The Ears
The ears of a cat are extremely sensitive, far more sensitive than the ears of humans or dogs. They dislike loud sounds, probably because it causes them pain. They hear about two octaves higher than humans do; their higher level of hearing is also better than that of dogs. In fact, they can hear sounds up to 100,000 cycles per second, the pitch of mouse noises.
Experiments have shown that cats can distinguish betwen sources of sounds when the sounds are as close as three inches apart. With all this ultra-sensitive and discriminatory hearing, any cat owner knows that they can also ignore you whatever the distance.
Some cats seem to prefer women to men. Perhaps this is because the typical female voice is much higher pitched and closer in quality to that of the cat itself.
The cat's ears are very flexible. When determining the source of a sound, the cat can either turn its head, or one or both ears. This movement allows the cat to use the ears as funnels, directing the sound onto the eardrum. Sometimes, this ear twisting movement reminds one of independent radar screens as they adjust singularly and then together to determine what is causing the noise. They can also hear another cat walking on carpet, even if the cat is not in view.
The long hair inside the cat's ears enable it to catch the tiniest vibrations in the air. This alerts it to movements it hasn't even seen.
Cats react to certain sounds more than others. A cat can be totally relaxed or asleep, but if it hears the live recorded sound of birds on TV or stereo, it will be awake in a second, looking for the birds it is certain are in the house. The meow of a cat on TV may bring it to investigate, either ready to fight or full of curiosity. Some music will send a cat into a panic, while other renditions will send it off to sleep.
©1999
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