Cats have a very independent personality and rarely obey human commands, which is why the experiments used to study other animals are not always applicable to cats. As a result, there has been very little research on cats’ intelligence and brain compared to other animals. However, scientists have still attempted some limited methods to gain an initial understanding of the feline brain. Although the level of understanding is not as clear as it is for dogs, some of the mysteries surrounding cats have been uncovered.
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Cats Can Understand Hand Gestures
Although cats cannot understand every word we say, they can read our body language. Researchers have found that cats are able to comprehend human hand gestures and follow them to find food. In a 2005 study, researchers provided cats with two food bowls—one empty and one filled with cat food, but neither visible from the cat’s position. The researchers pointed to the bowl with food and then allowed the cat to choose. The vast majority of the cats followed the gesture and went directly to the correct bowl. This suggests that cats have the ability to understand human body language. Having lived with humans for a long time, cats are able to pick up on the cues we give, even if they may not be as sensitive as humans.
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Cats Understand Object Permanence
If we put an object out of sight, such as placing a pair of socks in a drawer, we know the socks are still there, even though we can’t see them. This concept is called “object permanence,” and it’s a basic abstract idea that even infants may not fully grasp. However, cats can understand this concept. For instance, when a cat is hunting a mouse and the mouse hides in a hole, the cat will wait by the hole because it knows the mouse hasn’t disappeared—it’s still there. This shows that cats have some level of abstract thinking, which is crucial for their hunting abilities.
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Cats Have Poor Short-Term Memory
In a study, researchers showed cats the location of a toy, then gave them varying amounts of time before asking them to find it. The study found that cats could remember the correct answer for only about 1 minute, and their memory began to decline rapidly after 10 seconds. In contrast, cats have better long-term memory. [Link: Do aloof cats remember their owners’ faces?
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Cats Have a Sense of Time
Cats are creatures of habit, typically eating at fixed times. But how do they know when it’s time to eat? While there’s limited research on this, some studies confirm that cats do have a sense of time. In one experiment, researchers confined cats to cages and then released them at different intervals. Two food bowls were prepared for the cats, with the food placed in different bowls depending on the time intervals. The study found that cats could distinguish between time intervals of 5, 8, 10, and 20 seconds, successfully finding the correct bowl each time.
Based on this, scientists have concluded that cats can perceive time intervals. In addition to distinguishing between different lengths of time, cats can also tell the number of objects. Although there is still much to learn about how cats think, how their brains work, and how they perceive the world, one thing is clear: cats do have a certain level of intelligence. We simply don’t know everything about them yet—that’s all.
