When we have a cat doing something interesting, it’s highly likely at least one other cat is observing and learning. We need to watch some “cat theater” ourselves, to make sure what they are teaching each other are not the wrong things.
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Cats don’t have to be social to learn from each other, but it helps. Seeing another cat accomplish something creates instant interest, and cats actually enjoy admiring glances from other cats. They will then be likely to repeat this same maneuver, and the other cats will study it.
Every cat Reverend Jim has encountered has been a profound influence on him. Because of his deprived background, he tends to study other cats intently, but he doesn’t actually imitate them.
Instead, he seems to grasp the concept of what the other cats are doing, and then come up with his own way of accomplishing or understanding a task. In many ways, another cat showing RJ that something is possible creates linkages for him.
It’s not that RJ is simply imitating another cat. The key is when he understands that the other cat is doing something to get what they want.
Having his own kitten has been a great boost to RJ’s development, since he sees Olwyn figure stuff out at his developmental level. It’s not that RJ is not bright; he is.
But he’s still a kitten in many ways. His age, coming up on three years old in a month or so, is still in the kitten range, especially for such a naturally large cat as his most prominent breed, the Maine Coon. But it’s his deprivation that originally stalled him, and now slows his progress.
We started out having to teach him how to play. I even developed a special cat toy to help him grasp concepts and work with his natural intelligence and independence.
Since Mr WereBear had never raised a kitten before, he did not see what I saw in RJ; the slowness, the times he would seem to “lock up,” and the way he was seemingly unable to initiate many kinds of contact. Then, we got Olwyn. Seeing a normal kitten negotiate the world made him realize what I had been saying about RJ all along.
Cats learn from other cats all the time, even if they don’t have a deficit to make up. This is why our procedures to keep them out of trouble have to be as smart as our smartest cat.
We only need one cat to figure it out; but after that, any cat can do it. Even after the original cat is no longer there, having a Cat Civilization means these tips and techniques will be passed on.
Which is just another reason why I love having a Cat Civilization.
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There’s more about multiple cats in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See more posts on the MULTIPLE CAT ADVANTAGE.
Kitten DJ loves his big sister Killsy, but worships his big bro Byron. He’s picked up some of Byron’s behaviors. Like jumping on the toilet when I get out of the shower for pets. Or chasing the laser dot up the bedroom door. Byron jumps very high, with his powerful rear haunches and long back legs (a friend who works in a no-kill shelter thinks that he may have some bobcat in him). DJ tries, but manages only bunny hops.
Byron, for reasons only he understands, will not drink from the bowl until he smacks it around a bit and sees water splash out. I have to keep the bowl in the bathtub because of this. DJ picked this up, too. Lately, he’s started his own version, scratching at either side of the bowl before drinking. Maybe by using Byron’s method, he spilled water on himself?
I’ve known other cats who like to smack the bowls. I think they want to watch the reflections and see exactly where the surface is. It’s often the kind of cat who will dunk their nose otherwise…
DJ sounds adorable. And yes, it sounds like Byron has a minion!
His adorableness has actually reached ridiculous proportions. He lays in my lap on his back for belly rubs, while stroking my chin with his paw–yes, I have a cat who pets me! His latest is to stand on the bathroom sink in the morning and wrap his front legs around my neck, rubbing his chin on mine and purring his head off, like he’s hugging me.
Minion? I prefer “partner in crime,” as shenanigans frequently ensue. Much like Kitteh and Pip! But with less cigars.
We took a very long time to teach full-grown Callie how to fetch small things we’d toss. it was complicated, with her favorite thing being a small uneven ring that she could step on to make it rise up into mouth-carrying range. Along came Sophie, joining the family at 12 weeks or so. She watched Callie for just a few days, and one morning tore out after the tossed ring, grabbed it up just as Callie did, and raced back, dropping it conveniently to be tossed out again. Callie is gone now, and a very senior Sophie demonstrates the same trick to the newbies in the community, and most of them are off to the races. I still use this as an example of observational learning for my students. I love that passing down of skills and “traditions” – it’s so much fun to be a part of their culture.
Years ago I had two lady cats that were so close they would eat off of opposite sides of the same cake of wet cat food. If the other cat was late, the one who was first would leave exactly half for the other.
When one of those cats died, the old lady cat still left half for my new kitten, who would wait for her to finish before starting.
Now that kitten is the old cat, and the younger cat will do no more than snif at the food before the old man comes down to eat his half, even if the older cat is late.
All of this was without any training by me. Its a cat rule that has lasted more than twenty five years.
I’m not sure what will happen now that I’m introducing a third cat, but I’m sure they will work out a fair system,
That’s a lovely image. This is how our Cat Civilization endures beyond the individual members.