It has long been known that our smaller brothers are more susceptible, compared to people, to natural phenomena. The supernatural abilities of pets allow them to sense the approach of natural disasters, changes in weather, and relieve pain. How many cases have there been when a cat warned its owner, for example, about an impending fire or bombing!
But is it true that cats see ghosts? Discussion of this issue has recently become truly an Internet trend. However, the topic of paranormal abilities of felines has a solid history.
Excursion into history
Representatives of the cat family have been endowed with supernatural abilities since the Egyptians managed to tame them. Initially, cats were bred for the purpose of exterminating rodents, but subsequently cats turned into objects of worship. Cats were reputed to be the personification of the goddess of beauty, hearth and fertility. Their cult still exists to some extent in Egypt.
Special vision
In many religious systems, these animals served as guides to the world of the dead or were companions of spirits and deities. Since ancient times magical ability cats to see not only ghosts, but also, in general, another world hidden from us by a layer of reality, was explained by the peculiarities of vision of these animals - the unique ability to see in the dark and the magical glow of their eyes. After all, an animal with such unusual vision cannot help but observe something irrational!
However, from a scientific point of view, this phenomenon is explained quite simply. On the surface of a cat's eyes there are special photoreceptors, much larger in number than in humans - they are what allow the cat's eyes to see in the dark. The glow is due to the presence of a special “reflector”, thanks to which the light is used with maximum benefit, and is not absorbed by the retina, as in humans.
In the Middle Ages, Christians perceived the cult of the cat as proof of its closeness to dark forces, so animals, especially black ones, began to be destroyed.
As a result, ideas about the peculiarities of a cat’s vision and the mystical nature of the “sacred animal” traditionally overlap one another. However, at some point even ardent skeptics who are directly related to science may believe that their cat saw a ghost.
Why do they think cats see ghosts?
All owners from time to time notice absurdities in the behavior of their pets. Some are inclined to explain the strangeness precisely by the fact that the cats saw a ghost. “Inappropriate” behavior of animals, when there seems to be no object of attention, manifests itself in the following:
- They arch their backs, snort, raise their tails straight up, and jump;
- look intently at one point without moving;
- they begin to hiss and run out of the room as fast as they can;
- they play happily with something, running around the room, but there is no toy in their paws;
- they get scared, look around or run away as if someone is chasing them;
- avoid a certain place in the house (corner, piece of furniture, etc.).
Are you familiar with such situations? Don’t rush to immediately look for reasons for cats’ behavior in the otherworldly realm. Modern science tends to explain the overwhelming number of such cases quite simply and logically.
Smell and hearing
If you are sure that your cat sees ghosts, what we categorically do not recommend doing is immediately contacting psychics. Remember that in addition to her unusual vision, she has very acute hearing. When hunting for mice, a cat relies primarily on sounds from the movements of its intended prey. The human ear is unable to detect this faint sound, but in our smaller brothers the hunting instinct is triggered.
In addition, our pets are endowed with an amazing sense of smell. In addition to the nose, cats, as scientists have proven, have a so-called “Jacobson's organ”, which is located on the palate. With the help of this “device” our pets sense odors at a great distance. In most cases, this explains the seeming oddities in the behavior of pets.
The third explanation for the “strange” actions of felines lies in their character. Even adults are prone to games and the desire to have fun in those moments when it becomes boring. Therefore, jumping, snorting, hissing, etc. may be just a game element.
Maybe it's really the ghosts
The son of the famous director of the Cat Theater Yuri Kuklachev, Dmitry Kuklachev, does not wonder why cats see ghosts, but he does not doubt their paranormal abilities. The artist spoke about his confidence in an interview.
Once on tour with Dmitry’s cats, an amazing thing happened. During the rehearsal, the animals did not look at the artist giving commands, but at a completely different point. It turned out to be an ordinary white column, next to which, at first glance, there was nothing unusual. During the performance the situation did not change, and the performance was almost disrupted. Later, Dmitry Kuklachev was told that one day a crow flew into this hall and died near that same white column.
There is also famous story about grandma and her cat. The woman lived with her pet for a long time until she died. Her grandson and his family moved into the apartment. The cat behaved friendly and quiet with its new owners. But when the next anniversary of the death of his beloved owner came, the animal sat for hours at the front door and looked at her.
From time to time the cat meowed, as if he was having a conversation with someone. New residents noticed unusual behavior pet and thanks to this they have never forgotten about the anniversary of their grandmother’s death.
However, there is no evidence in modern science that cats see ghosts, and it is worth noting that all these cases may have completely natural explanations. Therefore, it is everyone’s personal choice whether to believe mysticism or not. Perhaps a video will help you confirm your opinion and answer the question of whether cats see ghosts.
