When I was taught to draw a cat (at age 5) there were four components to remember. The body, the head, the tail and the ears. Sure it's only a silhouette, but nonetheless recognizeably a cat, mostly because of those triangles at the top.
It's obvious they're great for hearing mice rustling in the hay. Like so much about cats, their hearing and processing is utterly tuned to keep them alive and in food. Talk about a perfectly designed killing machine!
I love watching an alert cat rotate those things around so they catch the minutest (mouse-ee-est?) wee noise. You just know they are interpreting what each sound means, whether it's a threat or lunch. Luckily for me, my two are indoor cats, and there are precious few mice around for them to kill and show me.
In any case, when they're in the mood, they both love having their ears scruffed and rubbed, just like some people.
