by Pamela Merritt

Created on: February 06, 2008

Sometimes, it does seem that our cats can read our minds. We will be thinking of going in the kitchen, and the cat will get up and accompany us, just on the off chance we will feel like opening a can.

This seemingly amazing behavior has its roots in the cat's sight, smell, and hearing advantages. The cat's scenting ability is fourteen times greater than our own, their visual acuity and field of view are better than ours in detecting movement, and they can hear and distinguish sounds that are three times higher than we can hear.

With superpowers like that, maybe they don't have to read our minds.

My old house had about 20 magnetic latches for the cupboards; yet the cats would appear only when I opened the cabinet that held their treats. They could distinguish that sound from all others. It seemed amazing to me, who could not detect the sound difference, yet if I had put different kinds of bells on all the cabinets, I could probably accomplish the same feat.

The cat in question is exhibiting the ability to read intent, as well, and this is because cats communicate with each other using their body language. This lets them apply this knowledge to their humans. A parent can tell what their child is really thinking; a lover can pick up small signals that let them know their partner is upset. So it is with cats, who study us for signals we are not even aware we are sending.

If a person thought of going to the treat drawer when they were in another part of the house, and the cat met them there, it's time to call Kreskin. But I would guess that the cat is in the same room when the person decides they are going to open that drawer, that they are aware that the cat has an interest in that drawer, and they are communicating their knowledge of that interest to the cat.

The other day I slept in after a late night horror movie fest, and so I got up two hours after I usually feed the cats breakfast. Mr. Bond, my ten year old Norwegian Forest Cat mix, came and sat at my feet, staring up at me inquiringly. All I said was, "My goodness. Look at the time!" and Mr. Bond got up to lead the way into the kitchen.

I hadn't said, "Brekkers!" or "Dinner!" or "Hungry?" which is how I usually signal feeding time. But obviously I had signaled both my acknowledgment of what Mr. Bond was trying to convey, and my willingness to comply. What I said had nothing to do with feeding the cats. But I had picked up on Mr. Bond's request, just as he had picked up my intentions. We were both right.

Mr. Bond often acts like he knows exactly what I am saying. He certainly has better abilities to understand what I am saying than he has vocal equipment to respond in kind. He might not be that smart... verbally. But he has demonstrated that he can pick up my meaning; it's probably from our long relationship that has let him read my facial expressions and my body language to decipher what he wishes to know.

Which is, when we think about it, amazing enough.

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