Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás – or Dudolf, as he is also known – has really put the cat amongst the pigeons by, ironically, putting a cat amongst owls. The question is, though, can you spot the furry feline masquerading as a feathered critter?
The puzzle appeared on Dudolf’s Facebook page shortly after another of his images – which challenges viewers to spot a panda hidden amongst a bunch of snowmen – went viral.
Several thousand people have already commented on the image, many of whom seem to be experiencing an alarming level of distress at their inability to locate the enigmatic tabby. One struggling Facebook user lamented that she “found the panda in 5 minutes. But the cat? It’s been 15 mins and still no sign of it.” Another explained they needed the assistance of their daughter in order to solve the puzzle.
The cause of all this difficulty is likely to have something to do with the way in which the brain processes visual information, by identifying repeating patterns and then using this to automatically fill in the gaps in peripheral vision. This makes it very difficult to spot minor details or irregularities in our visual field without focusing directly on these elements, which means you probably won't see the cat unless you stare straight at it.
While we aren’t going to reveal the position of the cat, we will give you a little clue: Cats don’t have beaks. Then again, owls don’t wear hats or bowties, but that hasn’t stopped Dudás from including a few in his picture.
The artist himself seems to be rather pleased with his ability to tease people’s brains, posting a reply to one frustrated viewer that simply said “I love your comments.”
