It also might be normal cat behavior. When you catch your cat staring at the wall, and you dont seem to see anything, she could be having a curious interest in bugs or tiny objects (such as a speck of dust) on the wall. Are you able to relate your cat to any of the above reasons? It makes it possible for cats to perceive faint shadows on the wall. It may be hard to picture a cat being weighed down by problems. Their superior sense of sight enables them to see walls from a different perspective. If this behavior accompanies your cats wall staring and is becoming a problem, you may want to have a veterinarian perform a complete examination. She always sleeps with her butt facing my head and he head at my feet, never the other way around. A good place to start is grabbing a chair and sitting next to your dog. Cat wins. Hence, the next time you see your cat staring at an empty wall, it might be due to the presence of a small insect (bugs, bees, etc.) This kind of wall staring will probably be followed by drowsy eyes and a nap thereafter. This means that they can detect the slightest movements around the house that would be unseen to your eyes. You wont harm your cat by letting this normal cat behavior continue. Grayson stared at the ceiling for 5 minutes one night and I finally saw what he was watching. If she were staring at the bugs in my kitchen light I could understand that but it's usually in the living room with no light that she does this. Also, your cat could be staring at stains and patterns, shadows and reflections, and ghosts. Rae Paoletta. These cat habits are somewhat expected. For instance, your cat may walk around for a while and then get "stuck" in corners, or they may "forget" to use their litter box. From being witches familiars to being good luck charms on ships, its possible there is much more to cats than meets the eye. Several theories have been put forward to explain this habit. The stain could still be visible to your cat with his more than average vision. Cats are weird, and so is their habit of staring into nothingness. What Keeps Your Cat Wide Awake At Night? You might be wondering if staring at the wall is a normal behavior for cats. Take note if your cat is old and/or its nighttime friskiness is new or unusual behavior. They range from seeing ghosts, watching shadows, to enjoying some insect show! If your cat behaves the same way, fear not; she is not possessed. See Also: Why Do Cats Bring Home Dead Animals. The Ancient Egyptians held cats in high regard. Just like when a dog sleeps in a kennel it will face the exit, it will face the exit of your room. They have great big triangular-shaped ears that stand erect to catch sounds. To get to unwanted critters! Some helpful hints on feline behavior include encouraging cats to engage in active play. He could be communicating that the music you are playing is so boring and that he would rather be at your neighbors. It would be easier to understand all this if you can look at it from a cats perspective. Whenever your cat exhibits off behavior, wakes at night for no reason, seems to be sickly, or displays other symptoms that it's sick, check with your vet right away. Bored cats may overeat, obsessively groom themselves, attack your furniture, or mope around the house. Many people have detected rodents in their walls or in their attics after their cats would sit in a specific spot and seem to stare through the plaster. Felines have superior eyesight that can rival most members of the animal kingdom. The European Journal of Companion Animal Practice lists excessive verbalization, especially at night, as a frequent complaint.. All Rights Reserved. While this behaviour can be annoying and endearing in equal measures, this is usually a normal part of being a cat. Cat continues to stare. If she is used to this games, she will stare at the wall waiting for the light to appear. Human imagination can run wild when presented with anything that defies logic. So when your cat stares at a wall it might be trying to figure out whats going on with the movement it sees or the sound that it hears. With many electronic gadgets in your house, some screens will undoubtedly be reflected on the walls. If the unwanted guests inside the wall are making such sounds, its possible that your cat is bothered and he will pay attention to the direction of the sound. Sometimes, you inspect the empty corner in which your cat has imposed himself voluntarily and dont see anything moving. Depending on how close you are with your kitty, it will be possible to decipher the meaning. 