Us cat owners spend a surprising amount of time Googling the most random things. A check of my own search history involves everything from “can a cat eat oatmeal” (only a small amount cooked in water) to “why do cats like their butts tapped” (they have a collection of nerve-endings at the base of their tails that, when gently tapped, release happy hormones). There are also the questions that should involve the vet. For instance I just texted ours because Thelma ate a small piece of tape three days ago and pooped it out this morning! She’s thankfully fine, but there are still hundreds of searches for that as well.
So, we thought it would be fun to turn the most popular questions cat lovers and owners search for and put them into a quiz to see if you know the answer. They cover everything from history to behavior, food, and the daily questions that just pop up living with your furry little roommate.
As you answer each question, below, the correct one will pop up, along with the reason behind it. We’ll keep tally of your score as you go, and tell you how you did!
Ready. Set. Go!
Paws, Whiskers, and Toes
Let’s start with the basics! Cat toes, senses, and a few other anatomical facts that might surprise you.
Question 1 of 50
How many hours per day does the average adult cat sleep?
Most adult cats sleep 12 to 16 hours per day, with kittens and senior cats sleeping even more. They call it a predator schedule: they have short bursts of action, with long stretches of rest to recharge.
Question 2 of 50
Can cats taste sweet things?
Cats actually don’t have a working sweet receptor like humans. If you find them begging for ice cream, it has more to do with the dairy and fat.
Question 3 of 50
What are a cat’s whiskers for?
Contrary to popular belief, a cat’s whiskers do not help them with balance (that’s handled by their inner ears and tail). Instead, their whiskers help them read air currents and nearby objects. They also help them determine if their body can fit through a gap.
Question 4 of 50
Why do cat eyes glow in the dark?
The glow you see coming from your cat’s eyes down the hallway at night is the tapetum lucidum, a mirror-like layer behind the retina that bounces light back through it a second time, allowing them to see better in dim light.
Question 5 of 50
How many total toes does a typical cat have?
Eighteen: five on each front paw and four on each back paw. Cats with extras are called polydactyl, and one famous group of them shows up later in this quiz!
Question 6 of 50
Roughly how many muscles control each cat ear?
Cats have about 32 muscles per ear, which allows them to swivel them nearly 180 degrees. This lets them track a sound without even moving their head.
Question 7 of 50
A cat’s nose print is:
Similar to human fingerprints, a cat’s nose has a ridge pattern that’s unique to that cat. This phenomenon has mostly been studied in dogs, but vets say it holds true for cats, too.
Question 8 of 50
Why does a cat’s tongue feel like sandpaper?
The hooks on a cat’s tongue are called papillae, which are little spines made of keratin (the same material as their claws). They act like a built-in comb during grooming, allowing them to rake up loose fur, which can sometimes cause those pesky hairballs.
Question 9 of 50
Where do cats sweat?
Cats sweat mostly through their paw pads, and a few small spots like their lips and chin. Because it’s not a huge area, you might see cats stretching out to help the cooling process.
Question 10 of 50
How do cats squeeze through such tight spaces?
A cat’s collarbone is a small free-floating bone that isn’t attached to the rest of the skeleton the way ours is, so the shoulders can compress. If the head fits, the rest usually follows.
Food and the Danger List
Do you know what cats can and cannot eat? It’s important to memorize this list, not just for trivia!
Question 11 of 50
Nutritionally, cats are:
It’s not just a preference, cats require meat because they need essential nutrients that are only found in animal tissue.
Question 12 of 50
Which nutrient can cats only get from meat?
Taurine is an amino acid that cats can’t make enough of on their own. A deficiency causes heart disease and blindness. It’s found in animal tissue, and in order for a cat food to be complete it has to have this essential nutrient.
Question 13 of 50
Should you give cats a saucer of milk?
Despite what you’ve seen in cartoons, most cats lose the enzyme for digesting lactose in kittenhood, so milk can often cause an upset tummy. If you want to give them a bit of human food, try a small amount of plain cooked meat as a treat instead.
