Does your cat often watch you? Do you see her staring at you as you read, putter in the kitchen, dust, comb your hair, sleep…? Cats stare. That’s what they do. But are they really interested in what you’re doing and how you do it? Some experts say that cats can mimic us—that they may have the same abilities as dolphins, parrots, apes, and killer whales when it comes to observing and duplicating our actions.
We’ve all heard of cats that use the toilet. Where else
would they learn to even try that unless it’s because they saw a person doing it? Our tabby, Lily, would eat anything I ate. Obviously I didn’t allow her to have the things I knew weren’t good for her, but I also had fun experimenting with her to see if she would shun anything she saw me eating. Never. Was she imitating me or did she just have a huge appetite?
I love the video on FaceBook of the kitten imitating her look-alike mother as she took a lick bath. But would a cat also mimic her human in a similar way? Well, they can be taught to give a high five, slap a bell to get a treat, and numerous other things—what about the simple act of opening a door. Have you ever closed the 
bathroom door with your cat inside with you and notice her staring at or trying to reach the knob? How does she know that the knob is the key to getting out of the room? Because she’s watched you use it to open the door numerous times, perhaps.
It’s a fascinating topic and I’m pretty sure that you’ll spend more time this week watching your cat’s reaction to your actions. Please report if you see her mimicking you.
Meanwhile, here’s an interesting article on the topic by cat cognition researcher and animal behaviorist at Unity College, Kristyn Vitale in Science Magazine
I had a cat who crossed the Rainbow Bridge many years ago now, who was long enough on his back legs to get his paws around the door knob of the back door. He would often do this when he was impatient to be let out. (He was an in and out cat. I hadn’t learned yet!) Any way, I often think that if we had the kind of door handles we have now, he would have found a way to really get the door open today. I love to watch my cats and wonder all the time what they are thinking about. I have one today who I am sure works on figuring things out. She is really intelligent and very observant.
Cats are amazing. Sometimes can’t you just see the little wheels going round and round in their head as they try to outsmart us? I can tell you that our cats certainly orchestrate many of our actions and decisions.
Our cat amazes me with some of the things he does…never thought about the fact that it may be learned behaviors from his human family but it does make sense. I guess they are much like our children so we’d better watch our actions. Luckily, they can’t talk…at least not in English. 🙂