Cats Quiz
Siamese, Sphynx, catnip and the first cat in space: 15 questions on how cats work and the breeds we love.
Which ancient civilisation worshipped the cat goddess Bastet and mummified cats by the thousand?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ancient Egypt
Cats were sacred in ancient Egypt, where the goddess Bastet was shown with a cat's head and killing a cat could be punished by death. Vast cat cemeteries have been found at Bubastis and Saqqara.
One cemetery at Beni Hasan held so many cat mummies that around 19 tonnes of them were shipped to England in the 1890s and ground up as fertiliser.
Which breed of cat is famous for being almost completely hairless?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Sphynx
The Sphynx is a hairless breed that developed from a natural mutation in a Toronto kitten born in 1966. Its skin is covered in fine down and feels like warm suede.
Because they have no fur to absorb oils, Sphynx cats need regular baths and lose heat quickly, so they love warm laps and radiators.
Which breed, with blue eyes and dark points on the ears, face, paws and tail, takes its name from the old name for Thailand?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Siamese
The Siamese comes from Siam, now Thailand, where it appears in a manuscript of cat poems dating from the Ayutthaya period. It reached Britain in the 1880s and became a sensation.
The dark points are caused by a heat sensitive enzyme: pigment forms only on the cooler parts of the body, so Siamese kittens are born almost white.
Which breed, from an island in the Irish Sea, is known for having no tail?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Manx
The Manx comes from the Isle of Man, where a natural mutation produced cats with a shortened or missing tail. Completely tailless Manx cats are called rumpies.
Breeding two tailless Manx together is avoided because kittens inheriting two copies of the gene usually die before birth.
Domestic cats are descended from which wild species?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
African wildcat
DNA studies show that all domestic cats descend from the African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, which started living near Near Eastern farming villages around 10,000 years ago, drawn by the mice in grain stores.
A 9,500 year old grave in Cyprus containing a human buried alongside a cat is the earliest known evidence of the relationship.
What is the traditional collective noun for a group of cats?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A clowder
A group of adult cats is called a clowder, a word that comes from clodder, an old term for a clotted mass. A group of kittens is a litter or a kindle.
Other old collective nouns include a glaring of cats and a destruction of wild cats.
How many toes does a typical domestic cat have in total?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
18
Most cats have 18 toes: five on each front paw, including a dewclaw that does not touch the ground, and four on each back paw.
Cats born with extra toes are called polydactyl, and Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West is still full of their descendants.
What is the name of the reflective layer behind a cat's retina that makes its eyes shine in the dark?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tapetum lucidum
The tapetum lucidum is a mirror like layer behind the retina that bounces light back through the light sensing cells, giving cats a second chance to catch each photon and causing eyeshine in torchlight.
Cats can see in about one sixth of the light humans need, but they trade this for poorer detail and colour vision.
What is the scientific name for a cat's whiskers?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Vibrissae
Whiskers are properly called vibrissae. They are thick, deeply rooted hairs packed with nerve endings that detect tiny air movements and help a cat judge gaps and hunt in the dark.
A cat also has whiskers above its eyes, on its chin and on the backs of its front legs, not just on its muzzle.
Where is the gene that decides whether a cat's fur is orange or black carried, which is why nearly all calico cats are female?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
On the X chromosome
The orange gene is carried on the X chromosome. A female cat with two X chromosomes can carry orange on one and black on the other, and random X inactivation in each cell produces the patchwork.
Male calicos do occur, about one in 3,000, and nearly all have an extra X chromosome, which usually leaves them sterile.
Cats are obligate carnivores partly because they cannot make enough of which nutrient, found in meat, for themselves?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Taurine
Cats cannot synthesise enough taurine, an amino acid abundant in animal tissue. Without it in their diet they develop blindness and a fatal weakening of the heart muscle.
Taurine deficiency was only identified as the cause of these illnesses in the 1980s, which forced cat food makers to add it to their recipes.
