A grave excavated in 2001 in Cyprus contained a cat buried close to human remains, which dated back more than 9,500 years.

Ancient Egyptian families commonly gave their cats a respectful burial by mummifying the animal.

Until 2008, scientists believed that cats reached Egyptian homes around 4,000 years ago, but new discoveries revealed that cats were actually treated as pets in Egypt as far back as 6,000 years ago.

Remains found in the Shaanxi province suggest that humans kept cats as pets in China more than 5,000 years ago.

Felis silvestris-- or cat of the woods -- is the ancestor to all modern house cats.

It was Pope Gregory IX who gave black cats their bad name. He called them incarnations of the devil in 1233 in "Vox in Rama."

It takes an average of four to six days longer for a black cat to find a home than a cat with another coat color.

Crème Puff the cat holds the record for oldest cat of all time. He was born in 1967 and died in 2005 at the age of 38.

Tigers and pet cats share 96 percent of their DNA, while humans and chimps share 98.8 percent.

Hemingway owned numerous polydactyl cats, many of whom had extra toes. An estimated 40 to 50 of his cat's descendants still live at his old home in Key West.

Cats typically have five toes on the front foot and four toes on the back. Those with the polydactyl gene can have several more on either the front or back feet.

The infamous Grumpy Cat -- aka Tardar Sauce -- is a female feline.

An exotic is essentially a Persian cat that has been bred to have short fur. It was the most popular cat breed in the U.S. in 2015.

A group of kittens is a kindle, or litter. Groups of adult cats are called clowders or glarings.

Bella was the most popular cat name in 2015, according to a study released by a national pet insurance company.

Cats spend 30 to 50 percent of their day grooming. While this may seem like a lot, grooming isn't usually a problem unless you spot bald patches or excess hairballs.

Only around 50 percent of cats respond to catnip, and the sensitivity for this herb is inherited from the feline's parents.

One in 200 cats actually suffers from feline asthma, which can be triggered by human skin cells, dust and cigarette smoke.

Cats spend 50 percent of the day in light sleep and another 15 percent in deep sleep, which means they are awake only 35 percent of the time.

Purring can be a sign of pleasure, injury or pain. It may serve as a natural form of pain relief and help with healing when the cat is injured.

While cats can only meow while exhaling, they can purr on both the inhale and exhale.

Cats and dogs are most likely to form friendships when they are exposed to one another between the ages of 2 and 9 weeks.

A domestic cat can hit speeds of 30 mph -- about as fast as Usain Bolt.

Cats allowed to roam free have an average travel range of less than 4.9 acres. Feral cats, on the other hand, can have a range as large as 1,351 acres.

A female cat can get pregnant as young as 5 months of age. Fortunately, females can also be spayed when they are as young as 2 months.

The average litter contains 5 kittens, and mommy cats can have up to 3 litters per year.

A record litter of 19 kittens -- 4 stillborn -- was born in the UK in August 1970.

Keep your ice cream to yourself! Cats can't taste sweets, but they can taste things humans can't, such as specific amino acids.

Of the 74 to 96 million owned cats in the U.S., an estimated 91 percent are spayed or neutered.

There are an estimated 70 million stray cats in the U.S. Fortunately, around 35 percent of all owned cats are acquired as strays, which means a happy ending for millions of furry felines.