One of the great tests of intelligence centers on the idea of object permanence. If we understand that things continue to exist even if we can’t see them, we can plan and problem solve.
Cats have a good understanding of this. If they see you hide food under a box, the cats knows that food is there, even if they cannot see it.
But if you secretly move that food, hiding it behind a nearby sofa, the cat may act like a Sherlock Holmes and deduce where it has gone – or maybe not.
We humans learn to reason where things may have gone if they’re not in the place we expected when we’re about two years old.
Figuring out how skilled cats are is a problem because of cattitude. Dogs, rats and other animals prefer to work for food rather than freeload. Cats are an exception.
In a 2021 study led by Mikel M. Delgado at the University of California, most housecats offered a choice between free food and a food puzzle gave researchers a hard stare and took the handout.
For cat lovers, that is proof of a superior mind.
We also know that cats have a good memory. In 2017, researchers led by Saho Takagi at Kyoto University, set out various bowls, filling some with cat food.
They let cats see the bowls but took them away before they could eat. After waiting 15 minutes, they let the cats back in. The cats went straight to the bowls with the uneaten food.
In other words, the cats remembered which bowls had food, even though they had only seen the setup once.
So, while researchers and cats continue their battle of wits in the labs, we cat lovers know who’s really in charge: the cats rule, paws down.
