Upstairs in the bedroom, you’re sound asleep. Downstairs in the kitchen, the refrigerator door is opened. You didn’t hear anything – and neither did your sleeping dog - but your cat probably did.
Dogs are known for their keen sense of hearing - in fact they can hear a broader range of pitch than cats. But a cat’s ability to hear - especially high-pitched sounds - far exceeds that of the dog. Working in combination with eyes that can detect movement in very low light, the cat’s ears can pick up the slightest sound, the smallest rustle of leaves or snap of twig, the tiniest squeak - telling them exactly where and how far away the intended prey might be. Not a chipmunk or mouse escapes detection. That combination of amazing sound sensibility and ability to see with very little light makes some people think the cat has supernatural power.
A cat can hear sounds up to 100,000 cycles per second - which (not so coincidentally) is about the same pitch as the squeak of a mouse. That’s about three times better than the dog, and about five times better than humans. They can hear even the ultrasonic sounds that precede an earthquake. So it’s no wonder your cat comes running from almost anywhere at the sound of the can opener.
Kittens are born blind and deaf, but at less than three weeks old they can respond to sound. An adult cat’s ears can do more than just hear the sound. They can tell the difference between two sounds that are only twenty inches apart, from a distance of fifty feet. Like humans, though, as a cat ages its ability to hear may diminish somewhat.
So, when your cat doesn’t respond to your calls, claps or whistles, it may not be hard-of-hearing – it could just be hard-of-listening!
If you’re ready for a feline friend, visit your local animal shelter, where you can always find someone to listen, when you’re speaking of pets.
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