7 fun facts about pets

Did you know that cat and dog noses are as unique as human fingerprints? Here are seven more interesting facts about pets.

1. Dog remains were found alongside human ones in a 14,000-year-old German burial site. Dogs are thus believed to be the first type of animal that humans domesticated.

2. Despite how often cats are represented as happily sipping milk from a saucer, most are lactose intolerant and can’t digest dairy products of any kind.

3. Cats only meow to communicate with humans. In fact, past infancy, felines rarely meow at each other.

4. Dogs’ noses are wet because they’re covered with mucus that helps them to absorb scents from the air. They also use their tongues to sample smells with their mouths.

5. Despite having a reputation for being a short-lived pet, the oldest goldfish on record died 43 years after his owner won him at a fair.

6. Just like humans, pet rats can be ticklish. Studies have found that when tickled, rats giggle and laugh, albeit at a frequency inaudible to human ears.

7. Cats spend 70 percent of their life sleeping, and 30 percent of their waking hours grooming themselves.

Not only do pets provide unconditional love and endless entertainment, they’re also good for your health. Studies have shown that a few minutes of playing with an animal can lower your heart rate and decrease your level of stress.