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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / September 2004Kitty IQ -- an example I noticed
As with humans, our kitties all have varying degrees of smarts. My beloved Vanilla (RB), who was with me for 18 years, was a kitty genius. Her photo: http://www.waas.us/images/cats/vanilla-01.jpg Vanilla was a real sharpie, and could figure stuff out easily. On the other hand, my present cat pal, "RJ" is big and orange and loveable but he's not the brightest bulb on the string: http://www.waas.us/images/cats/rj-04.jpg Not that I love him any less. Here's an example of how sharp some kitties are, and I'd like your feedback on how you can tell the "IQ" of your fuzzpals. If your cat's indoors and sees a bird or dog or kitty out the window, how does your cat react when the animal moves beyond the field of view? If your cat is smart, it will know which is the next window in turn to see out of to keep tracking the "intruder". But other kitties will run to a random window. In my house (with windows on all 4 sides), Vanilla would always run to the correct window. On the other hand, RJ will run randomly to any window. Now, Vanilla is at the Rainbow Bridge and I'm in an apartment, and RJ does the same thing, and also here's another behavior mode I see with him... If he wants to go outside on the patio to play, he'll run to ANY door in the apartment and mew ("ask") to go out. He will run to a closet door or pantry door. In his little cat brain, ALL doors lead to the outside. I think it's similar to his faulty chase-viewing of an outside animal. He perceives the outside world as essentially a 2-dimensional extension of the inside. In his mind, any door is a valid door to the outside. None of my other cats have ever made this mistake. Not that I don't love RJ so very much, you understand. But some kitties have different gifts, and RJ is certainly filled with love, but not too much in the brain department. Like Olive Oyl sang in the movie Popeye about Bluto, "He's large!" Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your fuzz-pals? > If your cat's indoors and sees a bird or dog or kitty out the window, > how does your cat react when the animal moves beyond the field of > view? If your cat is smart, it will know which is the next window in > turn to see out of to keep tracking the "intruder". But other kitties > will run to a random window. Jessie will run from the upstairs bedroom window in the left side of the house to the downstairs sitting room window on the left side of the house to correctly follow the path of a squirrel that has run down from a tree top where Jessie was sitting and watching it. Most amazing to me is that she manages to "beat" the squirrel to the new location (she's fast, thus the nickname "Jet Ski". Sammy will start to run, get distracted in mid run, and start playing with a toy or another cat and forget about the squirrel. Demi will see a squirrel and run under the bed to hide from it. Bandit will sit in the window watching the squirrel, and when it runs away will yawn and say, "yeah, so what?" > If he wants to go outside on the patio to play, he'll run to ANY door > in the apartment and mew ("ask") to go out. He will run to a closet [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > extension of the inside. In his mind, any door is a valid door to the > outside. None of my other cats have ever made this mistake. Well, maybe for a cat they do. Cat are extra-dimensional!! > Not that I don't love RJ so very much, you understand. But some > kitties have different gifts, and RJ is certainly filled with love, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your > fuzz-pals? Bandit is our brightest. She understands an amazing number of human words. DH and I have taken to spelling out the names of foods, but she has even learned what T-U-N-A and C-H-I-C-K-E-N means! Jessie is very clever, she can figure out how to open doors, and as demonstrated above can figure out the logic of things like moving squirrels. Sammy is still kitten shtoopid, can't keep a thought in her head more than a second or two without being distracted. Demi is a typical blonde!! ;> Hugs, CatNipped My poor Frank is so dumb. He's a kitten mill cat, he's bound to be very inbred. He jumps up on my bedroom window and "knocks" on the screen to be let in. I go to the back door. He can *see* me through the den window but he can't figure out how to get in, until I walk outside where he is. He can't open a door. If the door is cracked, he reaches his paw in, and pulls it TOWARD him. Every time. If you're giving him a treat, and drop in on the floor, he can't find it until you put your finger on his nose, and let him follow it to the floor. But you know, that's the sweetest-natured cat I ever had. He's timid of people, but he *loves* other cats. All other cats, strays, kittens. That part of his personality reminds me of thementally handicapped people that come to the shelter and help socialize the puppies and kittens. They are all very sweet-natured and happy all the time, too. Don't mean to generalize or offend anybody by that. It's just that I believe cats can be "challenged" too, just like people. Sherry Sherry > My poor Frank is so dumb. He's a kitten mill cat, he's bound to be very inbred. