Cats 5 Senses: How Do They Compare To Humans'?

Author: K. Marie Altoby K Marie Alto Updated 2 min read

Cats 5 Senses: How Do They Compare To Humans'?

We are all familiar with the 5 senses, sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch, but have you ever looked at these senses as they relate to your furry friend?

Read through some of the interesting facts below to see if you learn anything new.

Table of Contents

Sight

Cats can see better in low light because their eyes have more rods than the human eye!

On the flip side, the human eye has 10 times more cones allowing us to see more colors.

Given the location of their eyes, cats also have a larger range of vision, 200 degrees instead of our limited 180-degree view.

Sound

It probably goes without saying that cats have better hearing than humans, but did you know they also have better hearing than dogs??

Humans can hear up to 20kHz, doggies come in at 45kHz, and kitties top us both at 85kHz! This explains why you’re never able to open that treat bag without having your fur babies wake up from a deep sleep!

Taste

Cats come up short when it comes to taste buds. They only have 5% of what humans have, leaving them with the inability to taste anything sweet and causing them to rely more heavily on their sense of smell when it comes to food. Ever have a sick kitty? Warming their wet food tends to motivate them to eat because their foot becomes more fragrant.

Smell

Cats have around 200 million olfactory sensors in their nose as compared to the measly 5 million in humans, so the next time you smell a stinky litter box, imagine what your fur baby is smelling!

Touch

Most kitties have those adorable whiskers on their face, but did you know they have whiskers on the back of their front legs as well?

The hair follicle of each whisker is loaded with nerves that are used to determine texture, measure distance, and improve their hunting skills!

Do you have a fur baby that is lacking one of their primary senses?

Read More Cat Care Guides

One more thing, if you are feeling like getting a little special something for your fur baby that is unique, made right here in the USA, 100% pup and cat safe, USDA certified organic and brought to you by a US company, check out Toe Beans online pet supplies store!

K Marie Alto
K Marie Alto

K. Marie is an animal lover, wife, kitty mom, dog auntie, writer, and co-founder of Toe Beans, a proud American family-owned online boutique pet supplies store focused on the improvement of the life of furry family members via pet parent education, better products, and advocacy. She has over 20 years of experience as a pet momma. She loves sharing her personal journey and experience as a pet parent via her blog and Facebook page where she currently has more than 50K followers (@furrytoebeans) and counting :-). Read more

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