The Way of Cats

People often look at cat intelligence the wrong way. They think cats aren’t obedient, won’t do tricks, and won’t come when they are called. This is not necessarily true, but it’s true often enough for people to bring up as a drawback of cats.

Yet, does it show the cat is stupid? Or does it show the cat is smart?

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Science has studied cat intelligence, and concluded that it is not only there, it is comparable to that of a six year old human. Of all the mammals, a cat’s brain has memory and emotional mapping most comparable to our own. Cats use tools, figure out mazes and puzzle boxes, and display long term memories, especially those involving spatial configurations, their specialty.

Fortunately, we most encounter cats outside of the laboratory. In our own homes, cats display amazing intelligence. We just don’t notice it, locked in our ways of thinking of the cat as a passive creature who only chases toys on the floor because they seem like prey.

The obvious is right in front of us. Is the cat so stupid they don’t know the mouse made of fabric that just lies there isn’t really a mouse? Or are they regarding it as a mouse substitute, and perfectly good for pretend?

We smile when small children zoom toy cars around the room and tie a towel over their shoulders to become a superhero. What an imagination! Yet when cats use their imagination to transform balls of paper and bits of string into prey, we don’t make the same connection.

It is the same connection.

Imagination is a sign of higher processing in the brain; using a substitute thing to replace a real thing is how humans do so much of what makes our lives more comfortable and enjoyable. Our houses, our cars, our clothes; all started as an imaginary thing that someone used as a blueprint for reality. Cats don’t have the same drive we do to make things actually happen. They were smart enough, ten thousand years ago, to hitch a ride with us, who can.

Cats started out in the small niche of rodent control. Cats have many advantages over dogs in this job; terriers are diggers and barkers, while cats go about their task with silence and stealth. We should consider how well cats do that job. They can’t readily widen holes to get at their prey the way dogs do. To be the efficient predators they are, cats had to become, not the strongest, but the smartest. They had to outwit their prey to be able to catch it.

What cats do, with the inanimate mouse toy, is only completing the cycle, and that’s what we most often see. We see the cat bounding after their prey in the final act of what has been a much longer drama. When we offer the cat a more complete prey experience, such as with remote controlled mice or wand toys, we see more of what is going on in the cat’s mind. Given more intelligent prey, cats will study the object, find places to view the object, set themselves up to ambush the object, and then complete the action with their pouncing.

Cats who meddle with our stuff are asking for the complete drama, not the thirty second sound bite. They want to use their nimble minds as well as their nimble bodies. They are looking for objects which hide and dart and offer more of a challenge. This is not the behavior of a stupid creature. This is the behavior of a bright mind who is bored and looking for more stimulation.

People who love cats interact with their cats and discover that such cats wait at the door for their arrival, snuggle close when their people aren’t feeling well, and will do things just because they know it will make their people laugh. These are the responses of living beings who recognize other thinking and feeling creatures.

So why don’t cats obey, do tricks, or come when they are called? Well, they do. If they want to. If we love them enough to make them want to.

That is always the hidden element with cats. They do what they want. If they love us, because we have loved them enough to take care of their bodily needs, and their mind needs, they will be far more likely to cooperate with us.

People who treat their cat as an intelligent creature have discovered the cat is an intelligent creature.

If we don’t recognize that, just which one of us is the dumb one?

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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.

Thanks to a comment on my protoblog, I found out about Henry, the Fiber Artist Cat.

Per Henry’s person: My cat, Henry, is a fiber artist. This is not a joke video or a set-up. All I do is nail the carpet to the wall, and Henry does all the work. In making this video, it is my hope that more cat owners will realize that their feline companions enjoy expressing their creative talents just as much as they do — all they need are the right materials!

During the summer and fall, Henry’s work was on exhibit at the Bangor Maine Public Library. He is the first feline artist to have his work on display. This is the write-up they posted next to his work:

Henry, Anita Louise McCormick’s cat, is a fiber artist too! He specializes in creating unique fiber art wall hangings. Anita adopted Henry from the Airport Mall pet store in 2002 so her other kitty, Alice, would have another cat to play with.

Henry’s talent as a fiber artist was discovered when his frustration with traditional scratching posts led Anita to purchase rug remnant pieces from Marden’s, and nail them to the wall. It did not take him long to discover that not only did he now have a great place to sharpen his claws, but it proved to be a wonderful outlet for his artistic abilities!

When a new piece of rug is attached to the wall, Henry takes time to look it over to see how he can best use it to express his ideas and feelings. Then he begins his work, pulling a loop out here and a thread out there, until the piece is finished.

Most of Henry’s fiber art wall hangings take months to complete. As soon as he is finished, he lets Anita know so she can remove it from the wall and replace it with a fresh piece of carpet.

