Cats can have some quirky habits: they can knock things over; they nap in tight, seemingly uncomfortable positions; they will sometimes stare blankly at walls. What exactly does your cat find so fascinating about a blank wall?
There can be a variety of reasons your cat has a sudden infatuation with your choice of paint color. Some folks may joke (or even seriously think) that their cat is watching a ghost or some other supernatural entity. There's probably a more logical, natural reason for it, though. Most of the reasons your cat may stare up at your walls has to do with cats being naturally curious and with cats being both predator and prey.
Cats have a keen sense of vision. While they may not have as many cones in their eyes as we do—meaning they can't see as many colors—they have many more rods and can see incredibly well in low light. They also have a wider field of vision than we do. In fact, your cat's vision can span 200o while ours is only 180o. This means your cat has much wider peripheral vision than humans. You may think your cat is staring at nothing, but they may actually be watching a bug or a shadow on the wall.
Cats may also have an episodic memory. This is a specific 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 a specific part of a specific wall at a specific time of day. So if your cat stares at the same wall at the same time of day, they may just be waiting for their favorite game.
Cats have an incredible sense of hearing. In fact, they can hear a wider array of frequencies than many other mammals, including humans and dogs! So your cat may be hearing things that you can't! Buildings not only settle, they also have things like pipes and air ducts in them. Your cat may hear water running through a pipe or air hissing through a duct. Of course, our homes are not impermeable to outside animals. If a mouse or other animal gets into your home, your cat may be staring at the wall because they can hear them scurrying. The sound doesn't have to be coming from within the wall, though. If you live in an apartment building, your cat may be hearing your neighbors through the wall, even if they seem like fairly quiet neighbors to you.
In some circumstances, your cat's wall watching may be indicative of a medical issue.
Some older cats can develop something that is officially called feline cognitive dysfunction but is more commonly known as cat dementia. This isn't too dissimilar to dementia and senility in people. Cats with cognitive dysfunction may yowl loudly at night and may stare at blank walls in confusion.
If your cat not only stares at blank walls but also aggressively attacks their own tail, frantically starts to groom their tail base out of nowhere, or if they just seem overly sensitive to touch, they may have something called feline hyperesthesia syndrome. This illness has only been recently recognized and described. It is not a common diagnosis but it's unclear if that is because it doesn't occur often or if it is hard to appreciate a cat's normal behavior in a veterinary setting. Cats with hyperesthesia syndrome will often go from a manic state of aggressive grooming and tail swatting to an almost trance-like state of staring off at a wall. If you notice any of these symptoms, try to get a video on your phone. Capturing your cat's behavior on video can be an incredible aid to your vet in diagnosing any medical causes to odd behaviors at home.
Cats can stare at walls for so many reasons. Most of the time they just saw or heard something that we didn't and are keeping tabs on it or trying to figure out what it might be.
Cats are curious and capricious creatures. Try as we may, we often don’t quite understand the things they do.
One of the silliest things domestic cats of all breeds do is “stalk” their pet parents.
You know the type of stalking we’re talking about – no meowing, no pawing or poking, just sitting there and staring as if their life depended on it. It’s confusing and even a bit creepy.
In fact, this type of feline behavior is so incomprehensible for most cat owners that all they can think about is: why is my cat staring at me?
Reasons Why Your Cat Is Staring At You
Insecurity
Even independent cats know that they actually do depend on their pet parents for food, shelter, and social interaction. You’re providing everything your kitty needs, so you’re sort of its everything! As such, it comes only natural for the cat to look at you whenever it’s feeling insecure about something.
Cats experience a wide range of emotions. It’s possible for them to get confused by something as simple as an unfamiliar sound or odor. Your cat could be staring at you because it doesn’t know how to react in a certain situation and it needs your affirmation. By observing your own emotions, body language, and actions, it will gain confidence about how to perceive its surroundings.
Boredom
Yes, cats do get bored just as easily as humans do. This can often lead to destructive behavior, which is way worse than the stalker-ish staring.
If your pet is bored, it will probably stare at you in hopes that you’ll provide entertainment. And it’s not always as a way to demand playtime. Your fluffy friend may simply be finding entertainment in whatever it is that you’re doing.
Wants Attention Or Food
Cats easily learn what they have to do to get some sort of reward – treats, verbal praises, petting, etc. And most cats aren’t afraid to ask for attention or a reward. Just because your kitty isn’t approaching you or getting vocal, it doesn’t mean it’s not demanding something through its stare.
The same goes for food. Since your pet knows you’re the source of the food in its bowl, it’s only natural for the cat to stare at you whenever it wants to munch on something tasty.
Seeks Comfort
As we mentioned above, your cat knows that its well-being depends on you. Whenever it feels scared, stressed out, anxious, depressed, cold, or in pain, it will actively seek your support. Sometimes it won’t try to snuggle with you directly and will just stare at you. New furniture pieces, noisy children, health problems and other everyday factors can easily upset any feline furball.
Curiosity
Last, but not least, the awkward staring may be caused by nothing more than sheer curiosity. Felines are excellent hunters due to their awesomely evolved senses. Everything catches their attention, even if they aren’t showing it 24/7.
