Cats are a lot of things: weird, aloof, quirky, and particular, but did you know they can be downright creepy sometimes? You may already know about their hunting abilities, unique body language, and judgmental side, but we bet you don’t know some of these.

Take a look at these 15 creepy cat facts that may disturb you about your favorite feline companion.

The 15 Creepy Cat Facts

1. Cats Can Infect You With Love—Literally

Some people just love cats and always have. But if you develop a sudden, overwhelming love of cats, it could be more than suddenly seeing them through a new light. Toxoplasmosis, a parasite that’s often spread through cat feces, can cause humans to care more for cats. In fact, being infected with toxoplasmosis can make you more attractive to other people, too.  Unfortunately, it also comes with unpleasant effects like a headache, fatigue, and seizures.

2. They Have Remarkable Control of Their Ears

Cats’ ears are always moving and twitching, responding to their environment. These essential body parts are creepily independent, however. They can rotate 180 degrees, and each one can be moved independently, giving cats a crystal-clear awareness of their environment.

3. Cats Have a Third Eyelid

Several animals have a third eyelid that’s only visible when they have eye problems or when they’re sleeping with their eyes partially open. With cats, however, this third eyelid is called a “haw” and can only be seen if they’re not feeling well.

4. Cats Can Drink Seawater

Unlike many other animals, cats have kidneys that can filter out salt and use the water content to hydrate themselves. In other animals, including humans, seawater causes deadly dehydration, yet the feeling of only being thirstier.

5. Cats Can Probably Hear Dolphins

Cats have impeccable hearing. They can pick up on the ultrasonic sounds that rodents make to communicate, which also means they can probably hear dolphins, whales, and other animals that communicate using ultrasonic sound.

6. They’re Dreamers

Cats dream like humans and some other animals. Our best guess is that they process experiences from their day, just like us, but dreams can begin when kittens are only a week old.

7. Cats Have an Odd Blindspot

Cats see well, but they miss things that are right in front of them. There’s a blind spot directly below cats’ noses, so they can’t see what’s directly in front of and below their sightline.

8. Cats Can Home Because of Magnets in Their Brains

Cats have a homing instinct that allows them to find their way home. However, this ability may be due to a unique adaptation—magnetized cells in their brains that enable psi-traveling. While more research is needed, these magnets would allow cats to navigate using the angle of sunlight and the magnetized cells like a compass.

9. Cats Evolved to Communicate With Humans

Cats have fewer genetic changes from their time with humans than other domesticated animals, but we have had one influence. The cat’s natural vocal range is inaudible to humans, but they’ve learned to communicate their affection, fear, anger, and hunger using a variety of sounds that human hearing can detect.

10. Cats Can Be Toilet Trained

Litter box training comes pretty naturally to cats, but some take it a step further with toilet training. It takes a little more work, but it’s possible to train your cat to use the toilet and eliminate those litter box chores.

11. They May Have Inspired Tesla

Nikola Tesla, the genius mind who helped develop electricity, was inspired to investigate the phenomenon after his cat, Macak, gave him a static shock.

12. If You Die Around Your Cat, They’ll Probably Eat You

Cats are survivors. Though your cat may love you, if you die in their presence and there’s no food, they will probably try to eat you.

13. The Purr Is Still Not Understood

We know that cats can make over 100 sounds. We know that cats purr for many reasons and that purring can even help them heal, but we still don’t know how they purr. So far, we’ve learned that purring includes the larynx and diaphragm muscles, but we don’t know how they come together to create the sound.

14. They Can Be a Predictor of Death

There have been many stories about cats predicting the impending death of humans. In fact, there’s a cat in a nursing home in Rhode Island that predicted the death of over 25 patients, showing them extra love and affection in their final hours. In theory, the cat’s sense of smell helps them identify when humans are actively dying.

15. One Particular Cat May Be Bad Luck

The lore about black cats being bad luck is superstition, but there is one particular cat that may be a bad omen. Unsinkable Sam was a cat that traveled on three different ships in World War II, and all of them sank. Lucky for him, he survived the first and lived to sink more ships.

Conclusion

There you have it—the weirdest and creepiest facts about cats. They can predict death, bring about bad luck, manipulate us with sound, and move their ears like The Exorcist, but they’re also big balls of love that have been accompanying humans for thousands of years.

See also:

• Can Cats Be Allergic to Litter? Vet-Approved Facts & Safety Guide
• Disaster Preparedness for Cats: 12 Vet-Approved Steps to Take

Featured Image Credit: Ekachai prasertkaew, Shutterstock