Editing Cat (section)

== Senses ==
{{Main|Cat senses}}

=== Vision ===
[[File:Tabby cat with visible nictitating membrane.jpg|alt=A tabby cat with a third, translucent eyelid covering part of either eye|thumb|A cat's [[nictitating membrane]] is exposed as it blinks.]]
Cats have excellent [[night vision]] and can see at one sixth the light level required for human vision.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|43}} This is partly the result of cat eyes having a ''[[tapetum lucidum]]'', which reflects any light that passes through the [[retina]] back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Comparative morphology of the ''Tapetum Lucidum'' (among selected species) |last1=Ollivier |first1=F. J. |last2=Samuelson |first2=D. A. |last3=Brooks |first3=D. E. |last4=Lewis |first4=P. A. |last5=Kallberg |first5=M. E. |last6=Komaromy |first6=A. M. |s2cid=15419778 |journal=Veterinary Ophthalmology |year=2004 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=11–22 |doi=10.1111/j.1463-5224.2004.00318.x |pmid=14738502}}</ref> Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat has [[Pupil#In other animals|slit pupils]], which allow it to focus bright light without [[chromatic aberration]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Malmström |first1=T. |last2=Kröger |first2=R. H. |title=Pupil shapes and lens optics in the eyes of terrestrial vertebrates |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=209 |issue=1 |pages=18–25 |year=2006 |pmid=16354774 |doi=10.1242/jeb.01959|doi-access=free|bibcode=2006JExpB.209...18M }}</ref> At low light, a cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hammond |first1=P. |last2=Mouat |first2=G. S. V. |title=The relationship between feline pupil size and luminance |journal=Experimental Brain Research |year=1985 |volume=59 |issue=3 |pages=485–490 |doi=10.1007/BF00261338|pmid=4029324|s2cid=11858455}}</ref> The domestic cat has rather poor [[color vision]] and only two types of [[cone cell]]s, optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Cat color vision: The effect of stimulus size |last1=Loop |first1=M. S. |last2=Bruce |first2=L. L. |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=199 |issue=4334 |pages=1221–1222 |year=1978 |pmid=628838 |doi=10.1126/science.628838 |bibcode=1978Sci...199.1221L}}</ref> A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the [[rod cell]]s might be due to a third type of cone. This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true [[Trichromacy|trichromatic]] vision.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guenther |first1=E. |last2=Zrenner |first2=E. |title=The spectral sensitivity of dark- and light-adapted cat retinal ganglion cells |journal=Journal of Neuroscience |volume=13 |pages=1543–1550 |year=1993 |issue=4 |pmid=8463834 |pmc=6576706 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-04-01543.1993 }}</ref> Cats have a [[nictitating membrane]], allowing them to blink without hindering their vision.

