When it is dark the tapetum lucidum is active. This is a layer at the back of the eye that reflects the incoming light. We see this tapetum lucidum at night with a torch light: the reflex causes an ice blue or bright red sparkle. A cats eye is special; it has a third eye lid, that protects the pupil when a strange subject touches the eye. When a cat wants to look to the sides she has to turn her whole head.

Ears: a cats ears are especially designed to localize a possible prey: the eye shelves can be moved (apart from each other) and can hear any sound, doesn't matter from what direction the sound comes from. A cat is able to hear vibrations from 50.000 Hz, in other words supersonic waves, just as well as a low frequency. If a cats hunts mice the good hearing comes handy, because rodents keep in touch with each other through squeaking sounds with a high frequency. We humans are not able to hear these sounds but a cat can hear it. This soft tone tells the cat where the nest is, but also in which direction and with what speed her prey moves, so she can jump it 'blind'.

Nose: a cat has about 200.000.000 cells to smell with in that little nose, so a cat has a much better smell then us humans. But this is not important for a cat; they only use it for their sexual life and the recognition of food. A cat traces a mouse never through its fragrance and she doesn't investigate the air for the trace of a prey; a prey is only sniffed when the hunt was successful. Her own fragrance and the fragrance of a rival she recognizes on those places where the smell glands from the feet or the body have left their aromatic material. A cat pushes her own "fragrance stamp" on what she thinks is her possession (like us, her human beings). She marks us as 'possession' by 'giving heads' (or bangs :-), then the glands on her jaws leave aromatic material on us when she does that.

Tongue: the tongue has taste buds, but a cats appetite comes from the smell of the food and doesn't come from the taste of it. The smell makes the cat decide if the food is good or bad; the tongue has mainly other functions. The tongue of a cat feels like rough emery-paper; this is caused by little taps of horn. These taps are made for easily rubbing meat and polish bones and thanks to this rough surface the tongue is able to put fluids in the mouth. Cats don't seem to be able to taste sweet, but can taste if the meat is bird, cow or lamb.

Coat: all hairs of a cats coat react more or less to touch and differences in temperature. The real tangible hairs are located on the upper jaw, above the eyes and on the inside of the front legs. These stiff, mostly white and hard hairs have their roots in super sensitive blood bags and can be moved the way a cat chooses. A cat that has to move in the dark on unknown territory spreads all her tangible hairs as far as possible. Every touch of the tips tells the cat about an obstacle and makes her stop. If she comes close to known objects she bends her tangible hairs under her nose in a half circle around her to be able to detect the temperature and the shape, this till they touch the object. These hairs have another function tooL if the cat carries a prey or one of her young in her mouth, she lays these hairs around the animal which she cannot see. This way she knows when it moves. A cat uses the tangible hairs on her legs only when she is sure the object is not dangerous.

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