12.19.2017 4:16 PM. Talk about cats, cats, cats. Cats have very acute hearing. Your cat is probably waiting for you to place your hand on the wall so that he can jump on it. He could be communicating that the music you are playing is so boring and that he would rather be at your neighbors. My cat will sometimes stare at my living room ceiling, not directly up, but like someone is standing in front of her and she's looking at their face. Make sure the place she's chosen is warm, quiet, easy to access and free of drafts. Cats behavior of staring at owners while they sleep often causes the owners to joke about their cats trying to steal treats or do something mischievous. But why would a cat need to face the wall just to hear? If you really want to bond with your cat, you can join in on the behavior; we wont judge. It could be that your four-legged friend is so deep in thought that he ends up staring endlessly at the wall. She will jump at it if you do. If this behavior accompanies your cats wall staring and is becoming a problem, you may want to have a veterinarian perform a complete examination. In most cases, the cat does hear something in the wall or see a bug on it. Walls that are smooth and reflective can also grab the attention of your kitty. That certainly makes their cat stares even more intense! Feline behaviour is a fascinating area, and we still have a lot to learn. If your cat likes to sleep on or next to you, then you are a most beloved cat owner. When an older cat starts to yowl during the night, it can be a serious concern. When your cat stares at the wall, it may be stalking a potential victim that you cant hear or see. The reason behind this is that the eyes need to be constantly lubricated. Some cat owners are worried that they arent giving their pets enough attention, leading them to go crazy and fixate on things that dont really exist. There's method in this madness. climbing up the wall. So, the cat staring in my case is my cats way of signaling their desire for me to engage with them. This belief has merit even in todays Wiccan societies. Cat meowing at night can essentially be attention-seeking behaviour. They also have better night vision than us as they have between six to eight times more rod cells, which are useful in low light conditions in He could be wondering why his meals are so far apart, why his playtime has been forgotten, or even what happened to the rat that he had gifted to you earlier. Why does my cat stare at me? If it stares at the wall for few minutes and that it lives later on, to suddenly start playing with its tail, your cat may be suffering from hyperesthesia. That is why we will explain exactly how your kitty sees things before we tell you what she sees. If youre concerned with your cats head pressing, you should make an appointment to speak with your veterinarian. The moment she stares a little longer, your mind gets on overdrive, and you start beating yourself up trying to understand why. The acronym DISH helps us to recognize the signs of CDS in cats. Why does my cat stare at me? Proper cat care involves addressing your pets need for instinctual play. What else do you associate your cats wall staring with? In the wild, stalking prey helps a cat survive. Do cats see the world differently than we do? One thing that freaks people out about the wall staring behavior in cats is that it can be too intense. If you have the same worry, you are probably much too attuned to your pet to withhold stimulation. Staring without blinking has been associated with cats seeing ghosts. We also joined the bandwagon in a bid to get shed some light on this matter. Cats can hear creaks that your house makes as it settles, or whistling noises within your air ducts. Her brain is firing thoughts and instructions the whole day. There are reported cases of cats who stare at walls when they want to play. We love cats, and in the United States, 1 out of every 3 homes has a cat, with 74-96 million cats owned. She may appear so engrossed to the extent that she cannot hear you calling, touching, or petting her. Why does my cat make kneading movements ? Hence, the next time you see your cat staring at an empty wall, it might be due to the presence of a small insect (bugs, bees, etc.) According to Rachel Barrack of Animal Acupuncture, cats may actually detect subtle motion when they appear to be staring into space. To your cat, the wall could be one giant jigsaw puzzle that he cant get enough of. These include phones, computers, and TV screens. However, it's gotten so bad that we had to move his cat perch away from the router, because we thought he was going to jump on it to get at the wall. My Senior Cat Cries at Night. Your cat, on the other hand, is a curious creature. Cats that arent properly stimulated may become depressed or aggressive. With that said, what seems to be cats staring at the wall could actually be the pets listening to noises. #4: Noise Inside or on the Other Side of the Wall, What else do you associate your cats wall staring with? They can see tiny inconsistencies in the wall that your eyes cant see. DISH It Up. A bugs life is interesting and can be attention-worthy even for you. My Latte will sit in the corner and face the wall, staring, for what seems like an eternity. Its impossible to know for sure, but perhaps there is something in the wall he can hear. Cat owners and animal behaviorists have been trying to understand the meaning behind the curious habit. Theyll move again when they perceive that theyre safe from the threat. If you have lived long enough with a cat, then you know how short their attention span is. Cats are also trained to focus on prey. Why does my cat wake me up early in the morning? In humans, blinking is constant while in felines it can seem somewhat delayed. When they stare at walls, its possible they could be intently examining a little bug or piece of