I was raised with dogs but have, with diligence and hard work, become a cat attendant. “Cat person” is too lofty. I just feed and act as doorman to an old cat named Lucas, who was rescued by the Wise Woman from the animal shelter more than a dozen years ago. He was 3 when we got him.
Gunter, the dog of the house, is a service animal. He has more education than I do. I’ve been through so much training with him that I think I have a sense of what’s on his mind.
With the cat, I’m still learning. When we first got him, Lucas put the fear of Judgment Day in the resident dog but was terrified when we put him in the backyard. He had never been outdoors. He hid under the ferns for a long time. Today, he demands several strolls around the fenced backyard, his domain.
When we got him, Lucas was not used to talking — “vocalizing” is the term the scientists prefer. He’s a big cat, not intimidated by German shepherds. It was odd hearing barely audible choking noises coming from such a big animal when he finally decided to talk. Now he sings opera. I can distinguish several “vocalizations,” including an outraged yowl of complaint when the dog or I step on him and an odd sound — more growl than meow — when I’m slow with breakfast. I prefer “talking” to “vocalization” because I understand what “hurry up” means.
If you are curious about the cognition of other species, you’ll find a lot more on dogs than cats. The New York Times recently reported on efforts to change that. Based on the article, I looked up The Human-Animal Interaction Lab at Oregon State University. I’m interested in the research of Monique Udell and Kristyn Vitale.
I’m learning, but I think this is true:
• Cats are more socially flexible than I’d imagined. If you give one attention, it might become interested in you. If you’re distracted or inattentive, cats fend for themselves.
• Cats can be trained to sit, stay and walk on a leash. Their social development begins early, at around two weeks. You start training then. The lab offers training classes as part of its research. I wish the lab were in Stone Mountain, Ga., rather than Corvallis, Ore.
• Cat vocalizations are under study, and scientists say there are at least 16.
In my mind, everyone should be interested in cognition, so I recommend the lab’s website. If you’re not interested in the research, you might like the videos of cats training.
• Sources: Emily Anthes, “A Feline Scientist Explains Why Your Cat Might Actually Like You”; The New York Times, June 26, 2024. It’s here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/26/science/pets-cats-social-cognition.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
The Human-Animal Interaction Lab is here:
https://thehumananimalbond.com/
Kristyn Vitale appeared on the American Psychological Association’s Podcast No. 275, discussing what’s known about cats’ cognitive and social abilities. A transcript is here:
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/cat-human-bond
No comments:
Post a Comment