Cats have 32 different muscles in each ear, letting them rotate their ears 180 degrees like tiny satellite dishes.

A cat's outer ear is called the pinna. While humans only have six muscles to wiggle their ears, cats have 32 muscles in each one. This incredible range of motion helps them turn their ears toward a sound source in a fraction of a second.Cats can hear sounds as high as 64,000 Hertz. This is much higher than the human limit of 20,000 Hertz and even better than most dogs. This super-hearing is perfect for catching the tiny, high-pitched squeaks of mice that humans can't hear at all.The muscles in the ear are controlled by the facial nerve. When a sound happens, the cat's brain calculates the tiny difference in time it takes for the sound to reach each ear. This helps them figure out the exact location of their prey.Because they can move each ear independently, cats can actually listen to two different things at the same time.