12 Scientific Explanations For The Weird Things Cats Do
1. BONUS: Newton Invented The Cat Flap (For His Cat Called Spithead)
One modern legend makes the claim that we have Isaac Newton, discoverer of gravity, to thanks for cat flaps.
The story goes that he was performing his famous experiments with light, when his cat by the name of Spithead (awesome) kept nudging the door open and ruining everything. Newton lost his rag and cut a hole in the door so that Spithead could come and go as she pleased whilst he continued to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
This story is often used as proof of the now revered Newton's genius and innovation, but the irony is that it was originally told to show that the great mathematician was actually a bit of an idiot.
The second half of the story says that, once Spithead had kittens, Isaac Newton cut a smaller hole in his door for the kittens to pass through, not realising that they could just use the bigger one for their mother. Some people claim that the story is a total fabrication intended to poke fun at the famously curmudgeonly Newton, although some have claimed that a door in Newton's use does appear to show evidence of having two cat-shaped holes in it.
Whether or not the story is true, one thing it does tell us is that Isaac Newton was brilliant at coming up with pet names.
Have you got any pearls of wisdom about our feline friends? Let us know in the comments.