Cats

Cats have excellent binocular vision, which allows them to judge distance well. Cats can see well at night, using dim light to distinguish objects and prey. Their eyes have a special reflective layer behind the retina that aids in low-light perception. This tapetal layer makes their eyes appear to glow in the dark when a light is shone on them.

The senses of smell and taste in cats are closely connected, as they are in all mammals. Distinctive to cats is an avoidance of foods that taste sweet. Their taste buds are located along the front and side edges of their tongue. Their vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson's organ, is a saclike structure located in the roof of the mouth, that is believed to be involved in sensing chemical cues associated with sexual activity. When a male cat smells a female's urine, which contains hormones indicating sexual receptiveness, he may wrinkle his nose and A leopard. Photograph by Tom Brakerfield. Stock Market. Reproduced by permission.

curl back his upper lip in a gesture known as flehmening. He will also raise his head and bare his teeth.

Cats have the ability to hear high-frequency sounds that humans are unable to perceive. This ability is particularly helpful when cats are stalking such prey as mice, since the cats can detect the high-frequency sounds emitted by these rodents. The external ears of cats are flexible and can turn as much as 180 degrees to locate sounds more precisely.

A cat's whiskers have a sensory function, helping to avoid objects in its path in the dimmest light. If a cat passes an object that touches its whiskers, it will blink, thus protecting the eyes from possible injury. Besides the long cheek whiskers, cats have thicker whiskers above their eyes. Cats use their nose to determine the temperature, as well as the smell, of food. The hairless pads of their feet are an important source of tactile information gained from investigating objects with their paws.