A Cat's Five Senses

Like humans, cats have five primary senses. Of the five senses, a cat's vision is probably the most extraordinary. But don't rule out the other senses just yet. Their sense of smell, taste, hearing and touch are very sensitive. Understanding how all these senses function together and how cats use them is important in how cats perceive their world.

A cats vision is the most keen out of all the senses. The real secret to why a cats vision is so good is because of a reflective surface behind the retina known as the tapetum lucidum. The mirror like surface reflects back into the retina any light not absorbed the first time around which is why a cats eye can glow in the dark. This special reflective surface allows cats to see with very limited light much better than humans. They can't see in total darkness, but what humans see as "pitch black" cats see as dim lighting. A clock radio or even a VCR light can provide a cat with enough light to move around at night.

Cats have evolved excellent hearing, a result of the need to detect the almost ultrasonic sounds of small rodents that typically become their dinner in the wild. They can hear nearly two octaves higher than humans can hear which is significantly higher than even a dogs hearing. A cats internal ear can arc about 180 degrees giving it the ability to pinpoint the origin of a sound with tremendous accuracy. Also, a cats ear is used for more than just gathering and interpreting sounds. A cat's hearing is also responsible for balance and spatial orientation.

A cat's sense of smell is the first sense newborn kitten's use. Although they do not have that much better scenting ability than humans, they don't necessarily rely on smell for hunting prey; they mainly use their superior vision and hearing ability. Like many other mammals, cats have an extra scenting device called the vomeronasal organ. This organ is thought to be involved in the scenting and analysis of sex-related smells.

A cat's sense of taste is quiet peculiar. A cat's tongue is cover with tiny small hook-like structures which helps the cat clean themselves. This structure is called the papillae. They can detect salty, acidic, and bitter tastes but not sweet. Pure carnivores like cats have no biological need to sample sweetness.

Finally, a cat's sense of touch conveys a lot of information about it's world from a dead bird in its mouth to a warm bed at night. Probably the most important part of the touch receptors cats have is the whiskers. They can sense minute changes in the air current around them. This allows them to maneuver around objects in near darkness. A cat's skin is layered with many touch receptors which is why most cats love to be pet. Even the lightest touch will illicit a response. Most of the time my cat will arch its back, purr, and rub its body against my leg, almost like he's say "Oh yea, that's the spot!"