=== Hearing ===
The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500&nbsp;[[Hz]] to 32&nbsp;kHz.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Hearing range of the domestic cat |last=Heffner |first=R. S. |journal=Hearing Research |year=1985 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=85–88 |doi=10.1016/0378-5955(85)90100-5 |pmid=4066516 |s2cid=4763009 |url= https://www.utoledo.edu/al/psychology/pdfs/comphearaudio/HearingRangeOfTheDomesticCat_1985.pdf |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-date=7 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210707001511/https://www.utoledo.edu/al/psychology/pdfs/comphearaudio/HearingRangeOfTheDomesticCat_1985.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55&nbsp;Hz to 79&nbsp;kHz, whereas humans can only detect frequencies between 20&nbsp;Hz and 20&nbsp;kHz. It can hear a range of 10.5 [[octave]]s, compared to about 9 octaves for humans and dogs.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Auditory awareness |last=Heffner |first=H. E. |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |year=1998 |volume=57 |issue=3–4 |pages=259–268 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(98)00101-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Primate hearing from a mammalian perspective |last=Heffner |first=R. S. |s2cid=4991969 |journal=The Anatomical Record Part A: Discoveries in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology |year=2004 |volume=281 |issue=1 |pages=1111–1122 |pmid=15472899 |doi=10.1002/ar.a.20117|doi-access=free}}</ref> Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, the [[Pinna (anatomy)|pinnae]], which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detect [[ultrasound]], including ultrasonic calls from [[rodent]] prey.<ref name="Sunquist">{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=9780226779997 |chapter=What is a Cat? |pages=5–18 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719111036/https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blumberg |first=M. S. |title=Rodent ultrasonic short calls: Locomotion, biomechanics, and communication |journal=Journal of Comparative Psychology |year=1992 |volume=106 |issue=4 |pages=360–365 |pmid=1451418 |doi=10.1037/0735-7036.106.4.360}}</ref> Research has shown that cats have socio-spatial cognitive abilities to create mental maps of familiar people's locations based on hearing their voices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Takagi |first1=S. |last2=Chijiiwa |first2=H. |last3=Arahori |first3=M. |last4=Saito|first4=A. |last5=Fujita |first5=K. |last6=Kuroshima |first6=H. |year=2021|title=Socio-spatial cognition in cats: Mentally mapping owner's location from voice |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=16 |issue=11 |page=e0257611 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0257611 |pmc=8580247 |pmid=34758043 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1657611T |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Smell ===
Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developed [[olfactory bulb]] and a large surface of [[olfactory mucosa]], about {{convert|5.8|cm2|in2|abbr=on}} in area, which is about twice that of humans<!-- impossible logic and only 1.7-fold less than the average dog. -->.<ref name="Moulton 1967">{{cite journal |last=Moulton |first=David G. |date=1 August 1967 |title=Olfaction in mammals |url= https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/7/3/421/244992 |journal=American Zoologist |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=421–429 |doi=10.1093/icb/7.3.421 |pmid=6077376 |issn=0003-1569 |doi-access=free |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210806144530/https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/7/3/421/244992 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cats and many other animals have a [[Jacobson's organ]] in their mouths that is used in the behavioral process of [[Flehmen response|flehmening]]. It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive to [[Cat pheromone|pheromones]] such as [[3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol]],<ref name="felinine">{{cite journal |last1=Miyazaki |first1=Masao |last2=Yamashita |first2=Tetsuro |last3=Suzuki |first3=Yusuke |last4=Saito |first4=Yoshihiro |last5=Soeta |first5=Satoshi |last6=Taira |first6=Hideharu |last7=Suzuki |first7=Akemi |date=October 2006 |title=A major urinary protein of the domestic cat regulates the production of felinine, a putative pheromone precursor |journal=Chemistry & Biology |volume=13 |issue=10 |pages=1071–1079 |doi=10.1016/j.chembiol.2006.08.013 |pmid=17052611 |doi-access=free}}</ref> which they use to communicate through [[urine spraying]] and marking with [[scent gland]]s.<ref name="Sommerville" /> Many cats also respond strongly to plants that contain [[nepetalactone]], especially [[catnip]], which they can detect at less than one part per billion.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Grognet |first=Jeff |title=Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present |journal=The Canadian Veterinary Journal |date=June 1990 |volume=31 |issue=6 |pages=455–456 |pmc=1480656 |pmid=17423611}}</ref> About 70–80% of cats are affected by nepetalactone.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats |title=How does catnip work its magic on cats? |date=29 May 2007 |last=Turner |first=Ramona |magazine=[[Scientific American]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131022023257/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats |archive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref> This response is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine (''[[Actinidia polygama]]'') and the herb [[Valerian (herb)|valerian]]; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.<ref name="Tucker">{{cite journal |title=Catnip and the catnip response |last1=Tucker |first1=Arthur |last2=Tucker |first2=Sharon |journal=Economic Botany |year=1988 |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=214–231 |doi=10.1007/BF02858923|bibcode=1988EcBot..42..214T |s2cid=34777592}}</ref>

