In ancient mythology, cats have long been associated with the mystical, raising an intriguing question as Halloween approaches: Can cats see ghosts?
Expert Insight: Can Cats Really See Ghosts?
Tracey L. Kelley from Daily Paws shared the same curiosity and sought insight from none other than Jackson Galaxy, the renowned cat behavior specialist and host of My Cat From Hell, which aired for 11 successful seasons on Animal Planet. If anyone knows about cats’ mystical capabilities, it’s him.
According to Galaxy, cats possess heightened senses, far beyond human capabilities, making them exceptional at detecting things we can’t perceive.
Heightened Senses Make Cats Expert Spook-tators
Cats have exceptional vision, particularly in low light, thanks to the tapetum lucidum, a tissue layer behind their retina that reflects light, helping them see in near darkness. This adaptation, essential for their hunting instincts, allows them to capture even the faintest of light sources.
“Between dusk and dawn, these crepuscular hunters need to see in very low light or almost no light, depending on the moon, to catch their prey,” Galaxy explains. This ability makes it plausible that they could see things beyond our perception.
Their Senses Go Beyond Sight
Hearing: Cats can detect sounds 1.5 octaves higher than what humans can hear. So, when your cat is intently staring into the distance, they may be hearing something entirely beyond our range.
Smell: Their sense of smell is 9-to-16 times more powerful than ours, aided by a Jacobson’s organ (vomeronasal organ), which helps them detect scents that are invisible to humans. The famous flehmen response—where cats open their mouths halfway with a slight lip curl—is their way of using this organ to capture even more information from their environment.
Whiskers: A cat’s whiskers serve as hyper-sensitive detectors, able to sense changes in temperature and air currents. As Galaxy puts it, “Whiskers are basically eyes behind their head, and act almost as a sense organ.”
Additionally, some research suggests that cats and dogs can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, potentially allowing them to perceive things we can’t, whether that’s a bug crawling up the wall or, maybe, something more mysterious.
So, Do Cats Really See Spirits?
According to Galaxy, it’s certainly possible.
“If you believe in the spirit world, as I do, then it’s much easier to take the leap that your cats are experiencing something in a realm that’s beyond the physical, rather than just staring at a blank spot on a wall,” he shares. Given their heightened senses, if spirits exist, cats might be the first to detect them.
The Belief in Ghosts
Interestingly, a 2019 YouGov poll revealed that around 45% of Americans believe in ghosts. Regardless of whether or not you believe in the paranormal, cats have proven time and again to have extraordinary abilities. From detecting illnesses like cancer in their owners to alerting people to danger, cats have shown a remarkable connection to the unseen.
Whether it’s the wind or something otherworldly when your cat stares intently at 3 a.m., who’s to say they aren’t communicating with spirits? Maybe there’s more to that intense gaze than meets the eye.
For more on this spooky subject, check out Jackson Galaxy’s take on cats and ghosts.