If you’re doing something that seems interesting to your pet, it won’t stop staring anytime soon. Even if you’re just writing down the shopping list – as long as it sparks your furry pal’s curiosity, the cat will continue staring.
What To Do When Your Cat Won’t Stop Staring At You
Don’t rush to spoil it with treats or attention every time, otherwise it will become needy and demanding!
Instead, try to find the reason for the cat’s actions. Study its body language – tail position, body position, ear movement, and so forth. Feline body language can tell you a lot about your pet’s feelings and how it sees its current surroundings.
If your furball appears to be under the weather, irritated, or anxious, try calming it down. If you haven’t paid any attention to it lately, opt for playing a game or for a training session. Don’t forget to check the clock – you might be delaying its dinner. And lastly, think about any symptoms of a health problem which the cat might have shown recently.
Not being able to pay attention to your feline pal 24/7 is understandable. It doesn’t make you a bad pet parent. However, neglecting your pet’s needs and ignoring it won’t lead to anything good. Make sure you’re spending enough quality bonding time with your kitty on a daily basis and it will cherish you for the rest of its lifetime.
Cats often do things that make us owners scratch our heads. One such behavior might have you asking, “why do cats stare at walls?” Sometimes this can feel a bit spooky, and you might be wondering if your cat can see something that you can’t.
Why Do Cats Stare At Walls – 6 Reasons:
Cats have sensitive hearing and can easily detect small sounds that simply pass us by. We’ve heard stories of families finding rodents or raccoons making nests in their walls after they were alerted to a specific spot by their cat becoming obsessed with staring at it!
If your cat’s ears are pricked toward the wall and they appear to be fiercely concentrating, they may be listening to something that you can’t hear, such as the sound of a family member’s car arriving home. If a cat is listening to a particular sound, they may be sitting still. While it looks like they’re staring at the wall, they’re actually concentrating on figuring out what the sound is.
Image Credit: Thomas Bormans, UnsplashCats can see far better than we can. Their peripheral vision extends to 200 degrees, compared to our 180-degree vision. Cats can also see certain wavelengths of light that we can’t, including ultraviolet light. Cat’s eyes have more rods too, which are the cells responsible for helping us see in low-light conditions. While cats can’t technically see in complete darkness any better than we can, they can see much better when there’s only a small amount of light.
Your cat might be watching small particles of dust as they move in subtle air currents or have seen a tiny insect that’s all but invisible to you.
So, when they’re staring at the wall, your cat may have spotted something that you simply can’t see!
As a cat owner, we’re sure you know this already! But cat’s brains are simply wired up differently than ours. Cats often stop what they’re doing and appear to freeze as they’re trying to figure something out. This can sometimes turn into a blep, which we all know as that cute face that cats make when they forget to put their tongue back in their mouth. This temporary distraction can also end up with your cat staring at the wall, looking a bit zoned out. After a while, they usually give themselves a little shake and go about their day as normal.
If your senior cat is staring at the wall in between appearing confused or disoriented, they may be suffering from cognitive decline. This is an inevitable part of growing old for some cats. Your vet will be able to provide personalized advice for how best you can care for your elderly cat at this point.
When staring at the wall is a problem
Most of the time, a cat staring at the wall isn’t a problem. After a few moments, they usually go back to doing whatever they were doing before. Occasionally, however, staring at the wall can be a sign of something more serious. If you’re concerned about your cat staring at the wall, always seek veterinary advice.
Vets aren’t exactly sure what causes hyperesthesia, but besides staring at the wall, cats affected by this condition may show the following signs:
- Skin rippling
- Enlarged pupils
- Loud howling or meowing
- Sensitivity to touch
- Excessive grooming, especially the base of the tail
It’s thought that reducing your cat’s anxiety by maintaining a regular routine and avoiding overstimulation can help control hyperesthesia. Your vet will likely want to carry out extensive tests before diagnosing this condition, and most cats can lead perfectly normal lives with a few minor adjustments to their home environment.
6. Head pressing
If you notice your cat pressing their forehead firmly against the wall and not moving away, seek veterinary advice immediately. Head pressing can be a sign of a serious illness, including:
- Infectious diseases
- Brain tumors
- Toxic poisoning
- Metabolic disorders
Many cats that are seen head pressing also present other symptoms like:
- Compulsive pacing or circling
- Disorientation
- Seizures
- Vision problems, including dilated pupils
- Excessive vocalization
Head pressing versus head butting
Don’t confuse head pressing with head butting. Cats will often briefly head butt things, including us, as a normal way of leaving their scent pheromones on areas of their territory.
What should owners do if their cat is staring at the wall?
Most of the time, your cat staring at the wall isn’t anything to worry about. They’ve simply seen or heard something that we can’t hear. Or, something is going on in that feline brain that is giving them pause for thought.
Making sure your cat has enough enrichment and interest around the house can help keep them happy and healthy. You might choose to distract your cat from their staring session by encouraging them to play or setting up a bird-watching station so they can stare out of the window instead.
Occasionally, staring at the wall can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. If in doubt, it’s always best to seek the advice of your vet. They can give your cat a full examination and either put your mind at rest or develop a healthcare plan if your cat’s staring habits are a symptom of something more serious.
Featured Image: Galexia, Shutterstock