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tachikoma01
2009-06-18 04:30 pm UTC (link)

I'm not sure the test tests 'cause and effect' as much as the study seems to think it does, because the cats obviously got that pulling the string would lead to getting a treat. I'd say it's more along the lines of the cat not being able to figure out to which string the treat was attached. If anything, I'd say it's not a lack of ability to understand cause and effect, but the lack of ability of this particular test to measure how cats process information.

Which is why cats leave doing mazes to the mice. Have you ever seen a cat try to do the fun mazes that come on kids' menus? They get so frustrated that they usually just give up and eat the paper menu. And the toilet paper. And the paper towels. Oh wait, that's not every cat. That's just Oliver-the-mega-glutton.

... *waits for all the journalfenners to show up so we can share cat stories*

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tachikoma01
2009-06-18 05:02 pm UTC (link)

Replying again to say that the sheer amount of extreme cat hate in some of the comments disturbs me. It's one thing to dislike cats or say they're not their thing, but some of the posters are only a step away from advocating killing cats. And the more people get the idea that that attitude is 'normal' (ESPECIALLY since it seems to be pushed as normal if you're a young male to hate cats and love dogs), the more validation it gives to sickos who like hurting animals.

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	tree 2009-06-18 05:27 pm UTC (link)
	it seems to be pushed as normal if you're a young male to hate cats and love dogs It's more like 'have dogs' (especially Bull Terriers), not necessarily care about them. I'm a dog owner and this kind of attitude depresses and pisses me off. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

ecchaniz0r
2009-06-18 06:33 pm UTC (link)

Blargh. This. I babysit the parents' cat, but - dangit, dogs are AWESOME, and people who neglect or abuse pets - ANY pets - fail at life and should consume excrement doom doom doom the end.

(Obligatory kitty story: parents' cat, Harley Davidson, has apparent worked out how a doorknob works if her reeeeaching for 'em and attempting grabbity is any indication. Alas - no opposable thumbs! Then again, she may just be going omgshiny. But it's hard to say; my aunt Laurel's cats both know how to open the doors in her house, and those have lever-knobs easier for futzy little paws to hook around.)

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(no subject) - tree, 2009-06-18 06:47 pm UTC

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beccastareyes, 2009-06-18 07:44 pm UTC

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also_not_a_pipe, 2009-06-18 08:06 pm UTC

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brennalarose, 2009-06-18 09:45 pm UTC

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amaresu, 2009-06-19 04:36 am UTC

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vzg, 2009-06-28 08:57 pm UTC

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sepiamagpie, 2009-06-18 10:10 pm UTC

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ecchaniz0r, 2009-06-19 03:12 am UTC

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quackaquacka, 2009-06-19 12:37 pm UTC

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tofuknight, 2009-06-19 03:55 pm UTC

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jyuu, 2009-06-20 05:20 am UTC

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mary_mac, 2009-06-20 03:16 pm UTC

beccastareyes
2009-06-18 05:43 pm UTC (link)

My little brother never really liked cats until Mom got Peppy, our youngest one, who seems to think he is a combination of dog and squirrel. (Only cat I've seen that rough-houses with humans while playing. On the other hand, he also grooms the family if he can get at our heads, sleeps in the sink, and refuses to drink water unless it's from the toilet or sitting in a dish in the sink, so he's definitely got some weird-cat traits.)

Peppy probably also would not be attracted to treats. The only time food other than his dry cat food is interesting is if Geno, our other cat, is eating it and Peppy needs to make sure that Geno isn't getting anything he wants. (Strings on the other hand, are great...)

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	amaresu 2009-06-19 04:40 am UTC (link)
	It was something like 16 years before my cat Snickers showed any interest in food beyond his dry stuff. So it could just be that Peppy needs to age a bit? (Reply to this)(Parent)

sepiamagpie
2009-06-18 10:08 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, my brother insisted over and over he needed a dog if my sister was to have a cat because that's how it should be*.

Currently he's neglecting the dog once he got bored while my sister cares for the cats and the dog. He still makes constant comments about beating up the cats when no one is looking. I'm not sure exactly what he's trying to prove, except he's a jackass.

*the fact I also had a cat meant nothing, apparently. But I have a feeling he doesn't see me as particularly masculine to begin with.

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(no subject) - tree, 2009-06-18 10:19 pm UTC

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sepiamagpie, 2009-06-18 10:21 pm UTC

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ecchaniz0r, 2009-06-19 01:34 pm UTC

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vzg, 2009-06-28 09:02 pm UTC

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snarkhunter, 2009-06-20 05:09 pm UTC

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(no subject) - tetradecimal, 2009-06-20 07:01 pm UTC

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sepiamagpie, 2009-06-20 10:31 pm UTC

	tree 2009-06-18 05:29 pm UTC (link)
	waits for all the journalfenners to show up so we can share cat stories I admit this was my main reason for posting. I love cat, dog, hamster, turtle, goat, pig, everything stories! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	YAY DOGS :D bigbigtruck 2009-06-18 08:03 pm UTC (link)
	Dini and the mirror I don't have any cat stories because my cat hates EVERYONE. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: YAY DOGS :D -

wankismyfandom, 2009-06-18 10:36 pm UTC

Re: YAY DOGS :D - tree, 2009-06-18 10:41 pm UTC

tofuknight
2009-06-18 06:26 pm UTC (link)

Oooh, is it pet story time?

