The cat is an animal that we love. His graceful way of walking, his gaze, his meows ... sometimes it seems that he just needs to know how to speak! But perhaps one of the things that surprises us the most is their sense of hearing, since it is much more developed than ours. But this is not so by pure chance.
Being a predator that hunts (or hunted 🙂) at dusk and dawn, it must be able to hear the sound of its prey, but it must also feel the presence of the animal that may want to hunt it. A) Yes, the cat's sense of hearing makes it hear sounds in a different way than ours.
What are the cat's ears like?
The cat's ears are made up of the same parts that we have:
- Outer ear: collects and conducts sound to the eardrum, protects the middle ear and contributes to the spatial localization of sound. It is formed by:
- Auditory pin: helps to focus the sound, as if it were an antenna.
- External auditive conduct
- Middle ear: transmits the waves from the tympanic membrane that separates it from the outer ear to the inner ear.
- Internal powdery mildew: it is made up of a system of tubes and channels filled with liquid which is responsible for the cat's sense of balance.
What frequencies can you hear?
The cat it is a very sensitive animal capable of perceiving ultrasounds up to 50.000Hz while humans can only perceive up to 20.000Hz. This difference is so great that while he can hear the sound of a mouse from 7 meters away, our hearing often has to combine with our sight in order to understand what a person is saying while talking on a street where there is a lot. traffic.
In addition, the ears of the feline can be oriented towards the focus of the sound thanks to the 27 muscles found in it, which allow each one to be pivoted individually.
Protect your cat's ears
A cat's sense of hearing is notably superior to that of humans. While humans and cats have a similar hearing range at the lower end of the scale, cats can hear much higher-pitched sounds, as we discussed in the previous point.
This means that cats can hear sounds that people cannot hear at both ends of the spectrum, but particularly at the higher end.. Not only are cats above the range of a human, but they are also beyond the range of dogs, by at least an octave.
A common reaction of cats
Cats' ears are uniquely designed to attract sound to the ear canal, allowing them to hear a variety of distant sounds, such as a mouse whispering in the bush 20 meters away. Similarly, your ears are more sensitive to the greater amplitude of sound. It is common knowledge that human hearing can be compromised by repeated exposure to loud music. It is also possible that cats are more susceptible to potential deafness from the same cause.
By the way, an army experiment with cats supports this theory. According to the Human Hearing Hazard Assessment Algorithm (AHAAH), studies have indicated that various hearing hazards can occur from loud sounds entering the ears of cats. The study focused on cats that were anesthetized (to remove muscle activity from the middle ear) and then exposed to various locations where pulses were produced at different maximum pressures using a rifle pistol.
Symptoms of hearing loss in cats
There are several symptoms of hearing loss, from experiencing a lack of response to loud noises, to difficulty waking them up. Kittens that are deaf may be more vocal and may play harder as they cannot hear the cries of their littermates.
If your cat looks disoriented, has reddened ear canals, or other symptoms, it's important to take him to the vet as soon as possible, as these could be signs of infection that could lead to deafness. Additional observations of ear problems may include black or yellow discharge from the ears, or a change in behavior, how not to realize that you are in the room until you touch it.
Measures to protect your cat's ears
Your cat's reaction to loud music and / or excessive noise is an instinctive act of self-protection.. Pay attention to the signals your cat sends and try to lower the volume when you are in the room. Like humans, cats can develop hearing problems over time due to illness, infection, trauma, damage, and old age. You can protect your pet's hearing with devices like simple ear plugs made of foam or cotton balls when there are too loud sounds outside.
How a cat's ears locate sounds
Identifying the location of the source of a sound depends on processing the difference in both its arrival time and the intensity of the sound, as it reaches one ear first and then the other. Because sound travels in waves, these differences are most evident in smaller wave sounds (higher frequency) and, in fact, they are difficult to detect if the sound waves are larger than separated ears.
For this reason, smaller animals have their ears far off the sides of their head and can hear higher frequencies. Cats can locate high-frequency sound sources that are only 6 centimeters away or 100 meters.
When a cat doesn't hear sounds
Deafness can be associated with white body color in cats, but not all white cats are deaf. Deafness is more likely to appear in cats with the dominant white (W) gene. Cats can also be white due to the white spot gene, but deafness is not associated with that gene.
According to a study, about 40% of white cats are deaf in both ears and 12% are deaf in one ear. White cats with two white parents are more likely to be deaf in one or both ears. Cats with two blue eyes are more likely to be deaf than cats with one blue eye, and both are more likely to be deaf than cats without blue eyes.
You can check your cat's hearing by making surprising sounds or hissing sounds where your cat cannot see you or feel vibrations or wind currents. Deaf cats can learn to respond to vibrations and hand signals, but they must protect themselves from outside dangers that they cannot hear approaching.
Cleaning the ears of cats
Here are some tips and tricks for a successful feline ear cleaning session:
Have all the supplies you will need on hand before you begin so that the session is short and you do not give your cat the opportunity to go out and hide under the bed while you search for things.
If your cat does not like you cleaning his ears and will run away, ask a family member or friend to help you restrain him. A soft bath towel wrapped tightly but not tightly around its body with its head exposed can help protect it, make the cat feel more secure, and prevent it from slipping. As a bonus, it will absorb any dripping cleaning fluid.
Do not continue if you think your cat could bite you. Contact your vet for advice in this case.
Do things calmly, do not stretch his ears or force him.
Never push your fingers or the cotton too far into the ear canal.
Don't pull the ear up and out as this straightens the ear canal and makes it easier to go too deep - place the ear flap on top of the head to maintain an angle in the ear canal.
If your cat seems to be particularly sore when you clean her ears or instill a cleaning solution, talk to your vet immediately because she may have a ruptured eardrum. In this case, the drug can enter the middle ear, causing extreme discomfort or damage. Also, some cats have hypersensitivity or even an allergy to some medicinal components, so it may be necessary to change the medication. Some cats may have deep ulcers in the lining of the ear canal, and the fluid may sting when it comes in contact with that exposed surface.
Praise your cat when she feels calm for the procedure.
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