Cats and Hidden Lizards?

[Doctor-S]

This evening, I found a lizard in my home. When I tried to catch the lizard to release it outside, it bolted away, and I couldn't find it. I searched everywhere, but no sight of the lizard.

An hour later, my cat casually wandered into my family room. Within a minute, she started meowing and pawing at an upholstered ottoman. I looked at the ottoman and didn't see anything out of the ordinary; but my cat became even more excited and pawed even harder at the ottoman.

Finally, I picked up the ottoman and unzipped its cloth cover. I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, the lizard dropped onto the floor: it must have crawled through the zippered opening of the ottoman and was hiding inside of the ottoman.

Of course, my cat went crazy-wild when she saw the lizard, and grabbed it in her paws, causing its tail to fall off. I snatched the lizard away from my cat, and liberated it outdoors. Interestingly, my cat didn't use her sharp claws when she initially grabbed the lizard. Instead, she used her paws.

What I'd like to know:

How did my cat know that a lizard was inside an upholstered ottoman?

My cat did not witness my earlier efforts to capture the lizard (because she was eating her dinner downstairs).

Does a lizard have a scent that can be detected by a cat? Can a cat "hear" a lizard when it is hidden? Just sheer coincidence and good timing? I'm curious ... can anyone explain this to me?

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[WhtsThFrequency]

I bet they can hear it, maybe smell it too. Once my snake got out of his enclosure because I didn't lock it properly and I was freaking out all day because I couldn't find him. Then I saw my cat pawing at the couch.

Lo and behold, there was Snakerton, huddled up and cold and pathetic-looking, way down deep between the couch cushions

 

[Doctor-S]

I bet they can hear it, maybe smell it too. Once my snake got out of his enclosure because I didn't lock it properly and I was freaking out all day because I couldn't find him. Then I saw my cat pawing at the couch.

Lo and behold, there was Snakerton, huddled up and cold and pathetic-looking, way down deep between the couch cushions

@WhtsThFrequency ... very glad you found Snakerton!

Yes, that sounds similar to my cat and the hidden lizard. Gee, hearing and scent ... I never thought a lizard would emit a sufficiently strong scent (or audible sound) to attract the attention of a cat.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

@WhtsThFrequency ... very glad you found Snakerton!

Yes, that sounds similar to my cat and the hidden lizard. Gee, hearing and scent ... I never thought a lizard would emit a sufficiently strong scent (or audible sound) to attract the attention of a cat.

They can even sense vibrations with their whiskers. I wouldn't be surprised if they could sense a little lizard scrabbling around in an ottoman. They are the ultimate small-animal killing machine, really. It's funny how often we forget that.

 

[genny]

This evening, I found a lizard in my home. When I tried to catch the lizard to release it outside, it bolted away, and I couldn't find it. I searched everywhere, but no sight of the lizard.

An hour later, my cat casually wandered into my family room. Within a minute, she started meowing and pawing at an upholstered ottoman. I looked at the ottoman and didn't see anything out of the ordinary; but my cat became even more excited and pawed even harder at the ottoman.

Finally, I picked up the ottoman and unzipped its cloth cover. I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, the lizard dropped onto the floor: it must have crawled through the zippered opening of the ottoman and was hiding inside of the ottoman.

Of course, my cat went crazy-wild when she saw the lizard, and grabbed it in her paws, causing its tail to fall off. I snatched the lizard away from my cat, and liberated it outdoors. Interestingly, my cat didn't use her sharp claws when she initially grabbed the lizard. Instead, she used her paws.

What I'd like to know:

How did my cat know that a lizard was inside an upholstered ottoman?

My cat did not witness my earlier efforts to capture the lizard (because she was eating her dinner downstairs).

Does a lizard have a scent that can be detected by a cat? Can a cat "hear" a lizard when it is hidden? Just sheer coincidence and good timing? I'm curious ... can anyone explain this to me?

My cats always tell me where the mice are in my walls. I can't hear them, but the cats can. I bet lizards make all kinds of tiny, scratchy noises with their toenails while crawling around inside an ottoman.

 

[pp9]

My cats always tell me where the mice are in my walls. I can't hear them, but the cats can. I bet lizards make all kinds of tiny, scratchy noises with their toenails while crawling around inside an ottoman.

Anytime an owner came in saying their cat is losing it's mind because it stares at walls or seems to run up and down walls we would have to have this conversation. Some people didn't take it so well.

