Why does the cat stare at the wall? There could be a number of reasons why your cat suddenly likes to stare at the wall. Some people may joke (or even seriously think) that their cat is looking at ghosts or other supernatural entities. There may be a more logical and natural reason for this, though. Most of the reasons your cat might be staring at your wall has to do with cats being naturally curious and being both predator and prey. They can see some things cats have a keen sense of sight. While they may not have as many cones in our eyes — meaning they can’t see as many colors — they have more cones and can see very clearly in low light. They also have a broader vision than ours.
In fact, your cat’s vision can span 200 degrees, while ours is only 180 degrees. This means that your cat’s peripheral vision is much wider than that of humans. You might think your cat isn’t staring at anything, but they may actually be looking at a bug or a shadow on the wall. Cats may also have episodic memory. This is a special type of long-term memory that allows cats to remember certain events, situations and experiences. This means your cat can remember reflections of the sun dancing on specific parts of specific walls at specific times of the day.
So if your cat is staring at the same wall at the same time of day, they might just be waiting for their favorite game. They can hear what cats have incredible hearing. In fact, they can hear a wider range of frequencies than many other mammals, including humans and dogs! So your cat may hear things you can’t! Not only do buildings settle in, they also have things like plumbing and ducts in them. Your cat may hear water flowing through the pipe or air hissing through the pipe. Of course, our homes are not inaccessible to outside animals. If a mouse or other animal enters your home, your cat may stare at the wall because they can hear them running around. However, the sound does not necessarily come from within the walls. If you live in an apartment building, your cat may hear neighbors through the wall, even if they seem to be fairly quiet neighbors to you. When should you be worried? In some cases, your cat looking at the wall may indicate a medical problem. Feline Cognitive Dysfunction Some older cats may develop a condition officially known as Feline Cognitive Dysfunction, but more commonly known as Feline Dementia. It’s not all that different from dementia and aging in people. Cats with cognitive impairment may howl loudly at night and may stare at blank walls in confusion.
Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome If your cat is not only staring at blank walls, but aggressively aggressively attacking their own tail, frantically starting to groom the base of their tail out of nowhere, or if they seem to be overly sensitive to touch, they may have feline Animal hyperesthesia syndrome. The disease has only recently been recognized and described. It’s not a common diagnosis, but it’s unclear if this is because it doesn’t happen often, or because normal cat behavior is difficult to understand in a veterinary setting. Cats with hyperesthesia often go from a manic state of aggressive grooming and tail-clapping to an almost trance-like state of staring at walls. If you notice any of these symptoms, try getting the video on your phone. Capturing a cat’s behavior on video can greatly help your veterinarian in diagnosing any medical cause of strange behavior in your household. There are many reasons why cats can stare at walls. Most of the time, they just saw or heard something we didn’t see or hear and were watching it closely or trying to figure out what it might be.
