Though they might not understand that is what they are doing.

Tristan was more interested than we expected in the whole “stringing of the lights” ritual in our home.

Since RJ was a kitten, we have had a simple fiber optic tree with much kitten resilience. So when we took the tree out of its storage container, it was RJ who got excited.

Tristan got excited about the lights. We began pulling them out of their boxes, since, as we reminded him, the lights from previous years were hopelessly tangled from his investigations as a three- and four- month old kitten.

We started over with energy efficient LED lights. Tristan immediately watched every move of the installation. He found a perch where he could observe them in action, hour after hour.

He became a little more insistent about his usual cuddling rituals. Was he remembering being a kitten, and the first time we put up similar lights?

Yes; though not exactly as we might. What he is remembering is enjoying the lights. What he recalls is how he felt as a kitten.

Cat memories are indelibly linked with their emotions at the time.

This was Tristan’s first major environment change since he came to us as a three week old foundling. In the interim, he’d grown to three months; an incredible leap in development and understanding.

So Tristan was at the right age to start noticing such changes when we made some. It pleases me that he gets a warm spot in his heart at the winter holiday time of year. It does mean we helped make him a happy kitten.

Tristan may have been abandoned at a tender age and barely scooped out of the way of certain death that frosty night. But once past, this did not seem to bother him, except in the deepest, loneliest, parts of the night. Tristan has known a lot of happy times with us. This makes him relaxed and confident.

By evoking any happy time, we deepen and strengthen our cat’s trust.

When we opened the lights this year, Tristan showed immediate interest, and was less “paws on” than he had been last year. This helped the lights go up smoothly; and they stayed that way.

That’s the clearest indicator of how much growing Tristan has done.

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Like humans, cats like suspense, too.

At first.

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If our cat’s anticipation turns to frustration, we’ve let the suspense go too far. But if we haven’t been using this amazing cat skill, we should.

Because cats absolutely love looking forward to something good about to happen. Essentially, this is the well-known “three rules of non-fiction.”

As we get better at cat communication, our cat will be better able to anticipate the discussed action.

Now, something happens. The thing you told them about!

Now we discuss it with excitement.

This mirrors our cat’s natural ability in anticipating their prey. So it is a communication channel that is always open and taps into natural parts of our cat’s brain.

They are good at figuring out what will happen. If we turn it into a game we both like, we will both have fun.

Every day.

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Especially stuff we never thought they would play with, in ways we didn’t expect.

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This is the essence of cat curiosity. Most cats have a strong drive to explore, usually tempered with caution.

But if they see us manipulating certain objects… and then nothing happens to us… it creates more boldness than they would usually feel. Our modeling of how the object works can trigger their own imitative behavior, and before we know it, they’ve added editorial touches to our article, and extra buttonholes to our knitting project.

As a kitten, Tristan once wrapped himself up in the elastic cord of a wand toy; while lying at my feet. It was only when he got thoroughly tangled and started making cow noises that I looked under the desk and rescued him. In his baby way, he was trying to play with it since he enjoyed it so much.

But he hadn’t realized all the fun came from me manipulating it. His attempts to duplicate my action is what led to his entrapment. It also led to me putting away all similar toys (this one had to be cut apart) when we were done.

Many of us have had a cat and an electric can opener. Some of us have been summoned because our cat is running the electric can opener. Now they have us, and a running can opener, in the kitchen. The goal is so close!

The brighter our cat, the more Alpha our cat, and the fewer the items designated as “the cat’s,” the more we find our cats exploring all possibilities. We have a round wicker stool, with open sides, which has led a double life as a “kitten fortress” three times now. Such use does not harm the stool, or the kittens, and this is a sound criteria for whether or not we tell our cat to leave something alone.

Our cats are doing this because, like human toddlers, they are curious and interested in the world, especially when it comes to their own impact upon it. If we feel annoyed or exasperated by how much our cat is co-opting our stuff, it might be that we haven’t given our cat enough of their stuff.

We had someone visit our living room for the first time, and she laughed and said, “It’s like you have small children.” She was referring to the big cat toybox in the corner. All of our cats’ toys had been put away for company, but their size and quantity was still obvious. We have a Turbo Scratcher, a Cheese Chase, a Puzzle Box, and I have the Figure Eight Turbo Track on the WereBear wish list. We have treat balls, fur balls, and sponge balls.

I don’t do this because I have money to burn. I don’t do this because I really want children instead. I don’t do this for show.

I do this because we’ve gotten three kittens in four years; some planned, some not. But we have wound up with bright and active cats who are not hunting down dinner every day, as their instincts still urge them to do.

That energy has to go somewhere. If I choose, prefer, and let them know where I’d like them to put all that energy; everyone in the home is happier.

That is worth some investment.

