that the heart pumps goes immediately to it.
• Cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.
• Cat's urine glows under a black light.
• The average outdoor cat has a lifespan of about three years.
• Indoor cats can live more than 15 years.
• Cats respond most readily to names that end in an "ee" sound. (Susan, Miami)
• A cat's brain is more similar to a human's brain than to the dog's.
• The slightest touch on a cat's whiskers will make its eyes blink.
• The Maine Coon cat is America's only natural breed of domestic cat.

Pet bird facts

• Most parrots are left-handed.
• Parrot can see behind him without turning his head.

Guinea pig facts

• Guinea pig can not judge height easy. Never leave him on a chair or somewhere similar.
• If you drop guinea pig from a low height it will probably break its spine.
• Guinea pigs are food in some countries.
• Guinea pigs are born with fur and open eyes.
• A male guinea pig is known as a boar and the female guinea pig is known as a sow. A baby guinea pig is often called pup or piglet.
• Guinea pigs are not pigs and they are not related to pigs at all.
• Guinea pigs are not from Guinea.

Other rodent facts

• Rats will any type of food. They will even eat dead or dying rats.
• Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.

Interesting animal facts | Social life

• Felix the Cat is the first cartoon character to ever have been made into a balloon for a parade.
• Dogs are mentioned 14 times in Bible.
• The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.
• Laika became the world's first space traveler. Russian scientists sent the small dog to space in 1957.
• Brutus is a dog that holds the record for the highest skydive by a dog at 4,572 feet.

Interesting animal facts | History

• Ferret was domesticated before a cat.
• Ancient Chinese royalty carried Pekingese dogs in the sleeves of their royal robes.
• The penalty for killing a cat 4,000 years ago in Egypt was death.

Interesting animal facts | Stats and money

• Every year, 5 to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters in USA (source ASPCA).
• 62% of pet dogs own clothes.
• About 22% of the world's catch of tuna goes into cat food in the United States.
• The cost of spaying and neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens for one year (source ASPCA).
• Americans spend more money on dog food each year then they do on baby food.
• 53 percent of pet owners vacation or travel with their pets (source A.A.H.A.).

Facts sent by you

Tannis: A pregnant goldfish is called a twit