=== Taste ===
Cats have about 470 [[taste bud]]s, compared to more than 9,000 on the human tongue.<ref name="sch">{{cite web |title=Do cats have a sense of taste? |url= http://www.cathealth.com/nutrition/do-cats-have-a-sense-of-taste |website=CatHealth.com |last=Schelling |first=Christianne |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160128163535/http://www.cathealth.com/nutrition/do-cats-have-a-sense-of-taste|archive-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> Domestic and wild cats share a [[Taste receptor#Loss of function|taste receptor gene mutation]] that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to taste [[sweetness]].<ref>{{Citation |last1=Jiang |first1=Peihua |last2=Josue |first2=Jesusa |last3=Li |first3=Xia |last4=Glaser |first4=Dieter |last5=Li |first5=Weihua |last6=Brand |first6=Joseph G. |last7=Margolskee |first7=Robert F. |last8=Reed |first8=Danielle R. |last9=Beauchamp |first9=Gary K. |title=Major taste loss in carnivorous mammals |journal=PNAS |volume=13 |issue=109 |pages=4956–4961 |date=12 March 2012 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1118360109 |pmid=22411809 |pmc=3324019 |doi-access=free}}</ref> But they do have taste bud receptors specialized for [[acid]]s, [[amino acid]]s such as the constituents of protein, and bitter tastes.<ref name="Bradshaw2006">{{cite journal |volume=136 |issue=7 |pages=1927S–1931 |last=Bradshaw |first=John W. S. |title=The evolutionary basis for the feeding behavior of domestic dogs (''Canis familiaris'') and cats (''Felis catus'') |journal=Journal of Nutrition |date=1 July 2006 |pmid=16772461 |doi=10.1093/jn/136.7.1927S |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Cats taste buds possess the receptors needed to detect [[umami]]. However, these receptors contain molecular changes that make them taste umami differently from humans. In humans, they detect the amino acids [[glutamic acid]] and [[aspartic acid]]; but in cats, they instead detect [[inosine monophosphate]] and [[histidine]].<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop">{{cite journal |last1=McGrane |first1=Scott J. |last2=Gibbs |first2=Matthew |last3=Hernangomez de Alvaro |first3=Carlos |last4=Dunlop |first4=Nicola |last5=Winnig |first5=Marcel |last6=Klebansky |first6=Boris |last7=Waller |first7=Daniel |title=Umami taste perception and preferences of the domestic cat (''Felis catus''), an obligate carnivore |journal=Chemical Senses |volume=48 |date=1 January 2023 |issn=0379-864X |doi=10.1093/chemse/bjad026 |pmid=37551788 |pmc=10468298}}</ref> These molecules are particularly enriched in [[tuna]].<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop" /> Researchers argue why cats find tuna so [[Palatability|palatable]]: "the specific combination of the high IMP and free histidine contents of tuna, which produces a strong umami taste synergy that is highly preferred by cats."<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop" /> One researcher said, "I think umami is as important for cats as sweet is for humans."<ref name="Science Tuna Cat">{{cite journal |last=Grimm |first=David |title=Why do cats love tuna so much? |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=381 |date=1 October 2023 |issue=6661 |issn=0036-8075 |doi=10.1126/science.adk5725 |page=935|pmid=37651517 |bibcode=2023Sci...381..935G |s2cid=261395204}}</ref>

Cats distinctly prefer food temperature around {{convert|38|C|F|abbr=on}}, similar to a fresh kill. Some cats reject cold food, which would signal to the cat that the prey is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing.<ref name="sch" />

=== Whiskers ===
[[File:Kittyply edit1.jpg|thumb|right|The whiskers of a cat are highly sensitive to touch.]]
To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable [[vibrissa|whiskers (vibrissae)]] over their body, especially their faces. These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark, both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents. They trigger protective [[blink reflex]]es to protect the eyes from damage.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|47}}