According to a new study, cat owners still have a lot to learn about their feline pets.
Commissioned by PetSafe and conducted by OnePoll, the survey involving 2,000 cat owners in the USA found that only 17% of respondents knew that cats have 18 toes and nearly half (46%) did not know that many cats are lactose intolerant.
The majority (56%) did not know that cats purr both for pleasure and out of distress and only a fifth (20%) knew that cats share 96% of their DNA with tigers. Moreover, more than four in ten (47%) did not know that cats tend to drink more running water than stagnant water.
More than three-quarters (86%) also reported that their cats are regularly sufficiently hydrated, but three out of four (75%) did not know that cats should drink about 30 ml of water per kilogram of weight daily.
The survey found that while six in ten cat parents (59%) admit they believe it is healthier for their felines to drink filtered water rather than unfiltered water, only 34% follow this rule and regularly give their cats filtered water.
The results surprised the team, as owners gave themselves a rating of four out of five on how well they take care of their cats and believed their cats would also give them a four out of five for being excellent owners.
“Given how cat parents rate themselves in terms of pet parenthood, it’s clear how much owners love their furry friends – there’s no doubt about that,” said Janna Chollet, Senior Marketing Manager at PetSafe.
“The survey found that seven in ten (69%) said they can tell what their cat is thinking, even though they can’t communicate through words. But it also revealed some room for improvement in knowledge about cats, so we can better care for these furry companions.”
This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
