Felines in the wild are predators, they stalk, they lunge and they capture. It is no wonder why feline's senses are so highly developed, granting this species it's survival throughout the centuries. And when it comes to a cat's ears they surely play a major role in capturing all those little sounds we humans can barely hear, from a far away mouses's squeak to the noise of birds wandering in the brush.
If you carefully watch a cat's ear you may be amazed in seeing the wide range of movements this simple body part is able to perform. The may tilt forward, way back, sideways or they can flatten against the head when in a defensive mood.
Cat's ears may rotate 180 degrees independently. This means that one ear may face one direction while the other faces another.
You can easily test how a cat's ears move, by producing sounds coming from different directions. Notice how quickly the ear moves towards the source of noise, it is believed that cats twitch their ears 10 times faster than a watchdog. This test can also help identify possible hearing problems in cats.
Cat ears are controlled by 32 muscles in each ear. This is a lot compared to the fact that humans have only six muscles in each ear. A numerous amount of muscles are located right between the skin inside and outside the ear controlling the movements of the pinna. The ear muscles have two basic functions: to allow the cat to hear directions of sounds and to communicate emotions.
It has been observed that ear muscles are ordered by the brain to elicit movement when the cat is in a specific mood. Below are some interpretations of common ear movements observed in cats:
-The cat's ears are erect and tilted forward: this cat is alert, the muscle movements have caused the ear to tilt forward because the area of interest is in front of the cat
-The cat's ears are moving suddenly in different directions; the ear muscles are causing this twitching because the cat is trying to find the source of some noises. This can happen when somebody is in the kitchen and kitty is trying to find out if somebody is preparing his favorite meal while other noises are occuring in other nearby rooms.
-The cat's ears are both sideways: in this case the ear muscle movements have caused the ears to be facing sideways because the cat is on the offensive side
-The cat's ears are flat against the head: the muscles have been ordered to be flattened because the cat is in a defensive mode, basically trying to protect the thin ears from bites or scratches from the opponent.
-A cat may twitch its ears as well if they are itchy. The ear muscles will produce various quick jerks of the ear if there is something causing them to itch. The ear may be displayed oddly if the itching is not relieved by scratching.
The muscles of a cat's ear are simply amazing. It is simply fascinating watching how much they can work in helping a cat hear and communicate.