The Twilight Movers

Low-light Lions: Housecats aren’t actually nocturnal (most active at night), as commonly believed. Truth is, they are crepuscular - which means they’re most active during the low light hours of dawn and dusk. –cattitudedaily.com

You read it first in The Factory in Guide magazine.

Many of my friends have pets.  Some are fierce dog lovers, while others prefer their cats the best!  I had always heard that cats are nocturnal, which means they would be most active at night. But, recently I read in Guide magazine that cats are actually crepuscular.  

Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during the twilight. Twilight hours as opposed to diurnal and nocturnal. (diurnal - active during the day/nocturnal - active during the night). Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright moonlit night. 

Deer are definitely crepuscular. When living in Minnesota, we would often see the deer feeding in the fields at dawn and dusk. And if they were going to run out in front of you to cross the road, that would be the time it happened. We had to watch very carefully.

Crepuscular mammals include the common mouse and rat. (Since the common mouse and rat are active in the twilight hours, perhaps that’s why cats are too!) It makes sense that animals would be most active at the time the food is most plentiful.

So, if cats were out hunting and living on their own and forced to provide for themselves, they’d hunt during twilight because A: it limits their risk of being seen by predators, and B: because they’re genetically designed to hunt at this time due to their eye structure. Those eye slits are a big reason for that, too.

A cat’s retina is very different from ours. They have a low concentration of cone receptors with a high concentration of rod receptors, and they do not possess the muscles necessary to change the shape of their eye lenses. Because of this they see very well during low light hours, and with the help of their whiskers picking up vibrations they are able to hunt or get around very well in the lower light hours.

Some species have different habits in the absence of predators. For example, the Short-eared Owl is diurnal on those of the Galapagos islands that do not have buzzard species, but crepuscular on the others.

Many animals that are casually described as nocturnal are in fact crepuscular. These animals include rabbits, ferrets, ocelots, bobcats, deer, and African wild dogs.  As well as squirrels, possums, wombats, bear, stray dogs, foxes, moose, skunks, spotted hyenas, and many more.

Jodi Ziskin, a pet coach in Northern California says, “In the wild, this is their hunting time. Cats tend to exert a whole lot of energy during these hours: pouncing, playing, and even getting ‘the zoomies.’ It’s a great time to play with your cat and then reward them with a meal.”

So, the next time your cat unmercifully wakes you up, just remember that’s the way he/she is wired. And if you are a morning person, that works out perfectly! Otherwise, be thankful you can at least get to see the sunrise!

—Carol Lyons, Assistant
Discovery Mountain

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.