El Jefe isn't the only famous Arizona cat. Here are 5 cat facts that may surprise you

Kaely Monahan, Arizona Republic
Updated ·1 min read

Arizona's most famous cat, El Jefe, has been stalking the mountains of Arizona since at least 2011.

Since then three more jaguars have been spotted in the 48th state — including a potential new cat spotted in January. Russ McSpadden also shared a photo of what could be a new jaguar in southern Arizona.

Arizona is home to many more cats of the Felis catus variety — or the domesticated cat. These tiny predators have made themselves very much at home in our urban environments and our hearts.

In fact, podcast host Kaely Monahan's "unscientific" poll of The Arizona Republic newsroom reveals that the paper leans heavily "Team Cat."

But what makes cats endearing to many people? Perhaps it's because cats and humans share 90.2% DNA, as opposed to dogs who only share about 84%.

In today's episode of Valley 101, we unravel five cat facts that just might surprise you.

Kaely Monahan's "unscientific" poll of The Arizona Republic newsroom. Of the 20 responses, the majority are cat people.
Kaely Monahan's "unscientific" poll of The Arizona Republic newsroom. Of the 20 responses, the majority are cat people.

Listen to the episode

The best way to listen is to subscribe to Valley 101 on your favorite podcast app, but you also can stream the full episode below.

Read the episode transcript here. Please note, there might be slight discrepancies due to the AI used to transcribe the conversation.

How to discover more cat research

Want to learn more about the research and programs mentioned in this episode?

Check out these Arizona 'celebri-kitties'

Have a question about the Valley or Arizona at large? Maybe you have a question that has an Arizona twist, like today's episode. Share it with us! Submit your questions about metro Phoenix here.

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Contact the producer at kaely.monahan@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @KaelyMonahan.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How many jaguars were spotted in Arizona? 5 cat facts you should know