I’m always on the hunt – no pun intended – for what I deem to be little known factoids about pets that I can share with you. If it passes the  Hmmm Test (a very scientific test in which I make a very specific face and emit the following noise: “Hmmm”) then I democratically vote to myself to share it with you, the Pawesome Reader. I keep a mighty long list of facts that have passed this test and for this week’s Raise A Paw, I’ve gathered a few of them together in my own version of a lightning round. Which means you will find very brief, but interesting, tidbits for you to drop at social gatherings and your most important parties. Enjoy!

• A group of kittens is known as a kindle
• A group of grown cats is known as a clowder
• A cat’s normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees
• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear
• A can cat purr at 26 cycles per second – which is the the same as an idling diesel engine

• Dog is mentioned in The Bible 14 times
• A dog, like a human, has a prostate…but unlike a human a dog does not have an appendix
• A dog  has 42 permanent teeth
• A dog gestates for 60 days
• A dog’s heart beats 120 times/minute

• Guinea Pigs are born with fur and their eyes open
• Guinea Pigs originated in South America
• A female guinea pig is a sow; a male guinea pig is a boar; the offspring of a guinea pig is called a pup
  
• Guinea Pigs cannot sweat
• The proper name for a guinea pig is a cavy (kah-vee)

• A horse cannot vomit
• An adult horses brain weighs approximately 22 ounces; roughly half the size of a human brain
• When cantering, a horse will take a breath with every stride
• A horse will fully regrow a hoof in 9-12 months
• The longest horse mane recorded was 18 feet long

• A parakeet changes feathers every year
• A parakeet can lay from 4 to 9 eggs
• An English parakeet is bigger in size than an American parakeet
• A parakeet can urinate and defecate at the same time
• A parakeet can turn its head 180 degrees

Do you have any fun facts to add?  Or does one of these tantalizing tidbits leave you wanting more?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Image: hughderr

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