We need a good grasp of cat senses to understand the process by which our cat knows it is us when we walk into a room.

While their hearing is far keener than ours, both high and low, their vision does not work the way ours does. While we can easily recognize a person’s face near and far, even after years of absence or the changes that come from aging, cats have a recognition process that works very differently from a human’s.

Cats won’t recognize us from a photograph. Cat police would not be able to use a lineup.

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As far as vision goes, cats rely on recognition of our unique body language. That’s why they can sometimes be thrown by hats, parkas, or Halloween costumes unless we call to them and let them know it’s us.

Our voice is always going to be the most distinctive part of us, and our cat can recognize it even when we use accents, different pitches, or over the phone. When I’m away, Mr WereBear always lets Mr. Bond listen to me saying hello. It lets him know I’m still out there, somewhere.

While our scent is equally distinctive, this isn’t necessarily something a cat can pick up on short notice or from across the room. If we pet them in their sleep, this is one of the senses they use to know it’s us.

The popular game known as “sneaking up on the cat” gets its confusing power from the way our body language changes when we creep on on them, a posture very different from our normal range of motion. While the cat is pretty sure it’s us, we are sending enough confusing signals for the cat to suspect their leg is being pulled in a joke.

This is the same confusion that occurs when we dress differently from our normal routine, and see that the cat is wary or confused. Our profile has changed, we might be wearing perfume or cologne, and if we don’t usually wear high heels, even our walk has changed.

We shouldn’t feel hurt if the cat flees. We are sending the same kind of confusing signals as we do in the “sneaking up on the cat” game.

Remember that our cats are solitary predators. Caution is how they kept away from bigger, stronger, predators. Any time we look differently, or act differently, we are confusing the cat.

They will not be enthused until they are sure it is us, and what our intentions are.

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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.