Cat intelligence

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

Contents 1 Brain Size and Surface Area 2 The Learning Cat 3 Cat tricks 3.1 Opening doors and windows 3.2 Turning on water 3.3 Retrieving items from hard to reach places 3.4 Using the toilet 4 See also 5 External links 6 References 7 Other Sources

[edit] Brain Size and Surface Area

The brain size of the average cat is 5 centimeters and 30 grams. Since the average cat is 60 cm and 3.3 kg,^[1] the brain makes up one twelfth of its full length, and 1/110 of its weight. Thus, the average cat's brain accounts for 0.9% of its total body weight. While this may seem low, the brain accounts for 2% of total body weight in the average human. Ultimately, however, there is no conclusive proof of correlation between brain mass and intelligence. There is, however correlation of brain surface area and intelligence. The surface area of a cat's brain is approximately 6,889 cm.

[edit] The Learning Cat

See also: Memory

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]}. Researchers Norman Maier and Theodore C. Schneirla reportedly found cats to have long-term spatial recall of at least 16 hours, as compared to no more than five minutes in dogs^[15]. In terms of working memory, dogs greatly outperformed cats^[16]. In another study, it was found that cats possess visual memory ability comparable to that of monkeys.^[17]

[edit] Cat tricks

[edit] Opening doors and windows

Cats which are accustomed to being let outside, or are stuck outside, may find it useful to teach themselves to open windows and doors. A cat might find the turn crank 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 the cat food.

[edit] Turning on water

Cats may prefer the taste of fresh water to the water in their dishes, so might find it useful to learn to operate the faucet. By coming into the kitchen or bathroom at the time a human is using the water, they may pick up how to work it. After some trial and error, they may finally figure out the right temperature and how to drink out of it without making a mess of themselves. ^{[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. Cats in these boxes where 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 ^[18]. The cat may also be taught to get treats from high and hard to reach places, like on top of the 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 and then the dog chewing open the tin or packet then both of them sharing.

[edit] Using the toilet

Because of their sensitive sense of smell, cats prefer going outside to urinate and defecate. Kittens need no training to use a litter box and cover up their waste; once they understand where the litter box is, they will seek it out from then on. Cats can be trained to make use of a toilet.

[edit] See also

• Cat
• Animal intelligence
• Dog intelligence

[edit] External links

• Brains and Body-Size
• The Intelligence of Cats
• How Intelligent Are Cats?
• Documented Tool Use by a Cat

[edit] References

1. ^ http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Size1.html
2. ^ Thorndike's Puzzle Box experiments noted at http://www.messybeast.com/intelligence.htm#horses
3. ^ Adler, H E " Some Factors Of Observation Learning In Cats". Journal of Genetic Psychology, 86 (1955): 159-77.
4. ^ Hart, Benjamin L "Learning Ability in Cats" Feline Practice s(s): 10 - 12 (September—October 1975)
5. ^ Caro, T M, and M D Hauser. "Is There Teaching in Nonhuman Animals?" Quarterly Review of Biology 67 (1992): 151 - 74.
6. ^ John, E R, P Chesler, F Bartlett and I Victor. "Observation Learning in Cats" Science 159 (1968): 1589 - 1591.
7. ^ Pallaud, B "Hypotheses On Mechanisms Underlying Observational Learning In Animals" Behavioural Processes, 9 (1984): 381 - 394.
8. ^ Rosenkilde, Carl E, and Ivan Divac. "Discrimination of Time Intervals in Cats" Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis 36 (1976): 311- 317.
9. ^ Davis, Joel L, and Robert A Jensen. "The Development of Passive and Active Avoidance Learning in the Cat" Developmental Psychobiology 9 (1976): 175 - 179.
10. ^ Doré, François Y. "Search Behaviour of Cats (Felis catus) in an Invisible Displacement Test: Cognition and Experience" Canadian Journal of Psychology 44 (1990): 359 - 370.
11. ^ Dumas, Claude. "Object Permanence in Cats (Felis catus): An Ecological Approach to the Study of Invisible Displacements" Journal of Comparative Psychology 106 (1992): 404 - 410.
12. ^ Dumas, Claude, and François Y Doré. "Cognitive Development in Kittens (Felis catus): An Observational Study of Object Permanence and Sensorimotor Intelligence" Journal of Comparative Psychology 105 (1991): 357 - 365.
13. ^ Fiset, Sylvain, and François Y Doré. "Spatial Encoding in Domestic Cats (Felis catus)" Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behaviour Processes 22 (1996): 420 - 437.
14. ^ Heishman, Miriam, Mindy Conant and Robert Pasnak. "Human Analog Tests of the Sixth Stage of Object Permanence" Perceptual and Motor Skills 80 (1995): 1059 - 68.
15. ^ www.catsinternational.org
16. ^ Fiset & Dore, Anim Cogn. 2006 Jan;9(1):62-70.
17. ^ Okujava et al., Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars). 2005;65(2):205-11.
18. ^ Thorndike's Puzzle Box experiments noted at http://www.messybeast.com/intelligence.htm#horses

[edit] Other Sources

• 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.