All the Trivia You Could Ever Hope to Find about CATS! Behavioral Trivia... Cats scratch to shed the sheaths of their old claws.  When a cat rubs against your legs, it is showing a affection and also putting its personal scent on you. After being handled, cats lick themselves to smooth their fur and get rid of the "human" smell. Licking is also thought to produce a calming effect.  A kitten's mother teaches it to hunt and kill. If a kitten isn't taught by its natural mother, chances are it won't know what to do with prey once it catches it. Cats roll on their backs to show affection. They expose their bellies like this only when they feel totally secure. Cats that live together sometimes rub each others heads to show that they have no intention of fighting. Young cats do this more often, especially when they are excited. Neutering cats dramatically reduces their territorial demands because the sex hormone (testosterone) is one of the factors that drives the cat to create and defend territory. Spaying a female before her first or second heat will greatly reduce the threat of mammary cancer. It also lowers the possiblity of pyometra (pus-filled uterus), metritus (inflammation of the uterus), and endometritus (inflammation of the uterine lining). And it isn't true that cats need to have at least one litter to be healthy. Cats with long, lean bodies are more likely to be outgoing personalities than their stockier cousins. They are also more protective of their home and more vocal and demonstrative. Cats can learn tricks. They just sometimes choose not to.  Cats bury their feces to cover their trails from predators.  A female cat can begin mating when she is between 5 and 9 months old.  A male cat can begin mating when he is between 7 and 10 months old.  If left to her own devices, a female cat may have three to seven kittens every four months. This is why population control using spaying and neutering is so important.  You can tell a cat's mood by looking into its eyes. A frightened or excited cat will have large, round pupils. An angry cat will have narrow pupils. The pupil size is related as much to the cat's emotions as to the degree of light.  The way you treat a kitten in the early stages of its life will effect its personality traits in its adult life.  Cats love to hear the sound of their own name and your voice, so talk to them often.  Cats have a homing ability that uses its biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth's magnetic field.  Spaying or neutering a cat extends it's life span by two or three years.  A cat in a hurry can sprint at about thirty-one miles per hour.  When a domestic cat goes after mice, about one pounce in three results in a catch.  A cat's tail held high means happiness. A twitching tail is a warning sign, and a tail tucked in close to the body is a sure sign of insecurity.  Cats can get bored. They show their boredom by excessive licking, chewing, or biting.