Question 14 of 50
Which common bouquet flower can cause kidney failure in cats?
This is important. Any of the true lilies can cause kidney failure in cats, even if the tiniest amount of pollen gets on their fur and they lick it off. Make sure your cats are never around lilies, and if they’re exposed, be sure to call your vet and/or take them to get emergency care. The ASPCA poison control line is (888) 426-4435.
Question 15 of 50
What makes chocolate dangerous for cats?
Cats can’t clear theobromine, the compound found in chocolate, like we do. Dark and baking chocolate carry the highest amount, so be sure to keep it out of sight, and if you do bake or eat it, make sure none of it is left out or dropped on the floor.
Question 16 of 50
Onions and garlic are dangerous to cats because they:
Everything in the onion family, including garlic, can damage a cat’s red blood cells and can cause anemia. This includes powders and cooked forms, so make sure that garlic bread stays out of reach, too.
Question 17 of 50
Can a cat live on dog food?
Dog food lacks the taurine and animal protein that cats need. A stolen bite here and there won’t hurt them, but it does not make a complete diet.
Question 18 of 50
How dangerous is a poinsettia to cats?
This is one plant that has gotten a reputation it didn’t quite earn. The sap can cause mild mouth or stomach irritation, but the ASPCA says this threat is overrated. We never knew that one!
Question 19 of 50
How often can cats have tuna?
By itself, tuna does not offer a balanced diet. And even when it’s in a complete cat food, you’ll want to limit a cat’s exposure to tuna due to mercury. Having it as an occasional treat or as part of a complete meal a few times a week is likely fine.
Question 20 of 50
Grapes and raisins are:
Grapes and raisins are bad for both cats and dogs, and are linked to kidney damage. While the exact unsafe quantity is unknown, it’s best to make sure they are not exposed to any amount.
Decoding the Weird Behavior
What’s really behind those 3 a.m. zoomies? And other behavioral questions you may or may not know.
Question 21 of 50
Why do cats knead you with their paws?
Kittens knead their mom’s belly to get milk flowing, and the motion stays with them for life. A kneading cat means they are deeply relaxed.
Question 22 of 50
A cat gives you a long, slow blink. What does it mean?
Think of a slow blink as a sort of hug hello. A 2020 study from the University of Sussex found that cats slow blink back more at people who slow blink at them.
Question 23 of 50
A cat walks toward you with its tail straight up. That’s:
If you see a cat come to you with their tail straight up, sometimes with a curled tip (like a question mark), it’s a great, friendly sign. Cats actually greet other cats they like the same way.
Question 24 of 50
Why does your cat headbutt you?
That’s called bunting. Cats have scent glands on their cheeks and forehead, and rubbing them on you means they are marking you as one of their own. It’s a friendly way to say “you’re mine!”
Question 25 of 50
Why do cats chatter their teeth at birds through the window?
It usually happens when a cat can see prey it can’t reach, so most behaviorists read it as excitement, frustration, or both at once. It’s one of the few cat behaviors science hasn’t pinned down.
Question 26 of 50
What are the midnight zoomies, officially?
Those sprints have a formal name, frenetic random activity periods. They’re a normal way for a healthy cat to burn stored energy, and indoor cats tend to do it more.
Question 27 of 50
Your cat rolls over and shows you its belly. It means:
A belly-up cat is showing trust, because that’s their most vulnerable position. But most of us have learned the hard way that it’s rarely an invitation.
Question 28 of 50
Why do cats love sitting in boxes so much?
Enclosed spaces calm cats down. A Dutch shelter study found that new cats who were given boxes upon arrival settled in faster and showed less stress than cats without them.
Question 29 of 50
Adult cats mostly meow at:
Adult cats almost never meow at each other, it’s mostly aimed at humans. And yes, cats use it as a tool to try and get responses from you! They might even have different meows for different requests.
Question 30 of 50
Why do cats bury their poop?
In the wild, burying waste hides a cat’s trail from predators and from more dominant cats. Your house cat doesn’t need to bother, but the instinct is built in.
