I figured it out!

I have been reading Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. CF talks about her a lot because she has had a positive impact on the animal agricultural industry - specifically she has changed how animals are handled and treated to minimize fear and pain. It is a really interesting "read" (I admit, I am listening to it in the car). If you have not heard of Temple Grandin before, she is a woman with a PhD in Animal Science and autism. She relates her experiences with autism to animals and their perceptions and reactions to the world. This particular book seems like a great commentary on science for a general audience. I would highly recommend it to people who themselves have autism or whose family members do. It is amazing what this woman has accomplished.

She also explained why my cat does things like stare at the wall in the morning. After I get ready for work and are getting ready to head out, the cat is frequently sitting in my bedroom door staring at the wall. I wondered if there were bugs or animals she could hear in there. Temple Grandin writes about how animals' visual system makes them drawn to contrasts in color and/or light. So one morning I discovered that the sun comes up and shines right in the window and the window screen makes a moving pattern in the light. I realized the cat expects this bright strip on the wall every morning. She must sit and wait for it because it is so fascinating to her!

Apparently there is also a recent movie about her that was well received. I will probably end up seeing it at some point.