Facts 46-50

46. More than fifty percent of dog and cat owners give their pets a human name, such as Molly, Sam or Max.

47. A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at about 140 beats per minute.

48. Cat scratch disease, a benign but sometimes painful disease of short duration, is caused by a bacterium. Despite its name, the disease can be transmitted by many kinds of scratches besides those of cats.

49. Cats have a better memory than dogs. The University of Michigan conducted tests on animal memory and while a dog's memory lasts no more that five minutes, a cat's can last as long as 16 hours.

50. In Norse mythology, cats symbolize down-pouring rain because witches riding on storms were said to take the form of cats.

Image: xX__Cinderblaze__Xx 's cat Tiggy