We cats can hear far more and far better than humans. We can hear the tiny ultrasonic squeak of a mouse behind the skirting boards. We can hear the ultrasonic whirring noises of machine, which you humans cannot hear at all. Yet for us it is screaming in our ears.
So no wonder we don't like it, if the litter tray is placed near the washing machine in the utility room. Would you like to have to sit on the lavatory right by the noise of men drilling through the tarmac? That's what the machine sounds like to us!
We learn to ignore the TV noises most of the time - even though they are far louder in our ears than in yours. We can hear the faint scrabble of a rat or the tiny hum of a very small grasshopper. They are clear as a church bell to us.
When we are put into a cat shelter, one of the awful stresses are the noises. We can sometimes hear the barking of frightening dogs in the kennels nearby. We hear the clash of the food bowls being washed and the noise of the grass outside being mown -- and we can't get away from the din.
We nervous cats suffer most. Please put us as far away as possible from noisy machinery or the rattle of food dishes. Cats in pens need as much silence as they can get!
I remember when I adopted KaTwo, there were so many dogs barking that I couldn't wait to get out of there. I wish there could be separate shelters for dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteOver the years of caring for pets, I have dealt with such things as a petsitter . Good article!
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