# That little pocket at the back of a cat's ear **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754 "2007-02-26T18:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/1 "2007-02-26T18:54:12Z")
What exactly does it do? Pick up certain frequencies? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/2 "2007-02-26T19:06:23Z")
It’s an ear-flicker button. The ones that didn’t have them weren’t nearly as fun to annoy and humans didn’t keep them 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/3 "2007-02-26T19:07:05Z")
I think it’s more of a built in stretchy bit to prevent tearing when the cats ear snags on something than anything to do with sound. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/4 "2007-02-26T19:28:46Z")
Dogs have them too. I’ve always wondered about it. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/5 "2007-02-26T20:26:50Z")
Every twist/turn/notch in the cat and dog ear has a name. Names like antihelix, tragus, etc. At one point I knew all those terms. Then, the day after the exam. . ._poof_. Function? Other than an anatomy professor’s dream? Ya got me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/6 "2007-02-26T20:44:55Z")
Is it a pleat? So cats can easily fold ears down in order to creep through underbrush, burrows, and underneath beds? And to better express extreme disdain for babytalk? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/7 "2007-02-26T20:51:47Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Every twist/turn/notch in the cat and dog ear has a name. Names like antihelix, tragus, etc. At one point I knew all those terms. Then, the day after the exam. . ._poof_. [/QUOTE] > [@Gary Larson](#): > > Final page of the veterinary exam: name that dangly bit at the back of a cat’s ear I always thought it was where they keep their M&Ms. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-pocket-at-the-back-of-a-cats-ear/393754/8 "2007-02-26T21:07:00Z")
On the left side, it contains a little demon who whispers in the cat’s ears whenever there is a decision to be made. And on the right side…another demon. 🙂