Can cats see ghosts? Could your cat be a poltergeist predictor? This question could be the case if you saw your cat transfixed by something when there was nothing there, at least nothing you could see.
Throughout history, an association between cats and the supernatural occurred, hence Halloween and the dreaded black cat. But the question is, do cats have a connection to the spirit world that we can't see? Can cats see ghosts really?
Can Cats See Ghosts and Spirits?
First, let's define ghosts and spirits. Spirits consist of the energy of the soul that has passed. Ghosts are imprinted images of the person or animal that has passed away. There are signs you can look for with your feline friend if you think your cat sees a spirit or ghost.
- If your cat is following something with their eyes that seems invisible, and then possibly pawing at the air as if trying to make contact.
Hissing when nothing is there, or hiding under the bed or acting afraid for no apparent reason. Any strange behavior out of the norm for your cat could be a sign there is a spirit present.
Throughout history, cats have fascinated humans with their unpredictable behavior. Cats seem to be in a world all their own, by looking around at things we can't see or hear but are cats capable of seeing another reality altogether?
Cat Vision and Eyesight
Cats have unique qualities when it comes to vision and eyesight. Cats have six to eight times as many cells to view objects in low light then humans do. Night vision ability goes to the cats, but color vision ability goes to the humans.
Kitties are more near-sighted than humans. Felines have difficulty focusing up close during daylight, and objects far away are more blurry to a cat than to a human. They have a much wider field of vision than humans, and they also have a third eyelid to protect their eyes as well as keeping them moist.
Humans can see three colors whereas cats can see two, which are shades of blue and yellow. Instead of a third color, felines have the upper hand with their night vision. Humans can also have night vision provided they buy night vision goggles.
The eyesight of a cat is exceptionally sharp, but only in the center of their field of vision. The outside part is blurry, so when they are in predator mode, they must also rely on their other senses such as smell and hearing.
In 2014, researchers in England found that cats are sensitive to and can perceive UV light. Cats see much the same way a blacklight works to detect bodily fluids during forensic investigations. When cats mark their territory by urinating, they smell it, but they also may be able to see it as well.
How Cats Hear
The hearing of a cat is much like a satellite dish, picking up even the slightest noise. Felines can hear at a much higher frequency than even their canine companions. Dogs have a hearing range of up to 45 kHz, humans can only go up to 20 kHz, but cats can go up to as much as 79 kHz.
The incredible sense of balance for cats comes from the ear, and the tail acts to counterbalance, which account for the astonishing feats of acrobatics they can perform. Cats can localize high-frequency sound sources that are only 3 inches apart just 3 feet away.
Cats can hear sounds that no human is capable of hearing. These sounds are inaudible to humans due to their extremely high frequency. So, the next time your cat is darting her head from side to side, it might be a ghost, or it could be a squirrel running outside your window, and she is trying to determine the location.
Can Ghosts See Cats
If there is such a thing as a ghost, then they might be able to see and even communicate with cats. If ghosts exist and they do see cats, are they afraid of the cats? Unfortunately, cats cannot speak, so they are incapable of informing us of any ghostly presence.
Conclusion
The question remains, do cats see ghosts? If ghosts and spirits exist and are present, then yes, they are more than capable of detecting them with their unique vision and hearing. If your cat suddenly arches her back and hisses at what appears to be nothing, could that be a ghost?
Some scientists believe that trauma and emotions create an energy field and that energy field can change forms, such as into images and sounds.
We as humans deal with emotional issues, and we could say that if those issues are intense enough, we could be creating this energy emanating that we can't see, but our cats can see. Our cats may see extreme forms of energy, which might be from us, or from our ghostly guests.
Since cats perceive things differently than humans, could they have a connection to the spirit world that we don't understand? The vision and hearing attributes for cats are astounding, and the fact that they can see UV light could mean they could see even more than we ever imagined.
The bottom line is, we don't know the full capability of what cats can see, whether it be Casper the friendly ghost, or Jasper the squirrel running around outside your house.
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources:
- Cats and Dogs May See in Ultraviolet By Tanya Lewis at Livescience.com
- 5 Senses: Cats vs. Humans by Amy Bojo
- Can you actually hear ‘inaudible' sound? Limits of human hearing (infrasound and ultrasound) examined Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)
