Cats Have an Excellent Sense of Hearing
Cats have an incredibly powerful sense of hearing compared to humans. Cats can hear frequencies up to 64,000 Hz (64 kHz), while humans can only hear up to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) (FirstVet, 2021). This allows cats to detect sounds that are completely inaudible to us. In addition, a cat’s ear has 32 muscles that control the movement of their outer ear. In comparison, human ears only have 6 of these muscles (Hidden Hearing, 2023). Having more ear muscles allows cats to accurately pinpoint the source of sounds by swiveling their ears independently. Their extraordinary sense of hearing helps explain how cats always seem to know what’s going on around them.
Cats Recognize Familiar Sounds
One way cats know their owner is coming home is by recognizing familiar sounds associated with them. Cats have excellent hearing and get used to sounds like their owner’s footsteps, the engine of their car, jingling keys, and even their voice (1). These familiar sounds trigger anticipation in cats that their owner is arriving home soon.
Studies have shown that cats can distinguish between their owner’s voice and a stranger’s voice. In one experiment, cats showed more interest and response when hearing their owner’s recorded voice versus the recorded voice of a stranger (2). This indicates cats learn the unique sound of their owner’s voice.
In addition, research has demonstrated cats react differently when hearing their name called by their owner versus someone else. Cats recognize when their owner uses their special nickname or tone of voice (3). So when a cat hears their owner’s footsteps or voice approaching, they recognize familiar cues that their favored human will soon be home.
Sources:
(1) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/your-cat-can-recognize-your-voice
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7401521/
(3) https://www.vice.com/en/article/88qkbx/your-cat-recognizes-the-special-way-you-talk-to-it-study-finds
Cats Have an Accurate Internal Clock
Cats are very in tune with the rhythms and routines of their home environment. They become conditioned to associate certain events like mealtimes, playtime, and bedtime with the time of day. According to cat behaviorist Molly DeVoss, “Cats can tell time, but not in the same way humans do. They don’t know it’s five o’clock, but they are keenly aware of rhythm.”
Cats notice even small deviations from their normal schedules. If dinner is 30 minutes late, they will begin acting hungry and impatient. If their owner is not home from work at the usual time, the cat may wait expectantly by the door. This shows how cats use their accurate internal body clock to perceive when certain events typically happen.
When a cat hears a car pull in the driveway or the sound of keys jingling at the front door around their owner’s normal arrival time, they have learned to associate this with their human returning home. Their innate timekeeping ability prepares them to expect the arrival.
Cats Can Smell You Coming
Cats have a powerful sense of smell that is around 14 times stronger than humans. This allows them to recognize scents from much farther away than we can. In fact, according to Rover.com, scientists estimate cats can smell food from 126-154 feet away – about the length of a football field!
With their impressive sniffers, cats are able to recognize their owners’ scent from surprisingly long distances. Some sources estimate cats can detect a familiar human scent from around 4 miles away depending on factors like wind strength.
This allows cats to know their owner is approaching even when they cannot yet see or hear them. The scent gives them advance notice that you are on your way home. Cats’ powerful noses help explain behaviors like waiting by the door when you are due to arrive.
“From how far away can cats pick up our scent?”, Quora, https://www.quora.com/From-how-far-away-can-cats-pick-up-our-scent
“Discover How Far Cats Can Smell a Scent”, A-Z Animals, https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-how-far-cats-can-smell-a-scent/
Some Cats are Empathetic
Certain cats seem capable of sensing their owners’ emotions and energy. There are anecdotal reports of cats reacting to their owners’ imminent arrival. For example, some cats may wait by the door when their owner is about to come home. This suggests they can detect familiar sounds, scents, or routines associated with their owner’s return.
Studies show cats can distinguish human voices and recognize their owners (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7401521/). Cats were documented displaying comforting behaviors like purring, rubbing, or sitting on their crying owners. Some cats also mirror their owners’ stress through symptoms like not eating or over grooming. This implies cats can pick up on human emotional cues.