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The question of what cats see that people don’t still worries many, especially those who have a furry creature at home. Everyone sometimes wants to look at the world at least once through the eyes of their favorite, who sometimes spends an eternity looking at a corner where there is absolutely nothing remarkable. At the same time, sometimes she does not notice a piece of meat slipped right under her nose (however, this happens quite rarely, only if her sense of smell is impaired).
Differences in color perception
People used to think that cats see the world in black and white. This opinion was based only on speculation. Since cats are nocturnal animals and hunt at dusk, it was believed that nature did not endow them with the ability to distinguish other colors. When scientists had more research opportunities, they disproved the myth.
In fact, cats see blue, green, and yellow (as well as all shades of these colors). However, they recognize gray better than others. It has been proven that nocturnal predators are able to distinguish up to 25 of its shades. What is just a gray area for people is a whole palette for pets.
A person cannot look at the world through the eyes of a cat by moving into its body. Of course, there are special devices that make this possible. However, every person does not have such equipment at hand. People can get a rough idea of how cats see the world. To do this, they need to remove the red ink from the printer and print a color picture. This is approximately how a cat would see her.
There is another interesting point. It turns out that little kittens whose eyes have just opened see this world blue. A solid spot of exactly this color spreads before their eyes. Then gradually various details and other shades begin to appear.
Superpowers of a cat's vision
People don't see much that cats can see. This is normal, since the structure of the eyes is very different. For cats, this was a necessity. Its eyesight is adapted for hunting small rodents.
Cats continue to do this every day, even if the plate is full of food, and the game is an ordinary fly. It's instinct. Nature has endowed the cute predators, who have been living side by side with people for more than ten thousand years, with amazing vision.:
- Cats can see an object located hundreds of meters away. The maximum distance accessible to this animal is 800 meters. In this regard, people can “catch up” with their pets only with the help of binoculars.
- Cats are able to see several objects at once, seemingly looking at one point. Their eyes span about 200 meters in width. In this case, the images seem to be superimposed on each other and the effect of stereoscopic vision is obtained, which allows the hunter to most accurately assess the location of the desired object and calculate her strength before a chase or jump.
- Cats see well at dusk. They are helped in this by a special choroid inside the eye, which reflects the absorbed rays. Of course, it doesn’t “work” in complete darkness. There needs to be some light coming in. However, in such situations, the cat's whiskers come to the rescue. Cats are able to “see” with their whiskers. This is another feature of animals. The sense of touch is very important for a predator. This is what allows her to avoid getting lost in a completely dark room and not bumping into furniture or corners.
Cats can see more than humans. Their vision is much sharper. However, with all the advantages, it also has disadvantages. For example, cats are worse than people can see in daylight. It blinds them and makes the image blurry. That is why you can sometimes notice that your pet squints on a clear sunny day.
Cats are able to see what is very far from them, but at the same time they will not notice an object located closer than 60 centimeters. Their vision becomes sharpest when it comes to a distance of about 4-6 meters and remains so up to 60 m.
About the otherworldly
Watching their pets, people often come to the conclusion that cats see a parallel world. Such thoughts are prompted by the oddities in the behavior of fluffies.:
- freezing in one position with “glassy” eyes;
- frisky games with an invisible object;
- sudden mood changes that force the cat to run somewhere or take a fighting pose when people do not notice anything that could provoke it.
Many people believe that cats see something that we do not see. For example, ghosts or brownies. So they communicate with them, chase after them, while the owner looks around in bewilderment and finds no one.
This opinion is supported by a huge number of stories related to death. For example, about how cats anticipate their owner’s departure to another world, becoming nervous and fussy on the eve of his death. Or, without leaving a person’s hands for days. Animals can often behave very strangely.
For example, cats who previously shunned someone from the household were disliked, and after the death of the latter they literally “stick” to his room, not wanting to leave it at any price. People think that the animal sees the soul of the deceased, which has not yet had time to leave its earthly abode.
Often cats feel the approach of some kind of cataclysm and manage to warn people about the impending disaster, saving them from certain death. Many such cases have been recorded. It is quite possible that the reason is precisely that cats see something inaccessible to us.
Scientists and researchers, for the most part, refute such opinions. They attribute the amazing abilities to the extremely heightened vision, hearing and sense of smell of animals, which allow them not only to see, say, a flower located hundreds of meters away, but also to smell it.
People can only dream of such a gift. Cats simply hear an approaching earthquake when even the most sensitive instruments are still silent. If we talk about otherworldly forces that supposedly transmit signals to animals, then they have nothing to do with it at all.
