Cat intelligence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cat intelligence is the considered capacity of learning, thinking, problem solving, reasoning, and adaptability possessed by the domestic cat.

Contents 1 Brain Size and Surface Area 2 The Learning Cat 3 Intelligence by Breed 3.1 Intelligence for Recognized Breeds by Animal Planet 4 Cat abilities & tricks 4.1 Opening doors and windows 4.2 Retrieving items from hard to reach places 4.3 Using the toilet 4.4 Playing fetch 4.5 Communication 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

[edit] Brain Size and Surface Area

The brain size of the average cat is 5 centimeters in length and 30 grams. Since the average cat is 60 cm long and 3.3 kg,^[1] the brain makes up 1/12 of its length and 1/110 of its weight. Thus, the average cat's brain accounts for 0.9 percent of its total body weight, compared to 2 percent of total body weight in the average human. Ultimately, however, there is no conclusive proof of correlation between brain mass and intelligence^{[citation needed]}. The surface area of a cat's cerebral cortex is approximately 83 cm². The modern human cerebral cortex is about 2500 cm².[1]

[edit] The Learning Cat

Cats learn by trial and error, observation and imitation.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} Cats' learning abilities are aided by their good memory,^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]} recalling certain information much longer than dogs.^[15] In one study, it was found that cats possess visual memory ability comparable to that of monkeys.^[16] However, for short term working memory, at least one study showed that dogs outperformed cats for periods of time up to 60 seconds.^[17]

[edit] Intelligence by Breed

Ranking the intelligence of cats by breed is popular among pet owners, veterinarians and others, but the practice tends to run into difficulties. The Animal Planet website, for instance, ranked cat breeds' average intelligence on a 1-10 scale; 1 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest.^[18] Animal Planet goes on to define "intelligence" as: "the general amount of "smarts" the breed tends to exhibit",^[19] which, aside from being vague is in fact circular (that is, it amounts to saying that intelligence is being defined in terms of intelligence, which is not helpful if one wants to know what "intelligence" means in this context). Moreover, the website does not discuss how intelligence (or "smarts") was measured, which if any tests the cats had to perform, etc. Animal Planet's approach therefore does not represent a scientific investigation, and in general the subject of cat intelligence rankings tends to be a subjective business.

For example, some cat breeders consider the exotic shorthairs smarter than Persians,^[20] but cat breeder Norman Auspitz states the following: "As a rule, people seem to think the more active breeds have higher intelligence than the less active breeds. I will tell you that in feline agility, all breeds have done very well or very poorly as the case may be. Having said that, there is no certified measure of cat intelligence and this general rule may be very anthropomorphic... until there is a credible definition of what might be meant by cat intelligence and a way to measure it, any comment anyone will make about the subject is, at best, speculation."^[21]

Nevertheless, for the sake of interest, here are Animal Planet's cat intelligence rankings by breed:

[edit] Intelligence for Recognized Breeds by Animal Planet

[edit] Cat abilities & tricks

This article or section contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. The purpose of Wikipedia is to present facts, not to teach subject matter. Please help improve this article by removing or rewriting the how-to content, which may qualify for a move to http://www.wikihow.com/ or http://howto.wikia.com/.

Cats are traditionally hard to train as circus animals. While this is usually true, a human with a good relationship to a cat, where there is trust and good communication, can find a cat to be as trainable as a dog. Like dogs and people, many cats have active minds that thrive on stimulation, exploration and learning. Many of the same basic methods of training a dog-- shaping behavior, giving treats for correct responses, and lavish praise and attention-- work extremely well when training a cat. Teaching a cat to "sit" for treats or meals is quite easy and gives a good base for further training. When training a cat, it is important to remember that like humans, cats will not continue to obey commands if their attention is elsewhere. They may become frustrated or bored, as humans do when trying to learn something new or difficult. When the cat's attention starts to wander, training time is over. However, their fine memory ensures that further training can compound. Cats are social animals, usually living in family packs. In a domestic situation, the human family becomes their 'pack'. If the cat has a good emotional relationship with their owners, training can be a fun "game".

This article or section is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (December 2007)

[edit] Opening doors and windows

Cats that are accustomed to being let outside, or that want to get into their home, may learn to open windows and doors. They are capable of learning different routes for entry and exit; for instance a cat might find the window in its owner's kitchen easier to open to exit the house, but to get in, they might have to use the screen door in the backyard. Also, they may learn to open cupboard doors to get to food. Cats' paws are not as effective at manipulation as human hands, owing to lack of an opposable thumb, but they can for instance learn to operate door lever handles by pulling them down, even though gripping the handle is difficult for cat paws.

