Pet Cat Senses

Eyesight
Cats are excellent hunters, and are wonderful at night particularly. They have huge eyes which let them gather up every tiny bit of light that might exist, from stars or even a sliver of the moon. Their eyes have a lining called "tapetum lucidum" which causes any light in the area to bounce around in their eyes. That means that they can sense movement even in the darkest of rooms.

Some people thought that that cats could only see in black and white. This isn't true - but they do see primarily in blue and green, because these are the colors best seen in the dark. They are best at seeing movement. Hearing
When cats hunt little mice and critters, they have to be able to hear every move that is made. Their ears can hear up to 70,000 hertz - higher than dogs, and far higher than us humans who can only hear to 20,000 hertz.

Smell
Cats do have a sense of smell of course. When they have a strange scent, they take tiny, short sniffs, to let the aromas go across their nose properly.

Touch
Cats have an incredible sense of touch - especially in their whiskers. Their whiskers are specially formed so that they know exactly the size of the cat. That way if a cat goes into a dark tunnel, as long as the whiskers fit into the tunnel the cat knows that its body will fit as well. They can even sense air movements, to know where fresh air is coming from or if a creature causes the air to stir.

Magnetism
Cats are also reputed to have a sense of magnetism. Cats have been found their way home from thousands of miles away. Some believe they can feel the magnetic poles of the Earth and always know where they are.

Basic Cat Information, Help and FAQs
Main Page on Cat Information



 


Lisa Shea Author


Join Swagbucks!
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What's Online at Swagbucks.com