How does your cat see the world?

The vision that humans currently have helps us to evaluate, plan and imagine in a complex three-dimensional environment, which is very practical for a supposed arboreal being in which a misstep can mean death at the hands of a predator. On the other hand, this three-dimensional vision allows us to find fruits on trees while reducing the risk of falls.

Cats are twilight hunters therefore, their visual system is necessarily different. When it is necessary to catch a fast-moving and cunning prey, the attack must be accurate and coordinated, and in this vision plays a very important role.

The three-dimensional vision achieved by mixing images in the brain makes it possible to accurately judge the distance with a nearby object, the target of the hunt. In our case, this three-dimensional vision is important because it supported the search for food in the trees in the past. In cats, this pattern allows information about three-dimensional space to be extracted, acted upon, and help them hunt.

The similarity between our way of seeing the world and that of cats has historically made it the animal of choice for various investigations.

However, although we share similarities in our visual system, there are also obvious differences. Cats, being active at night, have better visual acuity than we do in low light conditions. Its pupils are very striking, having the shape of a line or a slit, very common in nocturnal predators.

In addition, they are colorblind, since they have two types of conical photoreceptors, while most humans have three.

The differences between humans and cats do not end there as they extend to other senses. Cats who are strict carnivores don't need to know if something is sweet because they almost never put something other than meat in their mouths, which is why they have lost their taste buds that detect sweet substances.

But despite all these evolutionary differences, we see in a very similar way, so it is perhaps not difficult to get in their eyes and that is perhaps one of the reasons for the growing preference of the cat as a companion animal.

On the other hand, according to scientific research, is that they can know where you are without seeing you. “They look without seeing”, let's say. And this is more than a “curiosity”.

It's not a joke. A new specialized study suggests that cats are very likely to use sounds to keep track of where their owner, the human who raised them or who they live with, is located.

And they achieve this ability without having to see the person in reference. That is, even when the subject is not in sight.

And how do they do it? Most likely, the domestic cat will use sounds to keep track of where it can find us even when we are not in sight.

*Prof. Dr. Juan Enrique Romero @drromerook is a veterinary physician. Specialist in University Education. Master's Degree in Psychoimmunoneuroendocrinology. Former Director of the Small Animal School Hospital (UNLPAM). University Professor at several Argentine universities. International lecturer.

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