For insane reasons, I once had both cats and pet rats at my house at the same time. This was a gigantic pain in the ass, but that's different. ANYWAY, once the cat was stalking the rat who was in his cage.

Cat: I STALK J00! I AM GREAT HUNTR!!
(note: the said cat is about six months old)
Rat: Hmm, I think it's time to clean between my toes. *licks*
Cat: SEE ME STALKING J00! U HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT MY EYES ARE TWO INCHES FROM YOUR SOUL!!!!
(at this point, Tofuknight grabs for the water squirt bottle)
Rat: *looks up, puffs up ALL of his fur and lunges at the cat*
Cat: HOLY FUCK!!! *runs to the other side of the room* *looks embaressed*
Rat: *goes back to minutely cleaning between toes*
(Tofuknight is now trying not to fall over laughing)

This rat was also the biggest candidate for Prozac I have ever seen, including myself, but I loved him. :D

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	tree 2009-06-19 12:31 pm UTC (link)
	MY EYES ARE TWO INCHES FROM YOUR SOUL I LOL'd! (Reply to this)(Parent)

A rambling cat tale with something of a point and also a bald eagle.

notarose
2009-06-18 08:13 pm UTC (link)

I know for sure that cats aren't so great at estimating sizes over distances, if that's any measure of anything.

The first time our late cat Elvira was allowed outside post-adoption (sometimes barn cat mommas forget how to count and you get to adopt the kittens!), she charged the fenceline, convinced she was going to eat some tasty cow meats.

Luckily, though fierce beyond reason*, she saw the mistake in the end.

(I've seen a bald eagle make the same mistake with emus. Ride a thermal over to the emu farm, get into attack position and then notice halfway down that "Oh! They're bigger than me!" Old Banana Nose was not the brighest bird in the tree.)

*She and her late brother Jack Pumpkinhead weren't fed for about a day after their mother forgot to count. When we found them, we set to bottle-feeding. Jack stayed just awake enough to eat and snuggled in to keep warm. Elvira went nutso, scratching and biting and most of the time forgetting that the bottle was full of food.

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portkey
2009-06-19 04:53 am UTC (link)

I only have one great cat story, and it's more of a "you had to be there" thing, but..

One day I was in the house alone, sitting at my computer, when I suddenly heard my oldest, fattest cat Buddy running frantically on the floor above me. I estimate he started in the bathroom. He ran down the hallway upstairs, down the staircase, through the front hall, then skittered along the linoleum of the kitchen as he tried to make the turn for the dining room, where I was. I looked up as he rounded the corner to see him run straight across the room and attempt to jump atop a built-in chest of drawers.

He didn't make it. He hit the heavy wood with his face, rebounding backward several inches. However, in midair he pulled one of those acrobatic manoeuvres cats are capable of, contorting his entire body so that he ended up making a perfect backflip, landing on his stomach.

Then he calmly turned around and left the room the way he came in.

(I can only assume that he saw a bird or something through the bathroom window in the hedge on that side of the house, and he had in it mind to get down to 'sea-level' and attack through the dining room window..)

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zara_zero
2009-06-19 11:14 am UTC (link)

That reminds me of something that happened with my flatmate's enormous black cat, who isn't the brightest bulb.

My flatmate and I were in the kitchen one night when he strolls in, sits up on his hind legs and gets a good, long look at the kitchen window, then leaps face first into the glass.

That window is almost never opened so I'm not sure why he thought that was a good idea. And since it was nighttime and we had the inside light on, you'd think he could see his reflection (or ours) but... yeah.

He can open doors though, because he's so heavy. He likes to walk down the hallway on cold mornings, opening everybody's bedroom doors while they're sleeping and letting all the cold hall air in. My little cat can see how he does it but she's too light, so she just stands there batting the handle with her paws and meowing at me frantically in frustration.

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evilsqueakers
2009-06-19 06:47 am UTC (link)

Well, there's my cat Teyla.

My power went out a couple months and I needed, to you know see, so I just went to my mom's. So I ended up with only cat carrier since I'd never taken both anywhere before. I've got Noelle in one and so I find a box because it's getting dark and the power's out. I get a box, put Tey in, thinking she couldn't get out. Get them and me all loaded up. I bookended the box so she could breathe since I was out of tape in a another box.

Okay, so we're on our way in traffic hour. I get not 10 minutes from my house when I hear her getting out. Well shit, I might as go since it's only about 15 minutes more. Except my cat, smart one that she is, thinks it's more fun to go wandering. In a moving car. I was stopping suddenly because of traffic hour. Okay, 10 more minutes and I'll be there. I couldn't get there. I started to worry when she was climbing over everything and sitting in the windows, watching the world go by. I had to turn around and leave her there overnight in the dark while I took my other cat and myself to some place I could see in.

