Can Cats Hear Dog Whistles? How Good is Their Hearing

Most dog lovers know that dogs can hear high-pitched tones that are far beyond the range of human hearing, that’s why most of them use dog silent whistles. But can cats hear dog whistles? What about other high-pitched tones?

Though we may not always think about it, our fluffy friends like cats and dogs experience the world in very different ways from how we humans do. They see, smell, and even hear differently.

Some animals can hear at much higher frequencies than humans can, which is why things like dog whistles were invented as a way to train dogs and discourage them from bad behaviors. But can cats hear a dog whistle, too? Would they respond to it?

Let’s find out.

How do dog whistles work?

The dog whistle was invested in 1876 by sir Francis Galton. He was testing how the range of human hearing. He quickly discovered that man’s best friend – a dog had the ability to hear high-pitched sounds. This was as high as 45,000 HZ; humans can only hear in the frequency ranges of about 18,000 HZ.

It’s important to note that although silent, these silent dog whistles can be deafening to the dog. It also has the ability to travel for a very large distance, hence why we use them on dogs.

Using the whistle on your pet friend is however not a guarantee that it would stop the howling or barking. You still need to train the dog to respond to it.

But can it work on cats?

Can Cats Hear Dog Whistles?

Cats have a very sensitive hearing, even more, sensitive than dogs. When it comes to high-pitched tones/sounds, cats hear them much better than dogs. It’s due to this fact that cats have the ability to hear silent dog whistles even much better than dogs.

Dog whistle which is served in high pitched frequency, also known as ultrasonic sound, can’t be heard by the human ear. However, many animals, including some of our pet friends can hear these sounds in this frequency. This includes our feline friends – cats.

As much as cats hear dog whistles much better than dogs, doesn’t mean you have to use them to train them. This could make them irritable if wrongly used.

A Cat’s Hearing

Did you know a cat’s ears can rotate up to 180 degrees? This is a mechanism that allows cats to be able to clearly pinpoint the source of the sound. The cat’s ear also plays a key role in offering them an amazing sense of balance. We’ve all heard or experienced this before, “cats will always land on their feet.” The vestibular apparatus located deep inside the cat’s ear is responsible for this.

Cats can hear up to four or five times farther than human beings. They also have the ability to pinpoint the exact point where the sound could be coming from. They also perform much better in this regard when compared to dogs.

A lot of people probably assume that dogs have the best hearing, but this is not true. Cats actually have better hearing than dogs and can hear sounds much lower and much higher than a dog’s normal hearing range. 

The typical hearing range of a cat goes from about 47 Hz to 64,000 Hz, while a dog’s hearing range is 67 Hz to about 45,000 Hz. This means that anything dogs can hear, cats can certainly hear, too, including dog whistles.

How Dog Whistles Affect Cats

Because all animals are different, it’s not possible to know exactly how any cat (or dog, for that matter) will react to a dog whistle until they’re introduced to it. Some cats will seemingly be completely unaffected, while others will get scared and run away at the sound. 

In any case, dog whistles are far from the best option when it comes to training either cats or dogs. Because humans can’t hear them, there will always be a disconnect between the command and the training tool. After all, you have no way of knowing how loud the whistle really is except by guessing based on the way your animal reacts.

When used improperly, dog whistles will only instill fear in cats, causing them to run and hide or avoid you whenever you blow it. In other cases, using a dog whistle can put cats in danger because the sound of the whistle is very similar to the ultrasonic noises that mice and other rodents make when communicating with each other. 

Because of this, when some cats hear a dog whistle, they might think it means there is prey nearby, causing them to come to you, possibly putting them in harm’s way.

Plus, the whistles can cause damage to a cat’s ears as well, particularly if blown very close to their ears. People who incorrectly believe a cat can’t hear a dog whistle might do this while attempting to train their dog, which can not only scare the cat but hurt them as well.

Final Thoughts

To answer the original question, yes, both cats and dogs can hear dog whistles, and cats can hear them even better than dogs. 

However, I wouldn’t recommend attempting to use a dog whistle as a training tool, even for dogs. The reactions to them can be unpredictable, and because we have no way of knowing how loud or soft the sound of the whistle is, using one can cause unintended damage to an animal’s hearing.

If your plan is to train your pet friend or prevent him from certain behavior, it’s recommended that you avoid as much as you can using a silent whistle just because of how it could make your furry friend react. Find a trainer, in this case, to make it much easier to train your pet. The silent whistle can be an aid to training your pet, but it’s much better to leave this to the professionals.

Continuous use of silent whistles on your pet could easily lead to a change in their behavior. This could be a positive change or could also lead to a negative change. Use it wisely.

Have you used a silent whistle on a cat before? How did the cat respond to that? Let us know in the comment section before.