Larry, the cat who moved into 10 Downing Street in 2011, holds which official title?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
Larry, a tabby rescued from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, arrived at Downing Street in February 2011 under David Cameron and holds the title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.
Larry is a civil servant rather than a pet of any prime minister, so he stayed in residence through the premierships of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak and Starmer.
Which chemical in catnip triggers the rolling, rubbing euphoria seen in many cats?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Nepetalactone
Nepetalactone, an oil in the leaves and stems of catnip, binds to receptors in a cat's nose and sets off a reaction that lasts around ten minutes. About a third of cats do not respond at all.
The response is inherited, and lions, leopards and jaguars can be affected by catnip too.
Which country launched Félicette, the first cat in space, on a suborbital flight in 1963?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
France
France launched Félicette on 18 October 1963 aboard a Véronique sounding rocket from Algeria. She reached about 157 km (98 miles), experienced weightlessness and parachuted back safely after roughly 13 minutes.
A bronze statue of Félicette perched on a globe was unveiled at the International Space University in Strasbourg in 2019.
Stewie, recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest domestic cat ever at 123 cm (48.5 in), was which breed?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Maine Coon
Stewie, a Maine Coon from Reno, Nevada, measured 123 cm (48.5 in) from nose to tail tip in 2010. Maine Coons are among the largest domestic breeds and are the official state cat of Maine.
Despite old legends about raccoon ancestry, Maine Coons are ordinary cats whose shaggy coats and tufted ears suit harsh New England winters.
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All Science quizzes →About the Cats Quiz
A typical cat has 18 toes, every domestic cat descends from the African wildcat, and in 1963 France launched a Parisian stray named Félicette into space and brought her home alive. Cats have shared our homes for roughly 10,000 years, yet they remain the most mysterious animals in the house.
These 15 questions range across the famous breeds, feline senses and anatomy, the genetics behind calico coats, why cats cannot live without meat, and a few record holders and celebrity cats. Start with the easy ones on Egypt and Siamese cats, then see whether you know what makes catnip work. Ideal for cat owners, quiz nights and anyone who shares a sofa with a feline.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What animal did domestic cats evolve from?
All domestic cats descend from the African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, which began living alongside farmers in the Near East around 10,000 years ago.
Why are nearly all calico cats female?
The gene for orange versus black fur sits on the X chromosome. A cat needs two X chromosomes to show both colours at once, so calicos are almost always female.
Can cats really see in the dark?
Not in total darkness, but a reflective layer behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum lets them see in light about six times dimmer than humans need.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which ancient civilisation worshipped the cat goddess Bastet and mummified cats by the thousand?
Ancient Egypt Cats were sacred in ancient Egypt, where the goddess Bastet was shown with a cat's head and killing a cat could be punished by death. Vast cat cemeteries have been found at Bubastis and Saqqara. One cemetery at Beni Hasan held so many cat mummies that around 19 tonnes of them were shipped to England in the 1890s and ground up as fertiliser. - Which breed of cat is famous for being almost completely hairless?
Sphynx The Sphynx is a hairless breed that developed from a natural mutation in a Toronto kitten born in 1966. Its skin is covered in fine down and feels like warm suede. Because they have no fur to absorb oils, Sphynx cats need regular baths and lose heat quickly, so they love warm laps and radiators. - Which breed, with blue eyes and dark points on the ears, face, paws and tail, takes its name from the old name for Thailand?
Siamese The Siamese comes from Siam, now Thailand, where it appears in a manuscript of cat poems dating from the Ayutthaya period. It reached Britain in the 1880s and became a sensation. The dark points are caused by a heat sensitive enzyme: pigment forms only on the cooler parts of the body, so Siamese kittens are born almost white. - Which breed, from an island in the Irish Sea, is known for having no tail?
