Fact elaboration >A cat's ear pivots 180 degrees.<

Cats have amazing hearing ability. A cat's ear has 32 muscles that
control the outer ear (by comparison, human ears only have six
muscles). These muscles rotate 180 degrees, so the cat can hear in all
directions without moving its head.

Thirty-two individual muscles in the ear allow for a manner of directional hearing the cat can move each ear independently of the other. Because of this mobility, a cat can move its body in one direction and point its ears in another direction. Most cats have straight ears pointing upward. Unlike dogs, flap-eared breeds are extremely rare. (Scottish Folds are one such exceptional genetic mutation.) When angry or frightened, a cat will lay its ears back, to accompany the growling or hissing sounds it makes.