How many muscles are in a cat's ear?

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. These small muscles let cats swivel their ears independently, helping them pinpoint sounds and express attention, fear, or curiosity.

Cats can rotate their ears to track noises without turning their heads. This is especially useful for hunting: a cat can focus on the faint movement of prey while keeping its body still. The ear flaps also help collect and direct sound into the ear canal.

The number 32 is commonly given for the muscles in one feline ear, although individual anatomy can vary and popular sources do not always count the same structures. The figure is sometimes confused with the human ear, which has far fewer external-ear muscles. Cats' ability to move their ears is also why they can appear to “listen” in several directions at once.