dust. The cat frantically grooms itself, focusing on the base of the tail. Learn a little more about your feline friend. Dr. Jillian Orlando, DVM, a veterinary behavior resident at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, says that youre more likely to find cats watching the real-life soap opera going on outside, but she acknowledges that there's also a feline audience for television.. Why Some Cats Take to the TV. At times, they can be snuggly companions, at other times, they act more like creatures from the great beyond. Cat stares at nothing. Most cat owners will be familiar with their cat trying to wake them up in the early hours of the morning - either by miaowing or pawing at their face! There are reported cases where a cat stares at the wall for long without blinking. This would explain why he watches intensely as the patterns come to life in his imagination. Weeks pass, and its still there. It also possible that she could be listening to some noise, having a moment of reflection, or just plainly bored and inviting you to either play or grab some popcorn and enjoy the show with her. Maybe you even got around to cleaning it and with your perfect eyes decided that its fully gone. Let us know all about this plus any other feedback that you may have in the section below and dont forget to check out our article on why do cats scratch walls. Sometimes, cat habits just dont have an explanation. (Unless you say Youre playing Pretend Ghost to cat BEFORE you freak out then YOU win and cat will walk off in a huff.) A single image is viewed from each eye, and the two resulting images are superimposed to give a 3D form. They can even see dust particles in the air during broad daylight and stare at it for as long as they can, trying to detect any possible movement. Cat Behavior. Stalking allows felines to sneak up on their targets without being noticed. But if its a bug, and it moves, the cat will go absolutely insane. They also have binocular vision, which means they can form three dimensional images of things in their field of view. At that point, if you don't want to play, then don't put your hand on the wall. Harmless as it might be, its an unsettling look. Can your cat see ghosts? Cat crying at night may be simply because theyre bored or because they havent tired themselves out during the day. During the day, cats are cute and cuddly, but when they spend a lot of time staring at you in the night while you sleep, it His Maine Coon Stephan, as you might guess, is always well-fed. This is true for most beings, humans included. Petting at the base of your cat's tail or back triggers it to groom, scratch, or bite the area excessively and then run around the house crazily. With this is in mind, its not farfetched to imagine that your fur baby uses the wall as a crystal ball. lol Usually, this means cats will stare at something, like the ceiling, or a particular place on the wall and WE can't see ANYTHING. She needs to stare longer to see things clearly and in 3D. 3. Staring at walls is a habit which is observed in cats of all ages. The cat's eyesight if far better than humans. When your cat is staring at the wall, its possible that he is listening to your neighbors music. Depth sensation is also what makes your cat stare a little longer at visitors. Kitties have fantastic staying power, so they could probably place all their attention on that tiny spot for a lengthy amount of time. They notice things that humans dont. Even though your cat is far from wild, it has inborn hunting instincts. It could be that beyond the wall there is a more pleasant sound that he is trying to enjoy. She does still seem to be able to hear and see and does respond when she wants to. She will want to inspect and understand why the wall is changing shades every now and then. When to be Concerned About Your Cat Staring. This may be a cat or kitten behavior referred to as hyperesthesia. Researchers dont completely understand the cat brain. You might wonder if your pet is plotting against you in some way, or getting ready to pounce on top of your head! This means your cat may look out of the window as you wake. Listening. Try getting down to her level and you may end up getting hooked on the spooky show. When cats are dying, they tend to seek out hiding places, sleep a great deal and even isolate themselves to some degree. They will hold their gaze trying to form the outline of your face. Why Your Cat Runs Around at Night Like a Maniac, According to Science. For animals, the ability is known as depth sensation. Cats need to amuse themselves by pouncing, stalking, and chasing things. Cats need to stare longer at things for them to see better. When your cat is staring at the wall, its possible that he is listening to your neighbors music. This goes to add to their beyond excellent vision, which means they can see the wall in greater detail. When listening, their ears swivel in the direction of the sound. Cats are intrigued by walls. It is fine for the cat to withdraw, while we call soothing words at them. This is because their hearing is similar to that of humans and is not one of their strongest senses. It is, however, good to remember that even cats face some difficulties in their lives.