CAT FACTS: CAT - ULTRASONIC DETECTORS

CatSwoppr Team
Aug 24
2 min read

CATS CAN HEAR WHAT WE CANNOT HEAR

Do you know cats can hear what we cannot hear? In fact, humans can hear the sounds within a frequency of 20Hz to 20kHz. But some ultrasonic species like bats, rats, and especially cats have more extensive hearing range, which ranges between 20kHz to 2mHz. They are commonly called “Ultrasonic detectors”. According to Kruger et al. (2021), cats can hear sounds between 55Hz to 85kHz, which means they can detect sounds as high as 85,000Hz. This is because of their predatory nature, which helps them with lots of benefits (Ahmed, 2025).

Figure 1. Frequencies for the hearing abilities of animals (Kruger et al., 2021) — **Figure 1**. *Frequencies for the hearing abilities of animals* (Kruger et al., 2021)

BENEFITS OF ULTRASONIC SOUNDS

As born as a predator, the high range of sounds can help them to position in their own environment and detect small ranges of sounds, which assists them to locate and hunt their prey with ease. However, cat purrs also can help humans to release stress and anxiety, which is the primary reason why people usually raise cats.

HOW CAN THEY DEAL WITH THE SOUNDS?

When sound waves enter a cat’s ear, they are transformed into nerve impulses interpretable by the brain. The inner ear’s cochlea, which contains highly sensitive hair cells, plays a key role in this process. All hair cells are tuned to detect different frequencies, allowing cats to accurately locate the source of an ultrasonic sound (Ahmed, 2025).

EVEN ULTRASONIC, CATS STILL CAN COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE

Thanks to their highly sensitive ears, cats can detect sounds at higher frequencies than humans. However, they can still rely on overlapping frequencies and body language to communicate with people. Another way to communicate with cats is to lower our voice when interacting with them, ensuring that they feel comfortable and safe.