A veterinarian has provided insights on how cats and dogs perceive sound and sight after an online video simulation captivated many viewers.
YouTuber Benn Jordan crafted innovative simulations to demonstrate how pets perceive human actions and sounds.
For instance, dogs are said to experience time at about 33 percent slower than humans, making our motions and voices appear slower and deeper to them.
Conversely, cats have a quicker visual perception compared to humans.
Jordan elaborated: “Cats don’t see in significantly more colors than dogs, but their visual acuity is much higher than that of dogs and humans.”
He further noted: “It’s remarkable that cats can consistently land on their feet given their shorter time to process such movements.”
To illustrate, cats can perceive up to 100 frames per second (FPS), whereas humans typically perceive between 30 and 60 frames per second.
Dr. Anna Foreman, a veterinarian with Everypaw Pet Insurance, shed light on how our furry friends experience vision.
She informed readers: “Similar to humans, dogs and cats have a sense of time. Their circadian rhythm operates over a 24-hour cycle akin to ours, with apparent memory of meal and sleep times prompted by bodily changes and light levels.”
“It is believed that dogs experience time more slowly than humans due to their faster visual processing rate, which results in their world appearing to move more slowly. A dog’s flicker fusion rate (CFF) roughly correlates to how quickly a retina ‘updates’ an image (or the speed at which an animal can see), and this rate is higher in dogs compared to humans.”
“On the other hand, a cat’s CFF is similar or slightly slower than a human’s, leading to the theory that cats perceive time more slowly than humans. This allows them to see fast-moving objects at a reduced speed, aiding in their hunting. There are also hypotheses suggesting that dogs may sense time through the intensity of a smell, with stronger scents linked to more recent occurrences.”
The expert added: “When communicating with them, much of the interaction revolves around body language and tone of voice rather than the actual words or pitch used.”
“While dogs and cats can hear higher frequencies than humans, allowing them to detect high-pitched sounds, changing the pitch of our voices is not necessary for effective communication.”