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I hope I have stated this concept correctly, because it confuses me terribly. That’s because I live with cats, and they are constantly behaving in ways that looks like they have made plans.

This would imply not only conscious recollection of what has worked in the past, but projection based on what might work in the future.

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I love science; but when its contentions are not borne up by my own experience, I wonder if we all aren’t being led astray. As seen below, a lot of it is in the definitions:

In 1997, there was little evidence for episodic memory outside of humans. This is probably due to the difficulty in testing for it in animals. To meet the criteria of episodic memory, as espoused by Tulving (1983), evidence of conscious recollection must be provided. But demonstrating episodic memory in the absence of language, and therefore in non-human animals, is impossible because there are no agreed non-linguistic behavioral indicators of conscious experience (Griffiths et al., 1999). From Wikipedia

Of course, we have to have definitions, but in this case I think it might have driven people off the actual track. Astronomers are unable to actually visit the stars they study, but by drawing informed inferences, they can find out quite a bit. I don’t understand why simple observation doesn’t count for more; this is where science always begins.

I observe incidents like Olwyn fetching James Bond to translate for her, or Tristan learning different spans of time, and I wonder why this same behavior in children is a sign of our more complicated abilities. But when seen in cats, it’s “just reflexes.”

Recently I ran across an article from 2003 which indicates science might be catching on:

“We have traditionally regarded animals like machines, or automata, believing that they just have reflexes and habits,” says John Pearce, a professor of psychology at Cardiff University in Wales. “Clayton’s work is revolutionary because it challenges these ideas and suggests that animals have richer memories than previously thought.” Scientists Rethinking Nature of Animal Memory

One of the studies referenced in the above article was created by staging little dramas for a gorilla who is able to communicate using picture cards (which in itself indicates a level of symbolic thought.) Afterwards, the gorilla was able to pick out which human did what at least 60% of the time; a rate far better than chance.

Gorillas are social creatures. Wouldn’t they, in the wild, need the ability to know who did what? Likewise, cats need the ability to ambush their prey. They convincingly demonstrate this ability by figuring out where their prey is going to be; and getting there first.

Why does this matter? It can be a point of criticism of my own work and the cat advice I base upon it; it is not grounded in current science. I’m going out on a theoretical limb by deducing that cats are thinking beings; and treating them as such.

However, as every Cat Appreciator knows, assuming that cats think and plan does work.

I prefer to think it’s simply science… who needs to catch up to us.

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It’s not that he’s a bad kitten; not at all. But unlike our two previous kittens, who are the mellow, Observationist types, Tristan is paws-on.

If there’s a thick, he’s in it.

Actually, we’re fortunate; as we well know, Alpha type kittens can run on higher octane than Tristan, who actually is capable of being worn out. But we do need to work at it on a regular basis; both physically, and mentally.

Last weekend, I played with them over a two hour span, in between household tasks.

Finally RJ was wiped out, Olwyn was looking for interesting things to observe, and Tristan had temporarily sated the run straight up the wall urges and had come up with a game to play with Olwyn.

This is one of the most important things we can do for our growing kittens; keeping them busy means keeping them out of trouble. It can seem that playtime is something they abundantly accomplish on their own.

But this thinking underestimates what we can reap with our investment in “kitten time.”

When I got everyone good and tired, they started using their brains instead. This is always going to pay off for us.

I am also getting Tristan used to coming to me when he needs something; the occasional annoyance this leads to is more than made up in him not coming up with plans I won’t approve of.

Time spent together is also precious; this is a bonding opportunity, too. When he does get tired, I’m right there; ready for cuddling.

It also means I’m around to see scenarios like these; adorable, intelligent interaction between our two youngest kittens.

That really is priceless.

We rescued a tiny kitten, not knowing anything about him. See all my posts about Tristan.

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It was Tristan’s favorite baby toy.

Now it’s true that he throws this toy around a lot.

It’s also true that he has lately been hanging around my bag, every weekday morning, as I’m getting ready to go to work.

Did he put his favorite toy in my bag deliberately? Perhaps he did, or perhaps it came about because he was hanging around my bag so often. Either way, it points up how his brain is developing.

Because he now understands that I’m leaving, and it makes him anxious.

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. It is acquired by human infants between 8 and 12 months of age via the process of logical induction to help them develop secondary schemes in their sensori-motor coordination. This step is the essential foundation of the memory and the memorization process.

In human infants, this is the stage parents and babysitters dread; it means the baby is aware of being left. And they don’t like it. But it is a crucial stage in their brain development.

Prior to this, Tristan would sometimes notice I was going, and pout… but then he would forget it shortly after, because he didn’t have an attention span. But over the past several weeks, he’s started hanging around by my bag more and more, even getting into it or hooking the strap around his neck. My bag is never an object of fascination; except on weekday mornings.

