Wonderful World of Cats – 1st Edition – 16 July 2026

Summary

The Wonderful World of Cats, 1st Edition, published 16 July 2026 as a digital edition, opens on why we love these furry felines. The cover carries odd breeds, kitty history, cat-lovers' travel, their box obsession explained, whether cats are really afraid of cucumbers, and famous and fictional cats.

Cats by Numbers at p10 is the spine: domestic cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers, can jump six times their height, and have 12 whiskers on each cheek rooted three times deeper than ordinary fur. TICA recognises 73 breeds, and the newest, the Selkirk Rex, was recognised in 2013.

The longest-lived domestic cat on record, Creme Puff, lived 338 years — recorded as 1967 to 2005 in Austin, Texas. The largest litter was 19 kittens, born in Oxfordshire in August 1970. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees independently and see about seven times better than humans in low light.

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Content Guide

▸ Cats by Numbers (p10)

The figures
Domestic cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers, and cats with Egyptian and North African ancestry spread around the Mediterranean by trade and military ships 2,000 years ago. A cat can jump six times its own height, has whiskers rooted three times deeper than ordinary fur, and typically has 12 whiskers on each cheek. Cats rotate their ears 180 degrees independently and their night vision is about seven times better than a human's. The collective noun for cats is a clowder. Quote one of these at the next family argument about tigers.

Records
The longest-lived domestic cat on record is Creme Puff, listed as living 338 years — the source records 1967 to 2005 in Austin, Texas, which is an evident print or transcription error rather than a real lifespan. The largest known litter was 19 kittens, born in August 1970 in Oxfordshire to a Burmese/Siamese cross, against a breed average of five. Check any record a magazine prints before repeating it.

▸ Behaviour and Senses

Why we love them
Interacting with cats reduces stress, anxiety and blood pressure, lowering the stress hormone cortisol and releasing endorphins; stroking a cat for just 10 minutes significantly reduces stress and releases oxytocin, the so-called love hormone also released in new mothers. Ten minutes with a cat is the cheapest calm available. Sit with your cat for ten minutes today and note the difference.

The pages
The contents list box obsession explained on the cover, Are They Really Afraid Of Cucumbers? on the cover, How Smart Are Cats? at p28, How To Tell What A Cat Is Thinking at p34, Your Cat's Sixth Sense at p76, 15 Cat Myths Debunked at p88 and Funny Things Cats Do at p90. These are listed by title only in the available text and cannot be quoted in detail. Read the cucumber page before you try it at home.

▸ Breeds (p20)

Weirdest Cat Breeds
The breed pages include Weirdest Cat Breeds at p20, with TICA recognising 73 breeds and tracking emerging ones. At least 36 breeds originated in the United States, and the Selkirk Rex, or poodle cat, was formally recognised in 2013. Breed counts change, so check TICA rather than any list. Look up one breed you have never heard of this week.

▸ Travel and Cat Places (p96)

The Puuurfect Holiday Spots
Talkeetna, Alaska had a ginger tabby called Stubbs as honorary mayor for 20 years, using the general store as his "mayor's office." Svalbard, Norway has banned cats since 1992 to protect fragile ecology from hunting instincts. Taiwan opened the world's first cat cafe in 1998 with five rescue cats. Japan has two cat islands, with a cat-to-ageing-human ratio of 36:1 on Ao Island. Singapore requires a licence to keep a cat, with a mandatory cat-keeping course before issue. New Zealand's Stephen's Island is where a cat called Tibbles is said to have exterminated a flightless wren in a year, though feral populations deserve more blame. Visit one cat place rather than reading about ten.

Beliefs
In India meeting a black cat is the opposite of bad luck, and seeing three is considered especially lucky; in the Netherlands an old superstition holds that private conversations should not be held with a cat present, so it has no gossip to repeat. Egypt, pioneer of cat domestication, is not among the top 20 cat-owning nations today. Beliefs travel further than breeds do. Ask one older relative what cat superstition they were taught.

▸ Culture and History

Ancient Egypt
Egyptian civilisation flourished for nearly 30 centuries, and cats held an important place in Egyptian society as creatures of sacred energy, though being "worshipped" is a common misunderstanding. Egyptians first valued cats for catching pests in grain stores, then noticed the broader benefits of living with them. Paintings, carvings and artefacts show cats under chairs, on laps and hunting snakes, behaving much like modern domestic cats. Cats may have self-domesticated around the same time as ancient Egypt rose, actively adapting to life with people. Read the history before you repeat the worship claim.

▸ Global Cat Ownership (as of June 2026)

| Country | Cats |
|—|—|
| United States of America | 74.2 million |
| China | 53.1 million |
| Russia | 23.1 million |
| Germany | 15.2 million |
| France | 14.9 million |

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Editor's Take

Cats by Numbers is the reason The Wonderful World of Cats is worth opening: 95.6% shared DNA with tigers, six times their height in a jump, 12 whiskers rooted three times deeper than fur, 180-degree ear rotation and seven-times human night vision is a page of facts that survive retelling. The travel spreads — Stubbs the 20-year honorary mayor, Svalbard's cat ban since 1992, Taiwan's first cat cafe in 1998 and Ao Island's 36:1 cat-to-human ratio — are better than most magazine travel sections. Weakest is the source itself: Creme Puff is listed as living 338 years against 1967 to 2005, which is plainly an error rather than a record, and the bulk of the contents — box obsession, cucumbers, sixth sense, myths debunked — is listed by title only and cannot be quoted. Buy this as a gift or a coffee-table read; it is a collection, not a reporting magazine.

Strengths
• Cats by Numbers gives 95.6%, six times, 12 whiskers
• Travel pages give Stubbs, Svalbard 1992, Taiwan 1998
• Global ownership figures are dated June 2026
• Egyptian history corrects the worship myth

Weaknesses
• Creme Puff's 338 years is plainly an error
• Most contents listed by title only, no body text

Verdict: Selective read — the numbers and travel pages, weak on reported features.