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > He can't open a door. If the door is cracked, he reaches his paw in, and pulls > it TOWARD him. Every time. Smokes a dim bulb, but she's pretty good with doors, whereas Cali doesn't seem to get it. > If you're giving him a treat, and drop in on the floor, he can't find it until > you put your finger on his nose, and let him follow it to the floor. Both girls do this, although Smokes definately bad. > But you know, that's the sweetest-natured cat I ever had. He's timid of people, > but he *loves* other cats. All other cats, strays, kittens. That part of his [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Don't mean to generalize or offend anybody by that. It's just that I believe > cats can be "challenged" too, just like people. Smokey is definately the more good natured of the two, although she's a one person cat. While Cali will suck up to whomever can do her the most good. > Sherry >While Cali will suck up to whomever can do her the most good. I had to laugh out loud at the sheer element of truth in that line. Some them do that. And they're masters at it. Sherry > My poor Frank is so dumb. He's a kitten mill cat, he's bound to be very inbred. > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Sherry Do you think it might be possible he has poor vision? >> My poor Frank is so dumb. He's a kitten mill cat, he's bound to be very inbred. <snip>> >> If you're giving him a treat, and drop in on the floor, he can't find it until >> you put your finger on his nose, and let him follow it to the floor. >> >> Sherry > >Do you think it might be possible he has poor vision? My LB does the same thing, not because she doesn't know there's one on the floor but because she expects another one. If she doesn't get the replacement then she'll eat the one off the floor. Sammy has caught on, and she tries to steal any that LB has on the floor, so LB keeps circling to keep on my opposite side. Rocky considers treats a waste of time - eating is still serious business as far as he's concerned. If you give him a treat he'll eat it, but instead of waiting for another one he heads towards the food bowl if hungry, or ignores a second treat.  SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > > If your cat's indoors and sees a bird or dog or kitty out the window, > > how does your cat react when the animal moves beyond the field of [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > CatNipped Yeah. So you have also noticed, as have other cat lovers, that there are degrees of cat IQ. My Vanilla was so smart that she could maintain a game we'd play for nearly 30 minutes! RJ on the other hand is large and orange. Vanilla was beautiful! RJ does look like a sweetie but it really is amazing how different kitty smarts can be. Midnight our present goddess of all she surveys is quite one of the smartest cats I've ever had; she does the same running to the correct window thing that Vanilla did and everytime, too. She also quickly learned when we first took her in that she got in less trouble when she took her fear and aggression out on the hoses to our airbed (HUGE SIGH--you should've heard the laughter from the customer service department people) than if she tried to pick on Shetra (RB). Frodo,(RB), my soulmate kitty was also quite smart and very intuitive about my feelings and state of mind and always came to comfort me when I needed it. Omar, one of my present orange boys, is smarter than I used to think he was, in his ability to cat burglarize anyplace that has dry cat food locked up in it. He's also figured out that if he sharpens his claws on the mattress it will get me up in the morning; I thought to circumvent this by moving into den in the middle of the night to sleep when he determined that he can get me up by chewing on anything noisy and crinkly that's around. Tucker, our former feral orange boy, learned he could take his aggressions out on paper towel rolls while we were socializing him last summer and fall, instead of on the other cats and us. Robin (black former stray) and Oreo (b&w former stray) are probably just average in the kitty smarts department but lovable. Christine My > As with humans, our kitties all have varying degrees of smarts. My > beloved Vanilla (RB), who was with me for 18 years, was a kitty [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your > fuzz-pals? > Vanilla was beautiful! RJ does look like a sweetie but it really is amazing > how different kitty smarts can be. [quoted text clipped - 70 lines] > > Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your > > fuzz-pals? Vanilla would play this game with me called "The Crab Monster". What I'd do is to cross my 1st & 2nd fingers, and my 3rd & 4th fingers, on both hands, making "crab claws". Then I'd say, in a low growly voice "I'm the crab monster and I'm gonna git this kitty!" Immediately Vanilla would hunch up and turn sideways (being a "witch kitty") and hop on her toes (you know how they do this funny hop when they are hunched up), and she would hop towards me and then claw and bite my ankles, mostly my socks. Then she'd run away into the next room. The crab monster would pursue, slowly, and all the time snapping his fingers like crab claws and making "I'm gonna git this kitty!" noises. But being very stupid, the crab monster would never look behind the door where Vanilla would be waiting! So as soon as he was in the room, Vanilla would leap out and attack the monster's socks again! Then she'd run off into the first room. We'd go thru this for 20-30 minutes at a time, during which Vanilla would get plenty of exercise and have loads of fun shredding the crab monster's socks. Then she'd either get tired or forget or say "what the hell" and ignore me, at which time the crab monster would go away until next week. But she would sustain this game for a half hour at a time in her little brain! Amazing. > > Vanilla was beautiful! RJ does look like a sweetie but it really is amazing > > how different kitty smarts can be. [quoted text clipped - 98 lines] > But she would sustain this game for a half hour at a time in her > little brain! Amazing. Not quite so elaborate a game, but Cali likes to be chased. She's a timid cat, so it's surprising that she knows the difference between play and actual chasing (medicine time). She's also got a good memory, sometimes when I go to bed I'll find her in the basement and tell her it's bed time. Sometimes she'll show up right away, other times it'll be half an hour or more before she shows up. I always assumed she had forgotten, but it seems there are important cat duties to be performed before going to bed. >> Vanilla was beautiful! RJ does look like a sweetie but it really is amazing >> how different kitty smarts can be. [quoted text clipped - 98 lines] > But she would sustain this game for a half hour at a time in her > little brain! Amazing. How adorable is that!!! > As with humans, our kitties all have varying degrees of smarts. My > beloved Vanilla (RB), who was with me for 18 years, was a kitty [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > the correct window. On the other hand, RJ will run randomly to any > window. Both our cats have this figured out, although they have vastly different IQs. Smokey is dumb as a post and Cali is relatively bright. Smokey will run from window to window chasing the squirrel. Cali couldn't be bothered, as she knows there will be another one along any minute. But if Cali sees something out the front door, she will run to the upstairs window to get a better view. We have motion sensors that announce visitors, Cali knows which door to look out based on the voice prompt. Cali is very good with language, Smokey barely knows her name. Although Smokey seems better at physical puzzles, but it's hard to tell due to Cali's indifference. > Now, Vanilla is at the Rainbow Bridge and I'm in an apartment, and RJ > does the same thing, and also here's another behavior mode I see with [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your > fuzz-pals? >Both our cats have this figured out, although they have vastly different >IQs. Smokey is dumb as a post and Cali is relatively bright. Smokey will run >from window to window chasing the squirrel. Cali couldn't be bothered, as >she knows there will be another one along any minute. That's a good description of Sammy and LB. We live in a small 1 bedroom apartment which only have three windows (counting the glass door to the patio). They always pick the right lookout point when rotating between windows, but have different techniques. When Sammy is following something she leaps over the kitchen island to get from the kitchen window to the patio door, or the bed when going to the bedroom window. LB is much more laid back. If she decides whatever she sees is worth following she goes around any obstacles. And when coming from the kitchen she stops in the kitchen doorway and looks out the patio door to see if whatever it is is going to keep going. If it stops at the patio she'll come to the door, but it it keeps going she skips the door and heads for the bedroom to get ahead of it. Rocky doesn't pay much attention to the view, I guess since he spends time in the OUT on