Some polydactyl cats have extra digits with a degree of opposability, which allow them to manipulate objects far more effectively.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Retrieving items from hard to reach places

A cat playing with a ball may suddenly find that the ball is under the couch. The cat will try different ways, changing paws, position, and other elements, the way a human would. This trial and error approach to puzzle solving can be demonstrated in the laboratory using Thorndike's puzzle boxes. In these boxes, cats must manipulate series of levers in order to escape. They initially achieve this by trial and error, before committing the sequence to memory. They also use memory to reduce the amount of trial and error when encountering comparable novel situations e.g. new puzzle boxes.^[2] The cat may also be taught to get treats from high and hard to reach places, like on top of a refrigerator, or in a cupboard. Using the same logic as it did with the toy, the cat will get to each treat. A cat that has figured out where the cat food is kept may find that the food is inside a large bag. It might try to get in the bag or open it by means of removing the clip. Cats can also, sometimes, be observed working with each other or even a dog to get cat food, e.g. a cat knocking down cat food from a cupboard, the dog chewing open the tin or packet, and then both of them sharing the food.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Using the toilet

Because of their sensitive sense of smell, some cats prefer going outside to urinate and defecate, and rarely go in the same spot twice. Kittens are typically trained by their mothers to use a litter box and cover up their waste, so litter training rarely requires human intervention; once they understand where the litter box is, they will seek it out from then on. Cats can also be trained to make use of a toilet;^[22] some cats learn on their own after watching their owners, but for most cats, it is necessary to be taught by owners. In general, however, a toilet-trained cat is a rare animal, and successful toilet training depends both on the willingness of the animal to learn as well as on the patience of the owner to teach.

As a point of general interest, a course on cat toilet training can be found on a website devoted to legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus. It is entitled "The Charles Mingus Cat Toilet Training Program," and appears to have been written sometime in the 1960s by the bassist himself.^[23]

[edit] Playing fetch

Some cats can be trained to play fetch with a varied degree of success (which is dependent on the cat and its mood). Siamese cats and Bengals are well-regarded as a breed that naturally carries objects in their mouths. They are easy to train to fetch and carry. It is possible to get a cat to remain seated until an object is thrown. At that point, their very keen sense of sight kicks in. As long as there is at least a remote chance of locating the thrown item, the cat will run off to find it. Once retrieved, waiting or a simple call is enough for the cat to return with the item and deposit it (usually) within arm's reach. Chasing an object in the air is a natural cat hunting behavior, and many cats will chase down a thrown toy for the sheer enjoyment of running and catching.

[edit] Communication

Main article: Cat communication

Cats, like many animals, communicate in a social environment in various ways. Some aspects of this behaviour are simple, such as purring to express the desire for and enjoyment of attention, meowing near the food bowl to get fed, etc, and some are more complex.

[edit] See also

• Cat
• Animal intelligence

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Bergler, Reinhold "Man and Cat: The Benefits of Cat Ownership" Blackwell Scientific Publications (1989)
• Bradshaw, John W S "The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat" C A B International (1992)
• Chesler, Phyllis. "Maternal Influence in Learning by Observation in Kittens" Science 166 (1969): 901 - 903.
• Hobhouse, L T "Mind in Evolution" MacMillan, London (1915)
• Turner, Dennis C, and Patrick Bateson. "The Domestic Cat: The Biology of Its Behaviour" Cambridge University Press (1988)
• Miles , R C "Learning In Kittens With Manipulatory, Exploratory And Food Incentives" Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 51 (1958): 39-42
• Neville, Peter "Claws and Purrs" Sidgwick & Jackson (1992)
• Neville, Peter "Do Cats Need Shrinks" Sidgwick & Jackson (1990)
• Voith, Victoria L "You, Too, Can Teach a Cat Tricks (Examples of Shaping, Second-Order Reinforcement, and Constraints on Learning)" Modern Veterinary Practice, August 1981: 639 - 642.

[edit] External links

• Brains and Body-Size
• The Intelligence of Cats
• How Intelligent Are Cats?
• Documented Tool Use by a Cat
• The Charles Mingus Cat Training Program
• A collection of articles about cat psychology, behavior and training
• Cat Training

v • d • e Domestic cat Felinology History · Ancient Egypt · Anatomy Genetics Coat genetics · Body genetics · Selective breeding Health Diet · Vaccination · Feline viral rhinotracheitis · Feline calicivirus · Feline panleukopenia · Feline leukemia virus · Feline immunodeficiency virus · Feline infectious peritonitis · Rabies · Ringworm · Flea · Heartworm · Roundworm · Tick · Toxoplasmosis · Feline acne · Cat skin disorders · Feline asthma · Feline Hepatic Lipidosis · Feline lower urinary tract disease · Neutering · Declawing Behavior Senses · Kneading · Righting reflex · Body language · Catfight · Communication · Intelligence · Purr · Play and toys · Catnip Human-cat interaction Feral cat · Black cat · Cat show · Ship's cat · High–rise syndrome · Animal hoarding · Cat meat Registries Cat Fanciers' Association · Fédération Internationale Féline · Governing Council of the Cat Fancy · The International Cat Association Breeds Abyssinian · American Curl · Balinese · British Shorthair · Bengal · Birman · Bombay · Burmese · Chartreux · Cornish Rex · Devon Rex · Don Sphynx · Egyptian Mau · Exotic Shorthair · Himalayan · Japanese Bobtail · Javanese · Korat · Maine Coon · Manx · Munchkin · Norwegian Forest Cat · Ocicat · Oriental Shorthair · Persian · Peterbald · Ragdoll · Ragamuffin · Russian Blue · Savannah · Scottish Fold · Siamese · Siberian · Singapura · Somali · Sphynx · Tonkinese · Turkish Angora · Turkish Van Category · Portal