The cat's brain is similar to the human's: it has the same main parts, but the shape and size are different.
Scientists have found that the intellectual abilities of cats are approximately equal to the mental development of a three-year-old child.
With the help of smell, the animal easily recognizes the owner, even if he is behind the door. But if the usual smell changes, for example, a new perfume appears, then the cat will begin to listen to the familiar voice or special gait of the owner.
In Japan, the behavior of 20 domestic cats of different breeds and ages was studied. During the experiment, the animals did not see their owners, but they heard their voices.
In addition, they tried to confuse the animals by including recordings of strangers' voices.
It turned out that, upon hearing “its” person, the cat turned its head toward the sound, and its pupils dilated.
Cats have an innate sense of direction, which allows them to easily find their way home from many kilometers away.
Cat's Memory
As for short-term memory, it lasts about 16 hours in whiskered animals. For comparison, in most animals it is 25 seconds.
Information that is insignificant to the cat is simply “deleted” over time.
However, it does move some important events into long-term memory to remember them for decades. This is how a cat remembers feeding times, family members' habits, grievances, etc.
As a rule, pets remember people with whom they have developed a strong bond for a long time. But they also keep memories of difficult moments in their lives in their heads.
Thus, a cat is ready to remember people for the rest of its life if it has formed a deep enough positive or negative connection with them.
Are cats capable of love?
British scientists conducted attachment tests on the whiskered animals, similar to those conducted on children to identify autism. To ensure the reliability of the experiment, dogs served as a control group.
The researchers measured the cats' anxiety levels in two situations: when the pet and its owner were in unfamiliar conditions, and when the owner left the room and then returned an hour later.
What was the result? While dogs calmed down significantly near their owner and were happy about his return, cats behaved absolutely indifferently! It turns out that they equally did not like the unfamiliar conditions with or without the owner. Scientists concluded that cats' attachment to humans is several times weaker than that of dogs.
When a person picked up a cat, the animal's stress hormone immediately increased. But if the animal itself came to cuddle up to its owner, then signs of pleasure were recorded.
It turns out that cats love only when they want to. Unlike dogs, who are happy to be treated with affection by their owner at any time.
Previously we wrote about mistakes in keeping decorative rabbits.
