Pets have been such an integral part of our lives for so long, it’s hard to imagine a time before humans got the bright idea to make friends with these furry, four-legged creatures. Cats have been domesticated since at least 3,600 B.C.E. and dogs started becoming pets as far back as 30,000 years ago. But despite being our friends for the past few millenniums or so, there are still new things we learn about our animal friends every day.

We at Bright Side love sharing new facts almost as much as we love animals, so we’re sharing a list of surprisingly adorable facts about our pets.

1. Dogs may pretend to be sick to get more attention from their owners.

2. Cats sleep for around 70% of their lives which can be up to 16 hours a day.

8. Female cats tend to be right-pawed and male cats tend to be left-pawed.

© rihaij / Pixabay

9. Rabbit teeth never stop growing — tough plant food helps to wear them down.

10. Dogs curl up when they sleep out of instinct…it helps to keep them warm and helps them protect themselves.

© High Contrast / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY 3.0 DE

11. Owning a cat can lower a person’s risk of stroke and heart attack by a third.

© RJ22 / Shutterstock.com

12. One survey claims that a man’s chance of getting a girl’s phone number more than triples when they’re with a dog.

© StockSnap / Pixabay

13. After reaching maturity, cats only meow to communicate with humans — normally, only kittens meow at other cats.

© Flystock / Shutterstock.com

14. Petting a puppy can help lower your blood pressure.

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15. Rabbits clean themselves by licking their paws just like cats do.

© StoneMonkeyswk / Shutterstock.com

16. Some dogs have been known to stop and smell certain plants, because the smell reminds them of meat (although they should never ingest them).

© PardoY / Shutterstock.com

Do you know any adorable facts about pets you want to share with us? Let us know!

Please note: This article was updated in July 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.