Because I always take it with me.

While Tristan is expressing a kind of primitive desire to go with me, that wouldn’t be a good solution. But what I can do is reassure him that I’m coming back.

I tell him verbally, I do my goodbyes with the other cats so they can demonstrate confidence, I can pick him up and hug him and kiss him. This won’t make him miss me more; this will help him feel reassured.

I do not discount the possibility that Tristan did put the baby toy in my bag as a kind of token; his toy will have to come back to him, and so will I.

Because cats are certainly capable of this kind of thinking. After all, James Bond has been known to leave toy mice on the bed for us.

Though he’s horrified when Mr. WayofCats pretends to eat it. James Bond looks at me sideways, his expression clearly communicating the thought: Doesn’t he know it’s not a real mouse?

Our cats will chase toys, even shred them, but won’t eat them. They know they are not real.

Our cats might not know how much their toys satisfy their urge to hunt, but they respond to them anyway; playing pretend. So I know cats have some form of abstract thought.

Even while I’m away, Tristan knows I still exist, out there, somewhere, and he is always happy to see me again. If we have a good relationship with our cat, they can’t help but miss us.

Because they do understand that concept. And when we tell them we will miss them while we are gone… they believe us.

It’s a lovely way to part company; with the promise of return.

For more about helping cats cope with goodbyes, see Cats who say “Don’t Leave”

We rescued a tiny kitten, not knowing anything about him. See all my posts about Tristan.

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So many of our cat toys are about the running and the leaping. But we should also be on the lookout for ways we can encourage the thinking and the planning.

Such energies want to be expressed.

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James Bond makes a specialty of “just happening” to be where I am doing something interesting. Not for Mr. Bond the eager running into the room as the groceries are unpacked; that’s for clueless kittens! Mr. Bond prefers to be gazing out the window when I walk in with the sacks; even though I heard his feet on the linoleum as I was opening the door.

I play along, too; Why Mr. Bond, it’s so nice you are here. Look at this can; isn’t that your favorite flavor? Since you are here, you can smell the flowers I bought. What luck!

I make Mr. Bond feel treasured because I’m glad he’s there. Mr. Bond feels like he’s being clever; which he likes. I’m pretty sure Mr. Bond knows I know; and he appreciates that I, too, pretend otherwise.

Tristan is starting to learn these kinds of games; his favorite thing lately is to sprawl all over my face, and when I have to move him in order to breathe, he makes a big show of Oh! You’re Up! I make a point of that never being so; but I also can’t complain that he is increasing his subtlety. It is far better than trying to break the glass shade on the reading lamp.

Olwyn likes to rush into the kitchen at mealtime; but not to eat. She likes to pretend she is responsible for it all, and sit in the middle of the kitchen watching the other cats eat. I play, too, I tell her how sweet she is to give all this food to her — well — subjects. Being as she’s a Princess.

I find the fact that Reverend Jim does not play these games possibly part of his developmental difficulties. We are still getting RJ to ask for things; he still has a tendency to misbehave (because he knows that will get our attention) and then we have to figure out what he wants. I try to help the process along. When I see him near me, I try to get him to tell me what he wants. But if he’s near me, that’s usually petting. Which he gets, anyway.

Some of our cats are going to be more fond of such fun than others. But it’s always worth the effort to make it part of our routine.

These are the kind of mind games cats play. If we don’t play, too…

We are missing out.

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Sometimes that toy in our bed, or in the middle of the hall, or in our shoes, is not just an abandoned toy.

It’s a signal.

It’s a chance for us to say, “Oh, look. It’s Sponge Ball Square Pants. It’s Secret Squirrel. It’s Fluffy Bird.” (If we aren’t naming our cat’s toys, we are missing these opportunities for interaction and brain-building.)

This thought is worth expanding upon. As someone currently raising a kitten, I find myself realizing just how often I apply this Name It Principle; and how much it contributes to our future together.

Because a cat who knows what we humans call things is much more likely to form the right pictures in their brain.

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A happy cat relationship is built on understanding. Their ability to comply with our requests must start with their ability to comprehend our requests. If we are able to verbally shape our wishes in a way our cats can understand, we find our dally interactions so much more enjoyable, and our companionship that much more intense.

Right now our five month old kitten knows to ask us for stuff, but he doesn’t know how to respond when we ask questions, or even let us follow him to where the thing he wants is stored. He just asks… and sometimes we both get frustrated.

Of course, it would be even worse if he didn’t know to ask at all. When Reverend Jim was this age, his early deprivation had set him back. The only clue we had to know he wanted something was to observe him rushing around frantically. We had to guide him into realizing he wanted something, figuring out what he could do to let us know, and then respond properly when we guessed it correctly.