While more research is needed, some evidence indicates cats are sensitive and empathetic animals. The bond between cats and their owners may allow cats to be responsive to their human’s internal states and moods.
Familiar Car Sounds
Cats have excellent hearing and can become attuned to the sounds of their owners’ cars approaching and arriving at home, including the sound of the engine and slamming doors. Studies show cats recognize the sound of a specific engine and can tell when their owners’ cars are nearby. For example, some cats will go to wait by the door when they hear their owner’s car approaching. The engine rumble and the noise of car doors slamming shut are sounds the cat associates with their human’s return.
Pheromone Communication
Cats communicate with each other through pheromones, chemicals that relay information between animals. When a cat is content or excited, it releases different pheromones than when it is stressed or unhappy. According to a study by DePorter et al. (2019), cats can detect subtle changes in pheromones that signal the arrival of their owner1.
As a cat’s owner approaches the home after being away, the cat may pick up on shifts in the pheromones of other household cats to determine the owner is on the way. For example, a cat waiting by the window may notice another housemate’s pheromones change to indicate happiness or excitement. The waiting cat associates this with the return of the owner. Cats are very sensitive to even small fluctuations in pheromones from other cats in the home.
Routine and Conditioning
Cats learn the rhythms of their households and associate them with owners’ arrivals. For example, keys jingling after work signals someone’s return. According to a 2017 study, cats can be conditioned to perform behaviors through clicker training. This demonstrates their ability to learn associations.
Cats recognize patterns and come to expect certain events at certain times. When an owner arrives home from work or school at the same time each day, the cat learns that arrival time and associates it with the person coming home. Their excellent internal clock helps with this routine. The familiar sounds of a car pulling in, keys in the lock, and footsteps up the walk become conditioned cues that their human is home.
Visual Cues
Cats have excellent vision and can see objects clearly from distances up to about 200 feet away. This allows them to recognize familiar figures, like their owners, from a distance based on visual cues alone.[1] Research shows that over 50% of cats can identify their owners just by sight.[2]
One of the ways cats recognize their owners visually is through recognizing familiar silhouettes and gaits as an owner approaches the home. Cats may spot their owner walking down the street towards the house based on their familiar shape and walking style.
In addition, cats can see light and motion very well. So when an owner is returning home, a cat may see car headlights turning into the driveway or recognize the motions of an owner getting out of the car. These visual cues allow cats to know their owner is home before the owner is directly visible.
While cats may not recognize human faces as well as dogs, their excellent long-distance vision and motion detection allows them to identify their owners through visual characteristics like silhouette, gait, and familiar motions.[3]
[1] https://reuscorner.com/news/f/do-cats-recognize-their-owners
[2] https://www.quora.com/Can-cats-recognize-their-owners-by-sight-alone
[3] https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/do-cats-recognise-their-owners
Some Cats Have a 6th Sense
There are many anecdotal reports of cats picking up on owners’ arrivals in unexplained ways. Some cat owners report their cats waiting by the door right before they arrive home or acting differently when a family member is ill or injured, even when far away. While there’s no scientific proof, these stories suggest some cats may have extrasensory perception or a 6th sense that allows them to detect things imperceptible to humans.
For example, in one case reported by Love Meow, a cat named Oscar would often disappear from his favorite window perch about 25 minutes before his owner came home from work each day. This occurred even when she changed her work schedule, suggesting the cat somehow anticipated her arrival even when the routine changed.1 Other cat owners describe similar experiences of their cats waiting by the door when they’re still far away or tapping on them right before the phone rings.
Scientifically it’s hard to prove cats have a 6th sense, but these anecdotal reports suggest some cats may detect subtle cues and changes imperceptible to humans. More research is needed to understand how some cats seem to “pick up on” their owners’ arrivals and other events in unexplained ways.