his own, and when he deigns to come inside it's to relax. > But if Cali sees >something out the front door, she will run to the upstairs window to get a >better view. We have motion sensors that announce visitors, Cali knows which >door to look out based on the voice prompt. Cali is very good with language, >Smokey barely knows her name. Although Smokey seems better at physical >puzzles, but it's hard to tell due to Cali's indifference. Sammy and LB both know that they can check out anyone who knocks on the door by running to the bedroom and looking out. If it's someone they consider a friend they come back to greet them. If it's a stranger, LB stays in the bedroom window and waits for them to leave, and Sammy comes and sits in the doorway and after observing them decides whether they're worth the trouble to come greet. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html (snip) >Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your >fuzz-pals? Louie and Darla can both count to two. If I'm standing in the kitchen eating something they think they should be included in, and say I give a bite to Darla.........then Louie stands up, sinking his claws into my leg and says "Hey, she got a bite now I want 1 - 2 !" Then, it's Darla's turn again. We used to think our Manx, Bobby wasn't too bright, but turns out, he's a F*ing Genius. I always keep on hand a large amount of those mini paper plates so in the evening when the kitties get their canned food they each get a fresh new plate (and no smelly dishes for me to wash). Well, Bobby is the only one who steps on the edge of his plate to keep it from scooting around the kitchen while he eats. We think that's pretty smart, because he does it every time, so it's definitely on purpose. Gidget is always the first to finish, so she can go and see if anyone else needs help finishing theirs. Marley Anne thinks canned cat food stinks, and won't have anything to do with it, no matter what brand. Instead, she sits in front of the refrigerator and asks for milk. She turns her head, looks up at me and actually says "Meoooowlk please". Louie loves to go for rides in my bicycle basket. When I say "Do you want to go riding?" he gets all excited and I say "Well, go use your box" and he does. The other kitties think 'riding' is stupid, and not very cat-like, and have probably told Louie as much, because when we get home, and I set him down inside the house, often times he goes about trying to spank anyone in the room he sees. Almost as if he's defending his love of 'the ride'. -bonbon > (snip) > >Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > that's pretty smart, because he does it every time, so it's definitely > on purpose. I think Manx kitties just love to eat! One of our neigbours had a Manx that used to visit and although it wasn't too bright, it sure knew how to suck up for food. > Gidget is always the first to finish, so she can go and see if anyone > else needs help finishing theirs. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > refrigerator and asks for milk. She turns her head, looks up at me and > actually says "Meoooowlk please". Smokey is a fridge cat. Doesn't matter what you're eating, it can't hurt to ask for some. It just might be a dairy product, especially CHEESE. > Louie loves to go for rides in my bicycle basket. When I say "Do you > want to go riding?" he gets all excited and I say "Well, go use your [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > -bonbon >Smokey is a fridge cat. Doesn't matter what you're eating, it can't hurt to >ask for some. It just might be a dairy product, especially CHEESE. Gidget (all gray, thinks she's a Russian Blue) loves cheese too, but only if it's cheddar, and grated. -bonbon Loved this one! Christine > (snip) > >Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > -bonbon > (snip) > >Do you have any ways you can tell the varied intelligence of your [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > -bonbon My old grey tabby Dupree was very street smart, and he was the only cat besides Vanilla who would hold a plate down to prevent it from sliding. <snip> > Louie loves to go for rides in my bicycle basket. When I say "Do you > want to go riding?" he gets all excited and I say "Well, go use your [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > -bonbon Sounds like biker Louie was Born to be Wi-i-i-ild! ><snip> > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Sounds like biker Louie was Born to be Wi-i-i-ild! I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can take a look at Louie in action. -bonbon (needs to hurry up and finish her web site) >><snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can >take a look at Louie in action. I saw them, they're amazing. Doesn't he ever get the urge to investigate something and want to jump out? -- Regards