Our cats will learn the names of things the same way children do, by repetition and association. We can start the process by engaging in conversation with our cats. We can’t help but give them verbal clues as we take care of areas and items of interest to them; this is how they learn to respond to questions like “Are you hungry?” or “Is it dinnertime?” or even “Does the litter need cleaning?”

But what does this have to do with the names of our cat’s toys? Can’t we just ask them if they want to play?

Of course. But the reason cats learn the names of things is because they are emotionally involved with those things. Such emotional ties create linkages in the brain to make learning faster and easier. It’s like learning to drive; we become safer drivers when we don’t have to think during a skid, and we just turn the wheel the proper way.

So it is with having names for our cat’s favorite toys. We make connections that way; with the toy, with the cat, with our shared interest.

An interest that now… has a name.

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What kind of time sense is a cat time sense?

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Where they are good, and where they are not:

They are good at duration. If it takes their prey two or three hours to bring lunch back, eat it, and go out again, a cat will be able to tell when they have waited that two or three hours. This keeps them from wasting time on a situation that is now unlikely to pay off.

They are not good at exact measurements of time. This is how Daylight Savings Time throws them off. Dinner can be early or late, and long as they don’t have cues which tell them what time it is, or what time it should be, they won’t notice right away.

They are good at schedules which have clear, cat-recognizable, cues. We can be amazed that our cats are ready at the door when we come home, but their hearing is much better than ours. They can recognize our car before it pulls into the driveway.

They are bad at schedules with cues that they cannot discern. Tristan had a lot of trouble sleeping through our night partly because darkness fell at 4pm in our area before the Winter Solstice. Also, Mr WereBear often stays up all night. When Tristan oriented to my behavior, instead of other cues, he finally figured out what to look for as a guide about our expectations of him.

They are good at waiting when they have plenty to occupy them. Just as our own perception of time passes faster when we are enjoying ourselves, so cats will get into less mischief while we are gone if they have plenty of different diversions.

They are bad at being bored because, just like small children, a terrain without interest stretches on forever. We might come home sooner than we expected, only to find that our cat has already been misbehaving. Let’s just say they know nothing more interesting is going to pop up.

So when our cat appears on the dot for dinner, or is in the window watching our car pull up, or is hunched over our face when the alarm goes off; it’s not their Mickey Mouse wristwatch. They are adding up all kinds of cues we don’t notice; because we do have clocks and watches.

Cats have guesses and clues and cues. But it works for them.

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As shown in this classic cartoon, it’s funny when we observe cat quirks with understanding. But for many people, cats are neurotic bundles of bizarre, untrustworthy, behavior.

Then, it’s not funny.

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Cat appreciators laugh at this because we have a clue about why cats act this way. The Cat-Unenlightened do not. Ironically, cats and the people who dislike them actually have a lot in common:

Expecting the worst. People who dislike cats view all of their actions through the lens of trust. Cats do, too.

Thinking that a purring cat will put up with anything, presuming any cat will understand their friendship gestures no matter how ambiguous, and becoming angry when the cat does not respond the way they want; cat dislikers always have plenty of reasons to approach a cat with trepidation.

Then they get the suspicious, even hostile, response they expected to get. See, they say. I knew there was no point in trying to be friendly.

Cat caution is a response to their wild, hostile, environment.

Misinterpreting the signals. People who have difficulties with cats get tripped by one overwhelming expectation; that cats should act like dogs. When cats don’t, it’s somehow the cat’s fault.

The cat shows their belly, the person rubs it like they’re waxing a Porsche. The cat is relaxing on their end of the couch, the person comes in and act like they own the place. The cat decides to leave the room, the person chases them.

At each point, a person operating under a “dog delusion” blames the cat for not conforming to their unreasonable expectations. Not only are dogs eager for attention, they will shrug off rejection and come back for more; the burden on the human is nearly nonexistent. Not engaging with a cat in the way a cat prefers is simply laziness on the part of the human.

If such people would make the mental shift from “frat party” to “tea party” when interacting with cats, everyone would be much happier.

Cat are solitary hunters with social skills, not social hunters with an inability to be alone.

Trouble adjusting their focus. A lot of a cat’s “obsessional” behavior springs from a quite amazing ability to concentrate and consider. These are good things.

But a human subject of such study can become nervous. Being observed, seemingly without emotion, by a being with vague motivations creates a lot of suppressed anxiety. Which is something a cat focuses on with increased intensity. Then we have a feedback loop people are not aware they are experiencing; except to complain that they “don’t like cats.”

Because cats have the ability to observe small differences, act with confidence and quickness, and contemplate with intensity, people might not be aware that they could be intimidated by these small, furry, contradictory creatures.

But they might be.

Cat concentration is how cats manage to ambush and outwit their prey.

These are all marvelous qualities we celebrate in people.

We should celebrate them in our cats.

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