Cats are known for having excellent vision and being able to see things that humans often cannot. Their senses are much more powerful than ours in many ways. But do cats actually see things that are invisible to humans? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
The basics of feline vision
Cats have a wider field of vision than humans do. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees compared to our 180 degrees. This allows them to detect movement from the sides without turning their head. The tradeoff is they don’t see fine detail as well as humans do. But their vision is optimized for detecting motion and hunting prey.
Cats can see in light levels 6 times lower than humans need to see. Their eyes have a reflective layer behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum that reflects light back through the retina, improving night vision. This is why cat eyes seem to glow at night – the tapetum is reflecting light back out through the pupils.
In addition to excellent night vision, cats have good motion detection. Their eyes can process visual information faster than human eyes, with images updating 5 times faster on their retina. This makes cats very sensitive to movements and able to pounce very quickly.
Seeing ultraviolet light
One way cats can see things we cannot is through detecting ultraviolet light. Humans cannot see UV light because our eyes block it. But cats can see some UV wavelengths.
Many birds, insects, and flowers have UV color patterns. These are invisible to humans but visible to cats and many other animals. So cats may detect things outside that we cannot.
Some cats also have an extra “sparkle” effect to their vision from the UV light. The tapetum at the back of their retina reflects UV light in addition to visible light. This may create visual effects we cannot experience.
Seeing infrared
Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible red light. Humans cannot see it, but cats may have some ability to detect it.
This is not confirmed, but cats may still have some capability to see near infrared wavelengths close to visible red. This could allow them to sense heat signatures from living things at night.
Hearing higher frequencies
Cats can hear higher pitched sounds than humans can detect. The upper range of human hearing is around 20 kHz. But cats can hear frequencies up to 64 kHz.
This means cats detect high frequency sounds from birds, rodents and other animals that we cannot hear. So they may react oddly to sounds that seem silent to us.
Smelling more scents
Cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, much better than humans. They have around 200 million scent receptors compared to our 5 million. The area of a cat’s brain that processes smells is also much larger proportionally.
This means cats can detect many odors imperceptible to us. Their powerful smelling ability allows cats to gather a lot of information from scents we don’t notice.
Detecting magnetic fields
Some research indicates cats may be able to detect magnetic fields, similar to how birds use the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. Cats appear to align themselves facing north-south when resting or doing elimination functions.
A study of 70 domestic cats found they tended to face north rather than randomly when resting. And they were more likely to face south when eliminating, which researchers theorize helps concentrate odor signals in that direction.
If cats do sense magnetic fields, it could provide them with a kind of invisible sensory input that humans lack.
Superior spatial awareness
Cats have an excellent sense of balance and spatial awareness. They are able to judge distances and heights very precisely, which contributes to their agility.
Cats use their spatial senses along with vision to create a mental map of their surroundings. This allows them to navigate complex spaces, remember where things are located, and retrace their steps.
Their advanced spatial capabilities could allow cats to perceive something in their environment that goes unnoticed by humans in the same space.
Evidence cats detect things we don’t
Cat owners have many anecdotal stories of cats seeming to see, hear or otherwise detect something that humans cannot perceive. But do cats actually have extra sensory capabilities?
There are a few types of evidence supporting the idea that cats can detect things imperceptible to humans:
- Cats often stare at seemingly empty space for no apparent reason. They may track something moving across the room that humans cannot see.
- Cats may react to invisible stimuli by moving their ears, changing their posture, moving their head, or repositioning their body.
- Cats may meow or make other vocalizations at something not evident to humans.
- Cats may approach empty areas and investigate through sniffing, pawing, or touching objects there.
While not definitive proof, these types of cat behaviors suggest they are detecting stimuli that humans cannot perceive through their superior senses.
Potential explanations
There are a few possible invisible or barely perceptible things cats could be detecting when they appear to sense something humans cannot:
- Ultrasonic noises – Cats hear higher frequencies beyond human hearing range, so they may respond to high-pitched sounds from rodents or electronic devices.
- Smells – With their extreme olfactory sensitivity, cats may detect scents humans miss, emanating from hidden objects or outside the home.
- Air currents – Subtle changes in air pressure and airflow from windows, vents, or outside could alert cats to something occurring.
- Vectors – They may sense the presence of pheromones or chemical signals from pests or other animals through taste or scent.
- Electromagnetic fields – Cats may detect sources of electromagnetic energy and changes in electrical fields from appliances and equipment.
- Spiritual entities – Some claim cats perceive spirits, ghosts, or astral forms invisible to humans.
Ghosts and paranormal activity
Many cat owners report their pets staring or reacting to an empty area where they believe a ghost or spirit is present. This includes sights, sounds and sensations imperceptible to humans.
Some paranormal investigators believe cats are sensitive to spiritual energies, entities and disturbances due to their extra sensory abilities. A cat exhibiting odd behavior like staring at one area is sometimes seen as detecting ghostly activity.
However, cats’ unusual reactions always have a plausible scientific explanation in terms of their superior senses. There is no real evidence cats have a “sixth sense” for spirits invisible to humans.
Theories on cats detecting ghosts
There are a few theories for why cats may seem to detect ghosts or spirits:
- They hear high-pitched noises caused by paranormal activity that humans cannot.
- They smell chemicals or odors associated with ghosts.
- They see images of spirits manifesting in ultraviolet or infrared wavelengths.
- They sense electromagnetic disturbances in energy fields caused by spirits.
- They can perceive a low-level astral or ethereal plane humans cannot.
However, these are all speculative ideas based on pseudoscience. There is no scientific proof cats can see actual spirits invisible to humans.
The truth behind “ghost cats”
Many people report seeing cat apparitions, spirit cats or “ghost cats” in haunted locations. These are ghostly feline forms visible briefly before disappearing.
As with ghost sightings in general, there are a few possible normal explanations for the phenomenon of ghost cats:
- Mistaking other animals like rodents for cats in dim light or shadows.
- Briefly seeing shapes resembling cats in random objects.
- A trick of peripheral vision making you think you saw a cat.
- Seeing a real cat that disappears into hiding.
- Being in a suggestive environment and imagining seeing a cat.
While intriguing, there is no verifiable evidence that ghost cats exist as actual spirits visible only to cats.
Conclusion
Cats do have some extraordinary senses that allow them to detect things imperceptible to humans. Their superior vision, hearing, smell and spatial perception help explain odd cat behaviors where they seem to see invisible things.
However, there is no scientific proof cats can actually see spiritual entities like ghosts. The paranormal and supernatural explanations for cats’ abilities lack objective supporting evidence. But the mundane explanations are plausible and consistent with cats’ natural senses.
So while cats can perceive some things beyond the limits of human senses, they likely cannot see ghosts or spirits unknown to science. Their reality still aligns with the physical world explained by science rather than any supernatural one. But their sharp senses will continue allowing cats to spot things invisible to us and delight in mysteries we cannot see for ourselves.