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From: mbr@aoa.UUCP (Mark Rosenthal)
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Re: The six senses of a cat
Message-ID: <324@aoa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Oct-85 16:20:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: aoa.324
Posted: Wed Oct 16 16:20:54 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Oct-85 07:24:16 EDT
References: <160@cadsys.UUCP> <4371@alice.UUCP> <612@tellab1.UUCP> <231@ur-cvsvax.UUCP> <428@brl-sem.ARPA>
Reply-To: mbr@aoa.UUCP (Mark Rosenthal)
Distribution: net
Organization: Adaptive Optics Assoc., Cambridge, Mass. USA
Lines: 24
Summary: Even human eyes may see only moving objects

In article <428@brl-sem.ARPA> abc@brl-sem (SECAD/CSMB) <abc>.ARPA (Brint Cooper (SECAD/CSMB) <abc>) writes:
>
>Several writers have described evidence that cats see stationary
>objects, then go on to describe conditions where the object is
>stationary but the cat (or at least his/her eyes) aren't.  
>
>I think that the real question is how well cats see objects that are
>stationare with respect to their eyes.  That is, if a cat holds his head
>absolutely still, how well (relative to, say a human) does he perceive
>objects?

This may be an unreasonable question.  I remember reading some time ago about
experiments in which an image was held stationary with respect to a HUMAN eye.
The image faded surprisingly rapidly.  I believe the experiment involved some
mechanism for immobilizing the eyeball.  Apparently our eyes are constantly
moving, even when we think we are holding them (and our heads) still.  While I
don't remember the source of this information, I think it may have been in a
volume of Scienterrific American.

Anyone got more data on this?
-- 

	Mark of the Valley of Roses
	...!{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!aoa!mbr