The cat's sense of hearing is much, much more developed than ours. It is capable of hearing the sound of a mouse from no more or less than seven meters away, something that not even the healthiest human ear can do without a hearing aid.
Being a nocturnal animal, to survive it is essential that it has acute hearing that allows them to know how far away and where their prey is. But, Do you know how cats hear?
Anatomy of Cats Ears
The ears of our friend is made up of more than 30 muscles They are distributed in such a way that they give these important parts of the feline anatomy the characteristic conical shape. But not only that, but the animal can also turn them 180 degrees, which allows it to know exactly where it has to go if it wants to hunt and eat something.
The cat's ear it is capable of capturing frequencies from 20k to 25k thanks to more than 40.000 nerve cochlear fibers. Humans only have 30.000, which is many, but in the middle of the jungle at night if we are not used to it we could have many problems.
Deafness in cats
But, just as it can happen to us, there are cats that are born deaf. In particular, those born with white hair and blue eyes are 3,5 times more likely to be deaf than a white person with different colored eyes. This is due to the genetics of each animal. Continuing with the case of the white furry, this feline has inherited the W gene (which comes from White, white in English) which is responsible for the color of their fur and which can enhance multiple effects, such as deafness.
Even so it is important to know that any cat, regardless of its breed or mix and age, can be born or develop hearing problems, for example as a result of an accident. If this has happened to your little one, in this article We tell you how to take care of it to continue living happily.
The bell and the cat's ears
For a long time it has been believed that cats must wear bells, especially if they went outside. The reason is totally understandable: noise alerts animals that may become their prey, like birds or rodents. Although we don't like it, the felis silestris it is a predator that is not too bad at hunting small animals (its success rate, as long as they have been able to practice from a young age, is around 50%).
For this reason, when you live with felines in farms, orchards or similar places, or you let them go outside, they are usually put bells. But it is not the only reason: they have even told me that they used them to be able to find them more easily if they were lost inside the house.
Is it a good idea to wear it? The answer will be decided by each one, but what is certain is that they have a much more developed sense of hearing than ours, and if it bothers us to feel the tinkling for a few seconds, imagine how annoying it is for them to feel it during all day, at all hours, and last but not least a few inches from your ears.
It is not uncommon for them to end up with mood swings, become irritable, nervous, or on the contrary depressed.. And that's not to mention the more than likely loss of hearing acuity.
Alternatives to the rattlesnake
In order not to lose the cats, apart from having doors and windows closed to prevent them from coming out, what you have to do is put either a necklace with an identification tag that has our phone number, or a GPS necklace. It is important that both have a safety clasp so that if they get hooked they can get rid of the collar. This is a problem, because of course, if they lose the necklace there will be no way to locate them ... unless they have a microchip, so do not hesitate to put them on.
If we talk about the GPS collar, it is a fairly new type of product on the market, but from experience I will tell you that it is very useful. You pay what is the necklace, and then an annual subscription. From an application downloaded to your device (mobile, tablet) or from your computer, you can know at any time where your cats are.
Of course, the model that I have, for example (Tractive's), has quite a few problems if the animal is inside the house or under ceilings, but hey, that's not bad at all because if I see that it marks the wrong place, I already know that the cat is safe in the house because I never let them out.
I hope it has been useful to you 🙂.
My kitten gave birth almost a month ago, one of the kittens until today has not opened her eyes and it seems that she does not have them because they are glued
Hello Jorge.
Maybe she was born blind or without eyes 🙁. One of the cats that I am taking care of was born with only one eye.
These are things that sometimes happen.
In any case, if you have doubts, consult a veterinarian.
A greeting.
Why do cats have perforations around the rectum, where remains of feces are embedded?
Hi Saida.
To be honest I do not know. Perhaps they are so that the feces are expelled better, but I can not confirm it.
I recommend you ask a vet. He will know how to tell you.
A greeting.