Health and Everyday Care
These are the answers most vets wish you already knew.
Question 31 of 50
How many litter boxes should a two-cat home have?
The rule is to have one litter box per cat plus one to prevent accidents and turf disputes. We have two cats and two litter boxes, so do with that info what you will!
Question 32 of 50
At what age is a cat considered a senior?
Feline-medicine groups class cats as senior from about age ten, and plenty of healthy cats live well into their late teens. Senior mostly means twice-a-year checkups, not decline.
Question 33 of 50
A cat’s first year equals roughly how many human years?
A kitten’s first year does the developmental work of roughly fifteen human years, and year two adds about nine more. After that, each cat year is roughly four human years.
Question 34 of 50
What’s a normal body temperature for a cat?
Normal for a cat runs 100.5 to 102.5°F. That’s warmer than our temp, which is one reason why they feel like little heaters in your lap.
Question 35 of 50
How long is a cat pregnant?
A cat pregnancy usually lasts about 63 to 65 days. That’s why unfixed cats can multiply so quickly!
Question 36 of 50
When do newborn kittens open their eyes?
Kittens are born with sealed eyes and ears, and they don’t open until they’re around one to two weeks old. Their eyes are blue at first, with their permanent adult color appearing over the next few months of life.
Question 37 of 50
How often should you trim your cat’s whiskers?
Whiskers are very important sensory equipment for cats. Cutting them leaves a cat extremely disoriented until they regrow. They shed naturally so there’s no maintenance needed.
Question 38 of 50
What’s the medical term for a hairball?
The medical term is trichobezoar, from the Greek for hair. Recite that at your next trivia night!
Question 39 of 50
Compared to outdoor cats, indoor cats live:
Indoor cats commonly reach 12 to 15 years of age or beyond. Outdoor cats typically live far less due to the threat of cars, predators, and disease.
Question 40 of 50
Cats hide pain well. The most telling early sign something’s wrong is:
Cats instinctively hide weakness, so pain usually shows up as changed behavior: hiding, eating less, or skipping the jump onto the counter. When a social cat goes missing in their own house, call the vet.
Bragging-Rights Trivia
Get to know these fascinating bits of cat history and you’ll be a hit at the next party.
Question 41 of 50
What’s a group of cats called?
A group of cats is a clowder (and yes, it’s a real word with Middle English roots). A wild group living together, on the other hand, is called a colony.
Question 42 of 50
What’s a group of kittens called?
A group of kittens is a kindle. (Not THAT kindle).
Question 43 of 50
An unspayed adult female cat is called a:
An unspayed adult female is a queen, and a male is a tom.
Question 44 of 50
When did cats first move in with humans?
Cats moved into the first grain-farming settlements in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago. They were clearly smart, because grain usually meant mice.
Question 45 of 50
The oldest cat on record lived to:
Creme Puff of Austin, Texas lived to 38, the verified record. Most well-cared-for indoor cats can reach their mid-to-late teens.
Question 46 of 50
The first cat in space was:
France launched Félicette in 1963 to study how spaceflight affected the brain and nervous system. She survived the 15-minute flight and parachuted back down safely. She finally got a memorial statue in 2019.
Question 47 of 50
Calico cats are:
The orange and black coat genes both ride on the X chromosome, so it takes two Xs to show both colors at once. Male calicos exist, but they’re roughly one in three thousand.
Question 48 of 50
Ernest Hemingway’s famous cats are known for:
Hemingway’s house in Key West is famous for its polydactyl cats, and dozens of their descendants still live there, extra toes and all.
Question 49 of 50
The Japanese maneki-neko, the cat statue with one raised paw, is meant to bring:
The beckoning cat is a Japanese good-luck charm, usually parked near a shop’s register. A raised left paw is said to invite customers, and the right paw invites money.
Question 50 of 50
How many teeth does an adult cat have?
Adult cats have 30 teeth, after starting with 26 baby teeth as kittens. Since most cats show some dental disease by age three, those 30 deserve more attention than they usually get.
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