Cat Ear from fantasystock.deviantart.com |
Feline Sense and Scents-ability
Even
though cats have the same five senses humans do, their perception of the world
is much different. Sometimes, trying to understand a cat’s point of view can
help shed some light on problems you may be having with your cat.
HEARING
Feline hearing is functionally the same as human hearing.
The pinna, or outer portion of the ear, collects sound waves and translates
them down the ear canal. In humans, the ear canal is a straight shot to the ear
drum, while cats have a vertical canal connected to a horizontal canal in an
“L” shape from the top of the head, straight down and then turning inward. Once
the sound waves have rounded the corner of the ear canal, they cause the
eardrum to vibrate, stimulating the ossicles of the middle ear (tiny bones
called the malleus, incus and stapes - otherwise known as the hammer, anvil and
stirrup). These ossicles transmit the sound waves to the cochlea.
Cat ear anatomy |
The cochlea is a fluid-filled structure in the middle
ear. The sound waves are translated to fluid waves in the cochlea that are then
sensed by nerves connected to fine hairs that float in the fluid and is then
sent on to the brain for interpretation. This is the area that a human
“cochlear implant” stimulates to help correct hearing loss. The feline cochlea
has 3 complete turns while the human cochlea only has 2.75 turns. They have
10,000 more auditory nerves than humans. Near the cochlea is another fluid- and
carbonate crystal-filled structure called the vestibular apparatus that
is in charge of balance.
Cats are
exquisitely adept at locating prey. They can distinguish between two different
sound sources 8 cm apart (shorter than the length of an iPhone) at 2 yards and
40cm apart (about 1 foot, or a little longer than 3 iPhones) at 20 yards. They
can hear a rustling mouse 20-30 yards away. They can hear 10 distinct octaves
of notes vs. humans’ 8.5 octaves. They even hear one octave above their canine
counterparts.
Chart courtesy of www.watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com |
Even though you think they can’t hear you, don’t yell at
your cat! He can hear you, he just isn’t listening to you.
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