While Anita has displayed Henry’s wall hangings in her apartment for some time, this is the first public exhibit of his work.

See close-up photos of Henry’s wall hangings from his public exhibition.

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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.

Reverend Jim had a breakthrough the other day.

He showed understanding.

RJ was a very deprived cat when we got him. Like humans, lacking a rich environment for experimentation and play can result in a mind that struggles with symbolic concepts.

We might not realize it, but cats use symbolic thinking all the time. They know those fake mousies are fake, and inedible. They know the grocery bag might contain treats, even if they can’t see the treats. They know the suitcase means we might be going away, even though they don’t know where or why.

RJ has learned words like “breakfast,” “dinner,” “hungry,” “Mr. Bond,” and “Puffy.” A while back I had refreshed their water bowl, and had already set the bowl down and was leaving the room when I noticed him, sitting expectantly on the kitchen floor, wanting something. I said, “I just put new water in the water bowl,” as I had many times before.

He looked over at the water bowl. He had learned a new word!

We have made a special point of telling him these things, because, unlike our other cats, he has trouble picking it up from context. Most cats will observe us closely, looking for clues that something we are doing is going to involve them. When we talk to the cats, we give them an opportunity to match our verbal cues with our body language. This is how they learn words.

The other morning, RJ appeared for breakfast. Too early, as usual. I rolled over and ignored him. When he came back at the right time, I greeted him with, “Do you want something?”

Always before, I had taken care to use specific words to help him learn. I was ready to follow up more specifically, but this time RJ reared back and stared down at the floor. This is when he is thinking. He has to work through it. He knew I was telling him something, but he didn’t know what.

But before I could expand on my question, it was as though the sun had come up in his face. He bounced over, all excited. Yes! He wanted something!

“Something” had dawned on him. He had mastered the abstract noun.

I am used to asking the other cats, “Do you want something?” and them showing me what they want. I am not supplying the specifics; they are glad to do so. But until that morning, this question would only puzzle RJ. He was not picking out any words he recognized.

But now he has made the connection between “something” and the concept of something he wants.

I’m sure he’ll be using it over and over again.

Find out more about how the Konfuse-A-Kat dice games are helping all my cats feel close to their humans. I used the game Abstract Nouns to help him with his learning in this area.

Got here from a Link or Search? There’s more to raising and training a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CAT TRAINING TIPS.

It’s true. Cats are highly capable con artists. It’s in their DNA.

Cats are predators, but are small enough so that they could also be prey. To protect their territory, handle interactions with other cats, and bluff themselves out of becoming a dinner instead of a diner, cats have come up with many con artist strategies.

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One of the most striking is the way cats handle feeling ill. They can successfully act as though they are fine, even when they are quite sick. Cats react to a possible threat by pretending they are much bigger than they are, by turning sideways, arching their back, and puffing up their fur. Cats are also good at pretending bored indifference, when they are actually alert to any possible moves, and busy figuring out their own.

These are all instinctual moves the cat is born with. However, since they are capable of learning new strategies, cats will also come up with ways of conning us to try to get what they want.

Even Puffy, a cat I once used in my biology seminar as an example of a “very simple organism,” can put on a show we call The Trembling Paw. He will drag himself into the living room, barely able to lift his head, and just manage to reach out with one trembling paw. Dear Husband will usually laugh and say, “Get out of here, Puffy, I just checked your food bowl.” Puffy will roll over and give him the cute face. Can’t blame a cat for trying.

When we first got RJ, his severe early deprivation had hampered his communication ability. So it was a great day when he woke me up for breakfast one morning, and then pretended I had gotten up on on my own. His look of mock surprise, on a face that usually had only one, slightly worried, expression, was well worth the wake up call.

Mr. Bond specializes in “finding” me while I’m in the kitchen or rearranging the fishing creel where we keep grooming supplies, small toys, and cat treats. Oh, hey, look who’s here, his face says. Is there anything I can help you with?

Cats can pretend to be asleep, but if we stare at them, we might see an ear twitch or an eye open. They love to be noticed, and this will override their act. If we have been away, the cat might show indifference, such as making a point of turning their back. Over and over again. I’m not going to say I missed you until you say you missed me.

It is a mark of intelligence for a cat to figure out how to pretend certain behaviors, in order to create certain, other, behaviors in other living creatures. It is not that the cat has a sneaky nature, though this behavior can be interpreted that way.

After all, don’t we pretend? Sometimes to be polite. Sometimes to stay out of trouble. Sometimes to play a joke on a friend.

Pretending is a sign of an active imagination and the ability to conceptualize. It’s abstract thinking. It indicates a high order of intelligence.

For us. And for cats.

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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.