 

[Doctor-S]

They can even sense vibrations with their whiskers. I wouldn't be surprised if they could sense a little lizard scrabbling around in an ottoman. They are the ultimate small-animal killing machine, really. It's funny how often we forget that.

Thank you @WhtsThFrequency ... I was wondering about that, too.

Part of your user name ("Frequency") reminded me about frequencies/vibrations. So, it's possible my cat's whiskers detected lizard vibrations - to me, that's fascinating!

 

[Doctor-S]

My cats always tell me where the mice are in my walls. I can't hear them, but the cats can. I bet lizards make all kinds of tiny, scratchy noises with their toenails while crawling around inside an ottoman.

I'm also wondering if there is a lizard pheromone (e.g., on the underside of the lizard's feet or toes) because now my cat is absolutely obsessed with said ottoman even though the lizard is no longer present. Every time I pull her away from the ottoman, she rushes back over to it, meowing and looking for the lizard.

I found a photo of the lizard on Google: it looked like an "alligator lizard."

 

[TrashPanda]

I'm also wondering if there is a lizard pheromone (e.g., on the underside of the lizard's feet or toes) because now my cat is absolutely obsessed with said ottoman even though the lizard is no longer present. Every time I pull her away from the ottoman, she rushes back over to it, meowing and looking for the lizard.

I found a photo of the lizard on Google: it looked like an "alligator lizard."

View attachment 217955

I've known cats that search and search for the little red dot after the laser pointer's been put away, so maybe she was just excited and hoping for more fun. Or maybe she did smell something! According to the internet (no reputable source, unfortunately) dogs can smell lizards, so I don't see why a cat couldn't. I think reptiles have a kind of funky smell and my sense of smell is nothing compared to a cat's.

 

[Trilt]

I bet they can hear it, maybe smell it too. Once my snake got out of his enclosure because I didn't lock it properly and I was freaking out all day because I couldn't find him. Then I saw my cat pawing at the couch.

Lo and behold, there was Snakerton, huddled up and cold and pathetic-looking, way down deep between the couch cushions

This is how I found my jerksnake when he got out, too... got home from a test, half asleep on the couch before I realized my cat was way way waaaay too interested in behind the mini fridge.

Unfortunately she's apparently a decent hunter and he ended up with lots of small puncture wounds and on ceftaz injections, but now his tank has double clamps... 😛

 

[Liquid_Phoenix]

This evening, I found a lizard in my home. When I tried to catch the lizard to release it outside, it bolted away, and I couldn't find it. I searched everywhere, but no sight of the lizard.

An hour later, my cat casually wandered into my family room. Within a minute, she started meowing and pawing at an upholstered ottoman. I looked at the ottoman and didn't see anything out of the ordinary; but my cat became even more excited and pawed even harder at the ottoman.

Finally, I picked up the ottoman and unzipped its cloth cover. I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, the lizard dropped onto the floor: it must have crawled through the zippered opening of the ottoman and was hiding inside of the ottoman.

Of course, my cat went crazy-wild when she saw the lizard, and grabbed it in her paws, causing its tail to fall off. I snatched the lizard away from my cat, and liberated it outdoors. Interestingly, my cat didn't use her sharp claws when she initially grabbed the lizard. Instead, she used her paws.

What I'd like to know:

How did my cat know that a lizard was inside an upholstered ottoman?

My cat did not witness my earlier efforts to capture the lizard (because she was eating her dinner downstairs).

Does a lizard have a scent that can be detected by a cat? Can a cat "hear" a lizard when it is hidden? Just sheer coincidence and good timing? I'm curious ... can anyone explain this to me?

*When I imagine what your cat's face looked like when you liberated the lizard*

 

[Glammyre]

I've known cats that search and search for the little red dot after the laser pointer's been put away, so maybe she was just excited and hoping for more fun. Or maybe she did smell something! According to the internet (no reputable source, unfortunately) dogs can smell lizards, so I don't see why a cat couldn't. I think reptiles have a kind of funky smell and my sense of smell is nothing compared to a cat's.

Reasonably certain that dogs can. My mini dachshund found a skink hiding in boxes in the basement a few years ago, and I trust her sense of smell more than hearing.

 

[Doctor-S]

*When I imagine what your cat's face looked like when you liberated the lizard*

@Liquid_Phoenix ... yup, very close to the look on her face, accompanied by frenzied meowing!

 

[Goro]

Cats' have keen senses of hearing; she may have heard the lizard.

How did my cat know that a lizard was inside an upholstered ottoman?