and Purrs (pirate mode off), O J >>><snip> >>> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >I saw them, they're amazing. Doesn't he ever get the urge to >investigate something and want to jump out? Jump out? Hah! When the 'ride' is over, and I go to reach for Louie to take him out of the basket, often times he'll take a swat at me and let out a growl. That means he's not done yet, and so off we go again. Do you suppose maybe he's spoiled? ;)) -bonbon >Jump out? Hah! When the 'ride' is over, and I go to reach for Louie >to take him out of the basket, often times he'll take a swat at me and >let out a growl. That means he's not done yet, and so off we go >again. > >Do you suppose maybe he's spoiled? ;)) Nah, and it sounds like you're well trained LOL SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can > take a look at Louie in action. > > -bonbon (needs to hurry up and finish her web site) Those were hilarious! He looks so cool in that bicycle basket! What a good boy. SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >> I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can >> take a look at Louie in action. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Those were hilarious! He looks so cool in that bicycle basket! What a >good boy. Good and spoiled! But he's my Fancy Prancy Nancy Boy, I love him to pieces, and wouldn't trade him for a million bucks. -bonbon > I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can > take a look at Louie in action. > > -bonbon (needs to hurry up and finish her web site) Oh how adorable! I especially like the Godzilla one. ;-) ------ Krista >>Sounds like biker Louie was Born to be Wi-i-i-ild! > >I posted a few pictures in alt.binaries.pictures.animals so you can >take a look at Louie in action. > > -bonbon (needs to hurry up and finish her web site) I saw it and loved it. Suz Macmoosette Thank Heavens There's Only One =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= Waiting for inspiration. Please hold while I contemplate my navel. |\__/| (=':'=) (")_(") I once saw a museum exhibit of various preserved brains. The cat brain was about the size of a walnut. :) > I once saw a museum exhibit of various preserved brains. The cat > brain was about the size of a walnut. :) It's not size that matters. ;o) SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > I once saw a museum exhibit of various preserved brains. The cat > brain was about the size of a walnut. :) A housecat brain is quite a bit larger, maybe the size of a large egg. I have a degree in zoology and know mammal anatomy quite well. With the exception of primates, porposises, and whales, the cat brain is quite advanced and very high on the mammal list. Of course there are teeny prefontal lobes. But the frontal lobes are well developed. That normally indicates cognition and possible self-awareness but not self-introspection. Self introspection is easily tested with a mirror. If you put a color spot or some other marker on a chimp or porpoise, where it's not visible directly but visible in a mirror (on top of their head for example), the animal will try to rub it. Cats and dogs don't do this. In other words, cats don't recognize the image in the mirror as themselves. Neither do they look behind themselves in the mirror if something appears in the mirror image behind them but isn't directly visible to them. They can't "use" a mirror's reflection and process that information. Chimps can do this quickly. >>I once saw a museum exhibit of various preserved brains. The cat >>brain was about the size of a walnut. :) [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > visible to them. They can't "use" a mirror's reflection and process > that information. Chimps can do this quickly. I've often wondered if the way an animal reacts to a mirror is a reflection (sorry folks!) of their intelligence. I'm only going on my own cats' behaviour, and although I'd agree that they don't recognise the cat in the mirror as themselves, they do twig that something fishy is going on, to the extent that they'll usually avoid looking in a mirror at all. They seem to learn as they grow up that mirrors are strange - they'd happily attack the kitten in the mirror while they were young. >I've often wondered if the way an animal reacts to a mirror is a >reflection (sorry folks!) of their intelligence. I'm only going on my [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >strange - they'd happily attack the kitten in the mirror while they were >young. As long as we're on the subject of mirrors, strangeness, and intelligence, here's a question: If a mirror reverses right to left, why doesn't it reverse up and down? I'll post the answer tomorrow, so if you know the answer, why not hold onto it till then. Regards and Purrs, O J |
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