Ever wonder why your cat stares into nothing? Here’s why
You might think your pet’s daydreaming, but its senses are picking up things you can’t see or hear.
If you’re a cat owner, you’ll almost certainly have noticed your pet’s tendency to stare off into space, seemingly in its own little world. This behaviour is - often frustratingly - also common among humans, although our feline friends appear to be more prone to such daydreaming.
Except most of the time, they aren’t actually daydreaming.
The main reason cats ‘daydream’
As explained by VCA Animal Hospitals, the most common reason for cats apparently spacing out is their heightened senses, which lead them to concentrate on seeing, hearing or feeling things their owners simply wouldn’t.
When it comes to vision, cats have sharper eyesight than humans, meaning they can see things at a greater distance, or in much lower light. So just when you think your cat is just starisng at the wall, it could actually be tracking the movement of a small insect you hadn’t even noticed.
Additionally, cats have the ability to see ultraviolet (UV) light, which humans don’t. Perhaps a beam has caught its eye in the same way a streetlight coming on catches our attention.
Cats can also detect sounds in a significantly wider frequency range. While humans can hear anything at a frequency of between 20 and 20,000 Hz, those figures range from 80 Hz up to 85,000 Hz for felines, one of the broadest among mammals.
Similarly, your cat might be focusing on listening to something that you can’t hear, and could simultaneously be trying to locate it visually.
Watching and listening help cats hunt for prey
Needless to say, watching and listening to prey play a crucial role when it comes to hunting, whether it’s a mouse, spider or mosquito. So if your cat suddenly seems to be staring into space, it could well be hungry and getting ready to pounce.
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