Tejal Somvanshi
It has always been said that cats are intelligent animals, but is it true? We already knew they can remember their own name or understand directions when we point, but a new study reveals that they are smarter than a baby, or at least, they have greater ability to relate concepts with words.
The study conducted by researcher Saho Takagi, from Azabu University in Japan, which can be read in Scientific Reports, compared association tests between 34 domestic cats, not wild species, and a previous study conducted with babies using a similar modus operandi.
The experiment placed cats in front of a laptop. An animation with two images was played while they heard their caregiver pronounce invented words. For example, in certain animations the sun was named “keraru” and clouds were called “parumo”.
Later, the word corresponding to each image was changed, known as incorrect association. The cats were visibly confused, as they looked at the screen 33% longer while some specimens dilated their pupils, which is a sign of attention or surprise.
For cats to associate a concept, most needed just two exposures of nine seconds. Meanwhile, babies achieved this with four exposures of 20 seconds. Although it’s important to note that the experiment wasn’t exactly the same, as babies were given one-syllable words that they heard from unknown speakers. On the other hand, the words for cats were three syllables and pronounced by their caregivers.
The baby study that was used for comparison evaluated the same recognition capacity in 14-month-old babies. Human growth is slower than that of cats, therefore with the same lifetime, a cat is already an adult, while a human is barely a baby.
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This study opens the door to studying the capacity of other species regarding the association of concepts with images. In the case of cats, the information reveals greater intelligence than what had been demonstrated until now.
We must keep in mind that we evaluate intelligence and capabilities from a human point of view. Humans have developed our intelligence as a mechanism of adaptation to the environment, evolutionarily. Each animal evolves according to what it needs to survive in its environment or adapt to changes in it, therefore we have different capabilities.
The most intelligent animals (from our point of view) are our closest relatives, the primates, such as chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. On the other hand, within the mammalian class, dolphins, elephants, pigs, whales, or dogs also prove to be very smart. If we look at more distant relatives, we have crows or octopuses.
Cats and Humans have a Unique Relationship of Understanding
Cats have lived alongside humans since ancient times, and previous research has shown that they can distinguish between their owner’s voice and others’ voices and learn the names of cats they live with.
“Cats pay more attention to what humans say in daily life than we think, and they are trying to understand us,” Takagi commented to Science.
Their habitat is our homes. That’s why it’s often said that cats shouldn’t be loose on the street. In that case, they become invasive species.