You may or may not believe that cats see things from other worlds. However, it is true that they are supernaturally sensitive, intelligent and attentive. Many abilities surprise people, delight them, and make a cat special and mysterious in our eyes.
It turns out that a huge number of people firmly believe what they see! The origins of such confidence lie, of course, not in knowledge of biology, but in the firm conviction of many cat lovers in truly supernatural abilities their pets. We decided that it wouldn’t hurt to shed a little light on this dark issue, especially since such a misconception can cause serious problems for both cats and people!
In fact, a cat, like any other living creature, is unable to see anything in complete darkness, that is, in the complete absence of light! True, such darkness does not exist in nature, but it can be created artificially - for example, in a hermetically sealed box or cabinet. And many people don't even think about it.
But at dusk, cats actually see many times better than most other living beings, including you and me. This, as well as their uniquely sensitive hearing and excellent dexterity, make them unsurpassed night hunters, and in general one of the most successful predators in nature.
But there are no miracles here either! It is evolution and natural selection over millions of years that has turned a cat's eyes into a wonderful optical instrument. Here are a few of him technical characteristics, which even the Japanese never dreamed of!
Cats have a disproportionate big eyes in relation to head size.
The pupils of these huge eyes are capable of expanding to their maximum limits. Many could observe how, at dusk, “dark holes” appear in a cat’s eyes instead of eyes - the pupils become enormous in order to let in as much light as possible.
All animals, including humans, have two types of light-sensitive cells in the retina - rods and cones. Rods are extremely photosensitive and are capable of capturing even one photon - an elementary particle of light! This applies to everyone, but cats have many more rods in their retinas than many other animals. For example, if in humans 4 out of 5 light-sensitive cells in the retina of the eye are rods, then in cats there are, respectively, 25 out of 26 cells.
In cats, as in some other animals, such as raccoons and deer, behind the retina there is a tapetum - an organ that performs the function of a mirror. By reflecting the light, it redirects it to the retina, where the rods capture it with renewed vigor.
A cat also has vibrissae - and this is also a kind of “visual organ” capable of detecting the slightest changes in the surrounding space.
These are the “miracles” that give cats the truly impressive ability to see at dusk. However, belief in miracles that are not true, but imaginary, forces some people to conduct strange experiments on their pets. Confident that the cat can see perfectly even in complete darkness, owners who are especially sensitive to the interior arrange a toilet for the pet in dark bedside tables or close the hole in the door of the corresponding room without windows with a blank opaque door, where they themselves enter only with light.
In fact, a cat sees in complete darkness no better than we do ourselves! No additional rods or pupils dilated to the limit will help to catch light that is not there! And you and I are sure - well, or almost sure - that there is no evil monster or ghost hiding in the darkness. A cat may well experience anxiety due to the fact that it is not able to fully control the space around itself - this is not superstition, but instinct. Therefore, it is not surprising that the animal will find a safer place for its toilet, for example, in the owner’s sneaker in a brightly lit hallway or on the carpet in the middle of the living room.
And who is to blame for this? Certainly not the cat, but human ignorance!
People have always been fascinated by the unusual eyes of cats, which amaze with their ability to either dilate or constrict the pupils to minimum sizes. Sometimes it seems that cats see something completely inaccessible to the eyes of people, about which there are many myths among the people. To this day, many cat lovers are interested in the following questions: what colors do cats see? Why do cats see in the dark? We will try to give a detailed answer to these and other questions in our article.
Everyone knows that a cat's vision can easily cope with pitch darkness. Zoologists, figuring out why cats' vision can easily cope without sunlight, found that this is due to the anatomical structure of the pupil. At night, pets see very well, and their pupils dilate during excitement or hunting. In order to better examine the object that interests her, she constricts her pupils, thereby focusing on the prey. A vertical pupil is much more advantageous than a round one and helps to completely protect from sunlight, as a result of which it completely protects the cat’s vision from ultraviolet radiation.
A cat’s vision improves at night; it sees about the same as a person during the day.
People exaggerate a cat's vision daytime pets see much worse than them. Cats' eyes are very sensitive to bright light; the vertical pupil helps protect the eye's special sensitivity. On a bright sunny day, they squint and just like to take a nap, at which time their vision is blurry and unclear.
Cats, like their owners, have binocular vision, that is, each eye sees a certain picture, then it overlaps and folds into a single image. Moreover, cats bypassed people here too. A person's viewing radius is 180 degrees, while a cat's is 20 degrees greater - 200.
