Many animals have their special tricks, like how far they can smell or what sounds they can hear. Some are even able to tell if something is edible by its scent alone!
Many cats seem to know that it’s time to hunt when they see certain plants begin to grow tall. This includes trees in the woods where they live.
But did you know that some cats can detect smells up to five miles away? And not only that, but some cats are capable of detecting very faint odors.
That’s pretty incredible! If your cat seems smarter than other cats, here are some tips for making sure he/she does not get hungry while exploring the countryside.
Cat parents often ask how far their cat can sniff. While there isn’t an exact way to determine this, we do have some helpful hints.
Molecules of smell
The molecules that make up a scent are very long, slender structures called olfactory receptors (ORs). There are around 1 million of these in our noses!
Each individual has their unique combination of ORs. So you can’t rely on your neighbors having the same smells as you. For example, I know one person who doesn’t like curry due to not having any ‘curry’ smelling ORs.1
Also, Read – How Many Cat Breeds Are There
Some people don’t have any sense of taste or smell at all! This is quite unusual but does happen sometimes when genetics aren’t working properly.2
For those with less-than-perfect senses of taste and/or smell, it can be hard to describe the difference between a food item and something else.
Distance of smell
We usually think about how far our noses can detect smells. But you have more control over your ears than over your nose! The distance that sounds are loud to reach is called their acoustic radius or ear-radii.
Acoustic radii work in much the same way as eye radii–the longer your arms are, the farther you can see. Yours happen to be shorter because you have legs, so you get less visibility.
The acoustic radius of sound depends on two things: the air around you and the size of your ears. The bigger your ears, the larger your auditory radius.
The length of your arm determines your visual radius. The greater the amount of surrounding air, the longer the range of sounds you can hear. For this reason, people who live near water have wider hearing ranges than those living close to mountains.
You also have an internal microphone. It helps process low-frequency sounds like footsteps, breathing, and blood rushing in your ears. This device works by influencing the shape and movement of liquid inside your ear canal.
Cat vision
Cats have very good color perception and can distinguish between colors. They also recognize shapes and patterns in shades and textures of fur, solid colors, and even some features such as wrinkles or lines on their owners’ clothes.
Cats can see about 20/20 when it comes to visual acuity, which means they can perceive fine details with little to no distraction.
Cat eyesight is better than that of many dogs!
That said, cats cannot see ultraviolet (UV) light. So if you play outside in the sunshine, your cat may need protective goggles.
You should never force your dog to go outside without proper protection but for most outdoor activity levels. UV rays do not pose too much of a health risk.
Cat hearing
While most people assume that dogs are more intelligent than cats, this is not always the case! Many dog breeds have been trained to do specific tricks or behaviors due to their higher levels of auditory perception.
For example, some dogs can hear sounds that tell them when it’s time to get up. So they will wake up and start barking to let the cat know it’s time to leave.
When you think about it, though, why would anyone train their pet to sleep longer than necessary? This could cause health issues for your animal friends, such as heart disease or obesity. Plus, if his or her internal clock was off, then sleeping might be an impossible task, which could also pose problems.
Luckily, like humans, there are several different types of ears that all living things own. Some animals have earlobes, others have flap-like ears, and some have retractable ear tips. These variations determine how well an animal hears certain frequencies of sound.
For instance, some animals cannot hear high-pitched noises unless those noises are louder than what they are used to. This is because their ear lobes don’t fold down very far when exposed, making it harder to filter out the noise. A similar thing happens with low-frequency sounds, only these drop away completely when exposed.
Cat ears contain little tufts of fur that stand upright at attention during idle times.
Smell in science
The sense of smell is one of our most powerful senses. It help us to identify food, smells, and other chemicals in our environment.
It’s very important to know how far away a scent will travel and what effects it will have on you.
When smelling something, two main factors determine how strong the odor is:
-
concentration and
-
exposure time.
Concentration is determined by how much of the chemical you are putting into the air or liquid you are using to expose the nose to it.
The longer you expose your nose to an odor, the more sensitive your nostrils become. It means they can detect weaker concentrations. This also means the length of time for detection depends on how sensitive your nose is!
There is no hard and fast rule about how long you need to expose your nose to an odor before it can be detected. But usually, around 1 minute is enough.