The cat had perfect balance over a big cat carrier (made for a medium sized dog), laundry bag, laptop carrier, weird backseat positions. And the whole time, she's just completely chill, chirping at the people flying by.

I have special children, I do.

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Cat story!

bobafeis
2009-06-19 06:53 am UTC (link)

So, I just got a new kitten (Kniggy) a month or two ago. I have another cat (Foof), who is now a rather crotchety old man. This is the journal entry I wrote describing their first meeting:

Me: Hey, Foof, meet your new friend!
Foof: *Hisshiss* Oh, what the hell, I don't really care. I'm going to nap, wake me up when it's gone.
Kniggy: Are you my mommy?
Foof: No.
Kniggy: Are you sure? You're an effeminate cat who's orange and several times my size, just like mommy!
Foof: Go away.
Kniggy: Mommy, I'm hungry.
Foof: So what? I can't do anything about - OH MY GOD, DO NOT PUT YOUR HEAD THERE! HAVE YOU NO DECENCY?!
Kniggy: Mommy?! Why are you hitting me?!
Me: Okaaaaay. It's time to separate you two, isn't it?
*Kniggy retires to the bathroom, where he is provided with food and water and milk and toys*
Kniggy: Mommymommymommy!
Foof: *sulk*
Kniggy: MOMMY!
Foof: *snore*
Kniggy: Where is mommy? *escape from bathroom*
Foof: *snoresnoresno-* BAD TOUCH! BAD TOUCH! *hides face in shame*
Kniggy: D:

The only reason things have improved in the past month or so is because Foof now sleeps on his stomach instead of on his side.

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	Re: Cat story! felinephoenix 2009-06-23 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	That was great. :3 Reminds me of how some of our male cats would let kittens "suckle" if their mothers were busy. They were too tired to stop them, I guess. (Reply to this)(Parent)

Re: Cat story!

vzg
2009-06-28 09:14 pm UTC (link)

My dogs were similar! We got Mr. Bojangles, whose mother was a Golden Retriever, and still had Farley, who was, yes, a Golden. Bo was convinced Farley was his mother, much to Farley's irritation.

Farley got back at him by being tricksy when rawhide chews came into play, though. He'd pretend he needed to go out, and then when Bo, who loves the outdoors, would run to join him, he'd suddenly decide he didn't need to go out after all and get the remains of Bo's chewie. Bo could never figure it out, though he was pretty smart in other ways.

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	If we're sharing cat stories fairestcat 2009-06-19 09:07 pm UTC (link)
	Max and the Typhoon The true story of a man, a typhoon and one very single-minded cat. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: If we're sharing cat stories artimusdin 2009-06-20 07:48 am UTC (link)
	... okay, that had me laughing so hard I was crying. My tummy hurts now. It hurts so good. (Reply to this)(Parent)

aaron_agonistes
2009-06-20 05:05 am UTC (link)

I used to live in a factory in East Oakland. Cement walls, DMZ neighborhood, whole first floor built to allow semi truck deliveries... the works.

We lived on the second floor, which in a normal apartment building would have been the third. The only way in is through the front door and up the elevator, and there is no way to get to the roof without going through our apartment.

And yet, there was a cat there. Little white skinny thing, who decided he was going to come inside and sit on my lap. The roommates weren't too keen on his filthy, unneutered self, so he was left in the front room. The cat had other ideas.

He figured out how to get out onto the roof, cross to the other side (which was much more complicated than it sounds; I wish I had pictures), climb the 4-foot window and come back in. To sit in my lap.

Hell yeah I kept him.

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	mer1973 2009-06-21 02:20 am UTC (link)
	aaaawwwww. Also, you rock. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	isntitironic 2009-06-20 03:26 pm UTC (link)
	The other day my cat was stalking a spider in the basement, when it suddenly up and started scurrying towards her. She went, ONOZ, IT'S CHARGING! and ran. Oh, we laughed. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	dragonfangirl 2009-06-20 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	See, this is why I frequent OTF and FW despite the fact that I never actually go and look at the wanks. The comments are always twice as entertaining. (Reply to this)(Parent)

telegramsam
2009-06-22 09:21 pm UTC (link)

Nyeh. I'd be curious to see the actual data. How many cats did they use in this study? Where did they get them from? It may not even be a representative sample. There are an astounding number of really worthless "scientific" studies conducted and even published, especially in the field of psychology, that do not produce reliable or revelant results. Medical science is another field that churns out a lot of highly suspect material.

In any case, I agree - I'd wager it says a lot more about cats' spatial cognition skills than their ability to understand the concept of cause-and-effect. It even says in the single-string test the fared well, which suggests they figured out that pulling a string got them a treat. If they pulled at the empty strings in the two-string tests that just suggests they can't visually suss out which string connects on the other side of the barrier, which is a spatial issue, not a cause-and-effect issue.

tl;dr - it's a dumb study and not worth getting one's pants in a bunch over. I love cats, but this kind of thing is a waste of time.

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