Shades of colors distinguished by a cat
Owners often wonder if cats see colors. It used to be that cats see the world only in black and white, but this is not true. Of course, they do not perceive their surroundings in such bright colors as people do, but they still have some shades. They perceive the world as if in a haze, their colors are more faded. The cat sees gray, blue and green color, but does not distinguish between red, yellow and orange at all. Doesn't see the difference between blue, cyan and violet, white and yellow.
The reason for the night glow of the eyes is specific formations (tapetums), which act as a reflector of light, which is directed into the retina of the eye - this is the reason for the glow in the dark of cat eyes.
Do cats see the paranormal world?
Many mustachioed lovers claim that their pets see the paranormal world, something inaccessible to the human eye. This is expressed in the abnormal behavior of cats. As a result, pets seem to be observing objects unknown to us. Suddenly they jump off and start rushing around, knocking over everything in their path. At this time, their pupils dilate and their fur stands on end.
Zoologists explain these facts in a blurry picture that appears in the minds of pets. They perceive all changes occurring around them with their ears. The slightest rustle in a still picture leads to such inappropriate behavior.
However, everyone knows perfectly well that there is a world that is not perceived by people, ultrasound, which is perfectly perceived by animals, light waves that are invisible to the human eye. Due to its natural characteristics, a cat can perceive the world much more widely than a human.
How far can a cat see
Cats can notice an object at a distance of 800 meters, and they clearly see the world from a meter to 60, but up close they see quite poorly. Sometimes the pet walks completely without noticing the objects located right under its nose. This is due to the fact that cats are naturally myopic, and their vibrissae help them cope with close distances.
What cats see in the mirror and on TV
Sometimes owners laugh and watch as cats comically attack mirrors. As a result, the frightened animal arches its back, bristles its whiskers, and flattens its ears. So what do they see in the mirror? Mustaches see their reflection in the mirror, but they do not understand that they see themselves. They are frightened by the fact that their auditory and tactile receptors do not transmit any information about the presence of another animal. Cats simply cannot form a picture in their heads from the information received.
When it comes to TV, most zoologists say that cats only notice the flickering on the screen. They are fascinated by objects moving on the screen. However, everyone knows that cats love to watch programs about animals; without looking up from the screen, they watch the flight of birds and the hunting of cats. Moreover, they do not come off the screen even when the sound is turned off. As soon as the channel is switched, the animal, having lost interest, leaves the room. Scientists currently cannot give an exact explanation for this fact.
How does a cat see a person?
The mustachioed pet sees the owner as he is, only in a slightly different color. When a person is in a place remote from him, the pet perceives only the outline of the figure. Up close, it can barely distinguish the outlines of its owner’s face, being guided only by smell.
As we see, our favorites are rather mysterious creatures, which we are sometimes unable to understand. They still do not allow us to fully reveal all their secrets, and sometimes it feels like they live in their own world, closed to people.
To paraphrase the classic, everything in a cat should be beautiful: the mustache, the tail, and the eyes. Moreover, for a small predator, the decorative component of these advantages is much less important than their functionality. And of course, Mother Nature made sure that the cat’s eyes served their owners “faithfully” both day and night. After all, it is under the cover of darkness that the main hunting “trophy” of cats—small rodents—is activated.
Secret: “sticks” help cats see at night
Why do cats see this happening at night? Let's reveal this scientific secret. Two types of retinal cells are responsible for the vision of a cat (and a human too): cones and rods. The latter are precisely responsible for the ability to see in the dark. So, baleen animals have almost 2 times more of these rods than their owners.
In addition, the cat's fundus acts as a reflective mirror, sending back light not used by the retina, thereby saving it. That's why it seems to us that cat's eyes glow in the dark.
In addition, any cat lover knows that the pupils of cats, which look like vertical stripes in normal lighting, dilate and become round in the dark. The diameter of these circles can be up to a centimeter, and this gives the eyes the opportunity to capture the maximum possible amount of light. Therefore, the twilight vision of our pets is 10 times sharper than our own. What we consider darkness seems to cats to be quite normally lit - that’s why a cat sees at night.
Can cats see in pitch darkness?
Do cats see at night in pitch darkness, for example, in a room in which there is not the slightest source of light? Alas, even a cat’s vision is powerless in such conditions. But cats also have “magic” whiskers in stock - whiskers that grow not only near the nose, but also above the eyes and on the paws.
Thanks to these supersensitive hairs, cats perfectly sense the distance to surrounding objects and sense the slightest vibrations in the air. So even in conditions when a person sees nothing at all, at night, cats are perfectly oriented - even the smallest gray mouse cannot escape their claws!
