National Cat Day
id you know that most cats don’t have eyelashes? Did you also know that a cat’s nose is as unique as a human fingerprint? And that they’re unable to detect sweetness in anything they taste? Cats are incredible, and to celebrate the arrival of National Cat Day, we’ve brought you a selection of some of the world’s most interesting and influential cats!
1. Stubbs
The first cat on the list is Stubbs. Stubbs is supposedly the honorary mayor of Talketeena, Alaska. Despite an Alaskan newspaper’s claims that is false, the ginger moggy has become something of a tourist attraction, and enjoys drinking water out of a catnip-laced wineglass at a nearby restaurant every afternoon.
2. The Cats of Disneyland
Legend has it that, in the 1950s, Walt Disney himself discovered that feral cats had taken up residence in Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, and he refused to let them be killed. The park keepers realised that, despite the whole of Disney’s concept being founded on the mice Mickey and Minnie, the park faced a rodent problem (the irony!). Disney’s feral cats were therefore neutered and treated for flees, and allowed to roam the park freely keeping the vermin at bay. The park keepers have even set up ‘feeding stations’ so that the cats can still find food when hunting alone isn’t enough. Disneyland’s adopted cats! Who’d have thought it! The cats even have their own twitter account!
I can shut down the Monorail for hours simply by sitting on the track and refusing to move.
— Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) October 29, 2015
3. CC
Carbon Copy, or Copy Cat (known as CC), is the world’s first cloned pet! She was born healthy and gave birth to four cute kittens that were also healthy in 2006.
4. Stewie
Now, a cat list wouldn’t be complete without the world’s largest and smallest cats would it? Stewie the Maine Coon (whose full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan) was recorded as the longest cat ever, measuring at 48.5 inches when fully stretched out.
5. Tinker Toy
Tinker is the smallest cat on record, and was a Himalayan-Persian. He measured only 7cm tall and 19cm long when he was two and a half years old!
6. Acoustic Kitty
In the 1960s, the CIA attempted to train up a cat to spy on the Soviets. They put a microphone in her ear and weaved a microphone through her thick fur. ‘Operation Acoustic Kitty’ was labelled as a monumental failure when the poor cat was run over when she wandered into the street.
7. Tommaso
In 2011, the widow of an Italian property tycoon left £9,000,000 to her cat in her will. She did this by giving the money to her nurse who loved the cat as much as she did. Needless to say, she received lots of calls and emails from people interested in adopting the furry feline.
8. Ketzel
In 1997, Ketzel the cat won an award for her 'composition' of a classical piece of music. The musical cat composed the piece by walking accross the keyboard. Her owner submitted the tune into a competition, and she was awarded a prize; the judges were unaware of her feline form.
9. Artful Dodger
This cat is something of a celebrity around the Dorset area. He enjoys taking daily bus journeys around the town and has taken a liking to sitting in in pre-warmed seats on the bus. The bus drivers even buy food for him! He can be seen waiting in the road for the bus to arrive, and everyone knows which stop is his so they’re always sure to let him off. His owner didn’t even realise he’d been sneaking off on bus journeys every day until he was sighted by one of her friends!
10. Of course, we can’t forget these fictional felines!
Happy National Cat Day!
