How well do you know your cat? – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 19 questions in the How well do you know your cat? quiz, each with a short explanation. Test what you know about house cats and famous cat breeds. Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 19 questions1. What is the term for a cat rhythmically pushing its paws into a soft surface?
Answer: Kneading
Kneading is when a cat pushes its front paws in and out against a soft surface, sometimes called 'making biscuits'. It starts in kittens, who knead to get milk flowing while nursing.
2. Which mint-family herb makes many cats roll, rub and act playful?
Answer: Catnip
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is in the mint family. Its oil, nepetalactone, makes many cats roll, rub and play. Not every cat reacts, because the response is inherited.
3. The hairless Sphynx cat breed was first developed in which country?
Answer: Canada
The Sphynx breed began in Toronto, Canada, in 1966, when a hairless kitten was born from a natural genetic mutation. Despite its name, it has no link to Egypt.
4. Which popular flower is so toxic to cats that even its pollen can be deadly?
Answer: Lily
True lilies (Lilium) and daylilies (Hemerocallis) are extremely toxic to cats. Eating a small amount of pollen, for example while grooming, can cause acute kidney failure.
5. Cats lack working taste receptors for which basic flavor?
Answer: Sweet
Cats cannot taste sweetness because Tas1r2, one of the genes for the sweet receptor, does not work in them. This fits their strict meat-eating diet.
6. Roughly how many hours a day does a typical adult house cat spend sleeping?
Answer: 12 to 16 hours
A typical adult house cat sleeps about 12 to 16 hours a day. Kittens and older cats often sleep even more. Cats are crepuscular, meaning they are most active around dawn and dusk.
7. Which vocal, blue-eyed cat breed with dark 'points' originated in Thailand?
Answer: Siamese
The Siamese cat comes from Thailand, which used to be called Siam. Its darker points form because of a heat-sensitive enzyme that produces more pigment on the cooler parts of the body, such as the ears, face, paws and tail.
8. What reflective eye layer makes a cat's eyes glow when caught in a light at night?
Answer: Tapetum lucidum
The tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer behind the retina. It bounces light back through the eye, which helps cats see in dim light and makes their eyes appear to glow when a light shines on them at night.
9. Which long-haired cat breed is famous for its flat face and calm, laid-back nature?
Answer: Persian
The Persian is a long-haired breed known for its flat, brachycephalic face and its calm, gentle temperament. Its long coat needs daily grooming to keep it from matting.
10. Which big cat breed, one of the largest, has tufted ears and a bushy tail?
Answer: Maine Coon
The Maine Coon is one of the oldest and largest domestic cat breeds. It comes from the United States and is known for its tufted ears, bushy tail and gentle 'gentle giant' nature.
11. Through which part of their body do cats mainly sweat?
Answer: Their paw pads
Cats have sweat glands mainly in their paw pads and sweat only a little there. Because sweating cools them poorly, they also rely on grooming, panting and finding shade.
12. Most adult cats struggle to digest which sugar found in cow's milk?
Answer: Lactose
Most adult cats are lactose intolerant, so cow's milk can upset their stomachs. Kittens can digest milk sugar, but they make much less of the enzyme lactase after weaning.
13. What is a cat's ability to twist mid-fall and land on its feet called?
Answer: Righting reflex
The cat righting reflex is a cat's inborn ability to turn its body while falling so it lands on its feet. It starts to appear at 3 to 4 weeks of age and is fully developed by about 7 weeks.
14. When a cat slowly blinks at you, what is it usually signaling?
Answer: Trust and contentment
A slow blink, sometimes called a cat smile or kitty kiss, is a relaxed, friendly sign of trust. A 2020 University of Sussex study in Scientific Reports found that cats often slow-blink back at people who do it first, and are more likely to approach them.
15. When a cat rubs its cheeks against your legs, what is it mainly doing?
Answer: Marking you with its scent
Cats have scent glands on their cheeks and around the head, so rubbing against a person leaves their scent and marks that person as part of their territory or social group. It also works as a friendly greeting and helps strengthen the bond between cat and owner.
16. Which common kitchen vegetable is toxic to cats?
Answer: Onion
Onions are toxic to cats because their sulfur compounds damage red blood cells, which can cause Heinz body hemolytic anemia. Cats are more sensitive to this than dogs, and onion powder in foods like baby food is a risk too.
17. Compared with humans, cats hear especially well in which sound range?
Answer: Very high-pitched sounds
Cats are especially good at hearing high-pitched sounds. Their hearing reaches about 64 kHz, while human hearing tops out around 20–23 kHz, which helps them pick up the ultrasonic squeaks of rodents.
18. At which times of day are domestic cats naturally most active?
Answer: Dawn and dusk
Domestic cats are crepuscular, meaning they are naturally most active at dawn and dusk. They got this from wild ancestors that hunted prey in twilight, which is why many cats have bursts of energy early in the morning.
19. Roughly how long does a domestic cat's pregnancy usually last?
Answer: About 2 months
A cat's pregnancy lasts about 63–67 days, or roughly nine weeks. According to PDSA it can range from 52 to 74 days and often runs longer in Oriental breeds such as the Siamese.