Manx The Manx comes from the Isle of Man, where a natural mutation produced cats with a shortened or missing tail. Completely tailless Manx cats are called rumpies. Breeding two tailless Manx together is avoided because kittens inheriting two copies of the gene usually die before birth. - Domestic cats are descended from which wild species?
African wildcat DNA studies show that all domestic cats descend from the African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, which started living near Near Eastern farming villages around 10,000 years ago, drawn by the mice in grain stores. A 9,500 year old grave in Cyprus containing a human buried alongside a cat is the earliest known evidence of the relationship. - What is the traditional collective noun for a group of cats?
A clowder A group of adult cats is called a clowder, a word that comes from clodder, an old term for a clotted mass. A group of kittens is a litter or a kindle. Other old collective nouns include a glaring of cats and a destruction of wild cats. - How many toes does a typical domestic cat have in total?
18 Most cats have 18 toes: five on each front paw, including a dewclaw that does not touch the ground, and four on each back paw. Cats born with extra toes are called polydactyl, and Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West is still full of their descendants. - What is the name of the reflective layer behind a cat's retina that makes its eyes shine in the dark?
Tapetum lucidum The tapetum lucidum is a mirror like layer behind the retina that bounces light back through the light sensing cells, giving cats a second chance to catch each photon and causing eyeshine in torchlight. Cats can see in about one sixth of the light humans need, but they trade this for poorer detail and colour vision. - What is the scientific name for a cat's whiskers?
Vibrissae Whiskers are properly called vibrissae. They are thick, deeply rooted hairs packed with nerve endings that detect tiny air movements and help a cat judge gaps and hunt in the dark. A cat also has whiskers above its eyes, on its chin and on the backs of its front legs, not just on its muzzle. - Where is the gene that decides whether a cat's fur is orange or black carried, which is why nearly all calico cats are female?
On the X chromosome The orange gene is carried on the X chromosome. A female cat with two X chromosomes can carry orange on one and black on the other, and random X inactivation in each cell produces the patchwork. Male calicos do occur, about one in 3,000, and nearly all have an extra X chromosome, which usually leaves them sterile. - Cats are obligate carnivores partly because they cannot make enough of which nutrient, found in meat, for themselves?
Taurine Cats cannot synthesise enough taurine, an amino acid abundant in animal tissue. Without it in their diet they develop blindness and a fatal weakening of the heart muscle. Taurine deficiency was only identified as the cause of these illnesses in the 1980s, which forced cat food makers to add it to their recipes. - Larry, the cat who moved into 10 Downing Street in 2011, holds which official title?
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office Larry, a tabby rescued from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, arrived at Downing Street in February 2011 under David Cameron and holds the title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Larry is a civil servant rather than a pet of any prime minister, so he stayed in residence through the premierships of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak and Starmer. - Which chemical in catnip triggers the rolling, rubbing euphoria seen in many cats?
Nepetalactone Nepetalactone, an oil in the leaves and stems of catnip, binds to receptors in a cat's nose and sets off a reaction that lasts around ten minutes. About a third of cats do not respond at all. The response is inherited, and lions, leopards and jaguars can be affected by catnip too. - Which country launched Félicette, the first cat in space, on a suborbital flight in 1963?
France France launched Félicette on 18 October 1963 aboard a Véronique sounding rocket from Algeria. She reached about 157 km (98 miles), experienced weightlessness and parachuted back safely after roughly 13 minutes. A bronze statue of Félicette perched on a globe was unveiled at the International Space University in Strasbourg in 2019. - Stewie, recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest domestic cat ever at 123 cm (48.5 in), was which breed?
Maine Coon Stewie, a Maine Coon from Reno, Nevada, measured 123 cm (48.5 in) from nose to tail tip in 2010. Maine Coons are among the largest domestic breeds and are the official state cat of Maine. Despite old legends about raccoon ancestry, Maine Coons are ordinary cats whose shaggy coats and tufted ears suit harsh New England winters.
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